SENIOR ACCOUNTANT AND FINANCE OFFICER (100% – Open-ended contract – Based in Geneva)

Organization and Position within the organization

Justice Rapid Response (JRR) is an intergovernmental initiative that partners with international, national and civil society actors by providing them with prompt, impartial and professional expertise, tailored to each context, to investigate international crimes and serious human rights violations and to promote the rights and access to justice of victims and survivors. The JRR Secretariat team carries out JRR’s activities under the direction of the JRR Executive Director and it is based in Geneva, Switzerland with a liaison office in New York.

The Role

The Sr. Accountant and Finance Officer will work under the direct supervision of the Finance Director and will also work with the Director of Operations and all Program Managers, providing them with support, advice and quality control in all issues pertaining to financial & accounting needs.

Duties and Responsibilities

➢ Accounting & Finance

• Responsible for all day-to-day accounting with Crésus and Quickbooks accounting systems including: bookkeeping in the general ledger, account reconciliations, record keeping, end-year process and the accounting operations related to (accounts payable/receivable). Multi-currency accounting.

• Responsible for verification of all payment requests and invoices, securing approval and making all payments. Monthly bank reconciliation of multiple bank accounts in multiple currencies.

• Maintaining JRR’s multi-currency chart of accounts in Crésus and all sub-categorization, extracting reports when necessary.

• Review all completed financial transactions (receipt of donor funding, credit card statements, expense reports, invoices, etc.) for booking and accuracy. Enter and split all bank transactions by donor or project.

• Provide financial support to projects, developing budgets, tracking & forecasting expenditures, monitoring and analyzing accounting data and produce financial reports or statementsfor donors.

• Responsible for the preparation and participation in the annual JRR corporate and donor audits. Prepare monthly, quarterly and yearly closings.

• Track spending to support allocation of costs to donors and donor reporting.

• Prepare the annual tax declaration for JRR Association Switzerland.

• Maintain original contracts (supplier, partners, staff, etc.) and system for tracking/linking/filing all financial activity payments with approvals.

• Partner with program teams to deploy experts, including: prepare and pay DSA, review time sheets vs contracts, expense claims, etc. and present for approval.

• Review and develop internal financial and finance-related processes & procedures.

• Maintain effective financial controls within JRR, ensure SOP’s are being adhered to.

• Serving as a point of contact with bank and suppliers.

➢ Payroll /Human resources

• Responsible for Swiss monthly payroll with Crésus Salaire, which includes ensuring vacation and sick time are tracked in the system.

• Collecting employee tax information, preparing new employee files, orienting new employees to the organization, answering payroll related questions. Provide payroll advice to Directors.

• Key liaison for benefits providers and partners: BCGE, Viseca, Fer Ciam AVS, Patrimonia LPP, Generali LAA, Impôt à la source, OCPM, etc.

• Request and follow-up of work permit, AVS and pension fund employees affiliation, family allowances request, tax at source treatment and other salary deductions.

• Creating and distributing documents such as end-year salary’s certificates, “attestations de quittance”, all the end-year documents related to Fer Ciam, Patrimonia LPP, Administration Fiscale Cantonale , la Mobilière and Generali.

• Completing termination paperwork before and after the leaving of a staff member.

• Other duties as may be assigned by the Finance Director and/or Executive Director.

Qualifications

• Accounting diploma (Swiss Brevet Federal / Swiss Certified Accountant), Bachelor or Master degree (in Accounting or Finance).

• Six or more years’ experience in general accounting, budgeting, reporting & audit support, ideally with experience in a fiduciary.

• Previous experience with Crésus and Quickbooks accounting software is critical.

• Advanced knowledge of excel.

• Experience with international operations and multi-currency accounting & budgeting.

• Fluent in French & English.

Competencies

• Highly detail-oriented, meticulous, conscientious, accurate, reliable, and patient;

• Flexible/adaptable, able to cope with changing environment and priorities, as well as shifting deadlines & multi-tasking. Able to stay calm under pressure and to show persistence when faced with difficult problems or challenges; to handle stress; able to accommodate to the needs of the organization to achieve its goals;

• Organized, able to develop clear and realistic goals; to plan ahead; to identify priorities; to manage time and resources efficiently;

• High level of personal integrity and professional ethics, trustworthy with confidential matters;

• Team player & a disciplined self-starter who can self-manage priorities & work independently;

• Able to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems; to show commitment to the organization and its goals; to respect deadlines; to achieve results; to demonstrate professionalism in interactions with colleagues and external actors;

• Open, culturally conscious, non-political.