Finance Manager Syria At Norwegian Church Aid

The Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is working in the Syrian Arab Republic with the country office located in Damascus.
We are now looking for a dedicated Finance Manager, who will effectively manage and further develop our financial department at the country office, including quality assuring and overseeing all adhering processes, as well as supporting our national partners.
It is also expected that the finance manager will contribute to improving and/or developing processes on an ongoing basis as needed.
This position is of great importance for the Syria office, so if you want to help continue this important mission and become part of a fantastic team with talented colleagues across departments here is the opportunity.
You will have ample opportunity for personal and professional development and at the same time, help continue to strengthen the important work we do in Syria in collaboration with our national partners.
The program portfolio includes WASH and GBV prevention and response. And we work in collaboration with national partners.
The position reports to the Country Director and is part of the Senior Management Team.

We offer you the opportunity to work with highly competent national and international colleagues. NCA will provide you with accommodation, salary, living and security allowance and comprehensive insurance. The position is a 12-month contract with possible extension. You will be mainly based in Damascus, but field travel to other locations in the country is to be expected. NCA Syria is a non-family duty station with a Rest and Recuperation scheme. This position is for expats only, and extensive field experience is required. Applicant must have undergone HEAT training within the last 3 years

We look forward to receiving your application.

Please note that this is an expatriate position and that Damascus is classified as a high-risk area and is a non-family duty station.

Start date: 1st of January 2025

Duties and responsibilities:

• Ensure that all administrative and financial processes at the country office are in compliance with donor requirements, national laws and NCA’s financial procedures, systems and the operational manual, as well as the daily management of the NCA Syria office finance department including personnel management.
• Strengthen systems for internal control and accountability and address financial risks and gaps, also beyond the finance department.
• Provide inputs to and quality assure all budgeting processes in cooperation with partners, relevant NCA staff and the Country Director.
• Oversee all accounting processes, including ensuring correct coding and entry into the accounting system as well as the completeness and correctness of supporting documentation and the monthly reconciliations of accounts.
• Contribute to solid grant management by producing timely project financial reports to donors, senior management, and program staff, and by addressing deviations from budgets and agreements as compared to narrative reports to ensure timeliness of project implementation and overall results of the projects.
• Review, quality assure and support partners in their financial reporting and management, as well as providing capacity building to NCA partners on financial matters, such as anti-corruption, accounting, and administration. The finance manager is also expected to actively participate in partner assessments, the preparation of partner agreements and kick off workshops.
• Prepare and finalize financial reports for the Syria office, including the Annual Financial Statement as well as taking the lead in audit processes.
• Actively seek out and implement mitigation measures for corruption and mismanagement of fund, as well as supporting and coordinating with the Country Director, and procurement manager, on matters related to international sanctions and anti-terror legislation/financing.

Qualifications:

• Professionally qualified accountant (CMA or equivalent) or advanced degree/certification in finance and/or accounting.
• Proficiency in Accounting Software and MS Excel advanced level skills.
• Minimum six years’ proven experience from senior finance management in humanitarian contexts, including personnel management and technical supervision/quality control.
• Experience with preparing for annual and project audits and liaising with external auditors.
• Highly numerate and able to analyze and interpret financial data to produce timely financial reports that can be understood by non-financial colleagues and that will support program colleagues in project follow up and management.
• Solid and diversified experience in finance management for various governmental and institutional donors such as but not limited to UN and EU
• Background from training and mentoring of staff and partner organisations
• Experience from working with national partners in humanitarian various contexts will be considered an advantage
• Excellent English skills both written and oral. Proficiency in Arabic is desirable.
• Experience from working in high-risk environments is a requirement

Personal qualities:

• Comfortable working with internationally dispersed teams and has the ability to work productively with others, including in team environments and across languages and cultures.
• Strong ability to plan, organize, prioritize work, and multitask under pressure to meet tight deadlines.
• Staff management and leadership skills
• Ability to quickly build rapport as well as motivate both individuals and groups
• Systematic, structured and accurate
• Patient and ability to handle large workloads with short deadlines in a calm manner
• Problem-solving skills and being solution oriented
• Excellent communication and writing skills
• The person employed must be loyal to Norwegian Church Aid´s Christian values

We encourage all qualified persons to apply for a job with us, regardless of gender, age, disability or cultural background. Through our recruitment portal, you can register and submit your CV, write an application / cover letter and attach relevant certificates. Only applicants using this electronic portal will be considered for the position.

Before you apply:

We kindly ask you to carefully read the ACT Code of Conduct for the prevention of misconduct, including corruption, fraud, exploitation and abuse, including sexual; and to ensure child safeguarding and the Protection from Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse and Child Safeguarding policy before you submit your application. If you are the selected candidate for this position you will be asked to complete and sign our Code of Conduct and Protection from Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse, and Child Safeguarding Policy.

In accordance with core humanitarian principles, NCA implements a range of safeguards to prevent or reduce the possibility of humanitarian aid falling into the wrong hands. This includes those individuals and groups who are subject to sanctions by the United Nations Security Council. As part of this process, NCA will screen the details of the successful candidates for this post against the sanctions lists maintained by the UN and by some of NCAs governmental donors. Please be informed that this will only be applicable for international positions and senior national positions.