Finance Manager – RRLI At Asylum Access

Innovative Human Rights NGO Seeks

Finance Manager, Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative (Remote)

About Asylum Access

Asylum Access believes it’s time to put power back in the hands of people who have been forcibly displaced from their home countries.

Our unique combination of legal empowerment, policy advocacy and global systems change creates conditions in which refugees can live safely, move freely, work legally and go to school. By supporting refugees as they assert their rights, we help restore their power and agency. Our work transforms the traditional approach of endless humanitarian handouts to a sustainable solution that honors refugees’ freedom, dignity and autonomy, and empowers them to make choices about their own lives.

Asylum Access’ global team and family of local civil society organizations advocate to make human rights a reality for refugees throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America. Our national organizations are led and staffed primarily by community members in those countries, and there is strong mutual trust and respect between us and our clients. On the international stage, we work with established institutions to shift the global system to better uphold and promote refugees’ human rights. We can help catalyze and lead systemic transformation because, uniquely among NGOs in the refugee response sector, we focus exclusively on rights and governance.

Project Description

The Resourcing Refugee Leadership Initiative (RRLI) is a six-organization strong global coalition dedicated to shifting power and resources to refugee-led organizations (RLOs). The initiative is convened by Asylum Access, and includes 5 prominent RLOs around the world: Basmeh & Zeitooneh in Lebanon, Saint Andrew’s Refugee Services (StARS) in Egypt, Refugiados Unidos in Colombia, Refugees and Asylum Seekers Information Centre (RAIC) in Indonesia, and Young African Refugees for Integral Development (YARID) in Uganda. Together, the initiative aims to assist 45 RLOs to access 40 million USD across 10 countries in 5 years. We were the recent recipient of the USD 10 million Larsen Lam ICONIQ Impact Award, which has kickstarted the effort, and funded the administration of the project, including this position.

Position Description

The Finance Manager is responsible for the overall financial management of the project, and will work closely with both Asylum Access (as fiscal sponsor and financial head for the project) and the coalition (who govern the project). The Finance Manager will ensure financial reporting to donors is excellent, will kindly assist RLO grantees in their applications and grant reporting, and will ensure the coalition has the financial and accounting information and guidance it needs to make sound financial decisions.

This position will be part of a four-person project management team that will assist the coalition as it implements its innovative funding and aid initiative. This position will be part of a four-person, refugee majority project management team that will assist the coalition as it implements its innovative funding and aid initiative. The ideal candidate will have experienced forced displacement.

Key Responsibilities

All duties are carried out in association with and under the overall supervision of the coalition. An excellent joint working relationship with coalition members is essential to the success of this role. The Finance Manager will perform a wide range of duties including the following:

Project Financial Management (30%)

• Aid the development of a project financial management manual and system, in association with the entire coalition.
• Produce the project financials (e.g. income and expense statements, and budget vs. actuals) on a monthly basis and distribute with the entire coalition for review.
• Present and interpret financial results for the coalition.
• Assist the Asylum Access accounting team during the annual audit with relevant documentation and information. If needed, coordinate grant-specific aspects of the audit.

Project Accounting Management (25%)

• Manage income record keeping for all funding associated with the project.
• Prepare data for finance and development teams for inputs into cash flow forecasts
• In association with Asylum Access and the coalition, develop expense management procedures. Document those procedures in guidelines and train the coalition.
• Expense management of the overall project, including tracking, evaluating and controlling the costs associated with the project. This may also include verifying supplier invoices and managing change events that impact the budget.

Donor Reporting (20%)

• Produce financial reports based on the donor-specific requirements, as outlined in grant agreements.
• Where necessary, liaise directly with donors on financial matters.

Grantee Financial Liaising (20%)

• Liaise with grantees in order to produce grant budgets and grant reports from the RLO-to-RLO fund.
• Offer one-to-one assistance and coaching to grantees in the design and rollout of financial management systems and controls.
• Organize and store grant financials.

Other duties as assigned (5%)

Reports to: Global Finance Director, Asylum Access

Required Qualifications:

• Significant prior experience managing finances, accounting and grants for a non-profit organization or initiative.
• Strong command of fundamental non-profit accounting principles and accounting systems.
• Comfortable working individually and in concert with positions across the various functions and levels of the organization and with external partners, recognizing and valuing the need to adapt and respect other cultures and languages.
• Proven history taking initiative to own and execute a diverse set of duties.
• Excellent verbal presentation of financial information, and demonstrable ability to help guide others in the interpretation of financial data.
• Evidence a service-minded approach that aids stakeholders who may be new to complex financial concepts.
• Attention to detail in accounting, and willingness to perform administrative tasks alongside management tasks.
• Willingness to go above and beyond in promoting inclusivity across cultures and languages.
• A passion for refugee leadership in refugee response.
• Outstanding commitment to ethics in financial management.
• Prior experience with Netsuite a plus.
• English language proficiency. Spanish and/or Arabic a plus.
• The ideal candidate will have experienced forced displacement

Hours and Location of Work

This is a full time, remote position to be based in Africa, Latin America or the Middle East. Candidates should be aware that flexibility regarding working hours is required in order to take out of hours calls and meetings with international colleagues.

Compensation

The position comes with a well-paying nonprofit salary based on location, experience, and a robust benefits package.

Asylum Access is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We value the expertise of those who have experienced displacement, and encourage people with such lived experience to apply.

For more information about our organization, visit www.asylumaccess.org.