Location: Shatila Refugee Camp, Beirut, Lebanon
Working Hours: Full-time, Monday to Friday, 9:00–17:00
Contract: Fixed-term, 5 months
Compensation: Monthly stipend of $650 provided
Start date: 1st September 2026
Every decision at Alsama comes down to one question: how do we maximise impact for our students? As a Finance Intern, you will play a key role in answering that. Working across budgeting, reporting, and financial tracking, you will help ensure that every pound is used effectively to support education for refugee youth. This is a practical, high-responsibility role in a fast-paced NGO environment.
What is Alsama Project?
Alsama is an ambitious NGO delivering high-quality education to out-of-school refugee youth in Lebanon’s camps. Through our accelerated programme, students progress from illiteracy to completing 12 years of schooling in just 6. We are also launching the G12++ Certificate – a pioneering qualification enabling refugee students to prove high school-level competencies to universities and employers. Driven by impact, quality, and scale, Alsama blends grassroots expertise with global excellence, supported by former McKinsey consultants and a board chaired by Skadden partners, offering interns exceptional professional exposure and development.
Learn more about Alsama Project here.
What is the role?
You will join Alsama’s HQ in Shatila Refugee Camp, Beirut. Guided by our Head of Finance (based in the UK), you will oversee a broad range of financial and accounting activities relating to the organisation in Lebanon.
What will you do?
The role spans core accounting, financial operations, systems (Odoo), and close collaboration with Development teams to ensure strong financial planning and donor accountability:
1. Financial Leadership & Support
- Provide clear, accessible explanations of financial information to Lead Team and on-the-ground staff
- Support non-finance colleagues to understand budgets, reports, and financial processes
- Contribute to building financial literacy across the organisation
2. Financial Planning & Forecasting
- Support the development of annual budgets, including cost, income, and cash flow forecasts
- Assist with longer-term financial modelling and scenario planning
- Contribute to annual budget and mid-year reforecasting processes
3. Financial Operations & Systems (Odoo)
- Support the month-end reporting cycle within Odoo, including, document uploads, bank reconciliations, system checks and data validation
- Upload and maintain Power BI reporting data
- Play a key role in the Odoo payroll process, ensuring accuracy of payroll data, correct allocation of cost centres, and alignment with financial records
4. Data Management & CRM
- Maintain and update financial and donor data within Odoo and CRM systems
- Manage monthly donation data uploads and reporting to the Development team
- Co-manage the Project Finance tracker with the Chief Development Officer, ensuring accuracy and completeness
5. Donor Finance & Reporting
- Manage donor contracts, including tracking and proactively following up on outstanding payments
- Issue receipts and maintain accurate income records
- Support the Development team with grant applications by providing timely and accurate financial information
- Prepare financial reports for donors in line with agreed budgets and reporting requirements
- Support preparation of internal financial reports and materials for leadership and Board subcommittees
6. Compliance, Controls & Process Improvement
- Maintain financial records and support audit preparation
- Support Gift Aid claims and annual sanctions checks (AML compliance)
- Identify and improve finance processes (payroll, procurement, month-end)
What core skills will you need?
Commitment
Commitment to our students. They have faced great adversity at a young age, but they are our first priority. We expect you to approach all your work with the question: ‘how can I provide maximum benefit for our students and their future?’
Adaptability. You persist through challenges by adapting to changing needs and context, identifying and mitigating risks without being paralysed by them.
Collaboration
Alsama owes its success to its diverse team. We expect you to have a fully integrated mindset, applying ultimate respect when coordinating with other members of staff.
Ambition
Alsama is building for the future: your work at Alsama will outlast you. You will need a ‘goal-orientated mindset’ to develop and implement plans to hit targets.
What proficiencies and experience will you need?
Required:
- Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel; comfortable working with quantitative data
- High attention to detail and accuracy
- Proactive, can-do attitude with the ability to take ownership of tasks
- Clear and structured communication skills (written and verbal) in English
- Bachelor’s degree (minimum) and proven record of academic excellence.
Preferred:
- Prior experience in finance, accounting, or systems/ERP tools
- Academic background in Mathematics, Economics, Accounting, or a related field
- Familiarity with data analysis and visualisation tools (e.g. Power BI, Power Query, Tableau, or SQL)
- Arabic fluency
What’s in it for you?
- You will gain key skills that any future Finance Director or CFO will need. They will serve you for the rest of your career, whether in finance or related fields.
- You will work with multiple departments within the NGO, making this a uniquely diverse internship programme.
- Working for Alsama is extremely fulfilling. You will be surrounded by incredibly ambitious, kind, and hard-working students, and will have the opportunity to teach them a project about which you are passionate.
- You will join a dynamic and highly experienced team, including an experienced Head of Finance, two former McKinsey consultants and a former publishing entrepreneur.
- Well-networked founders can assist with future job recommendations and career advancement.
- Opportunity to live in Beirut, a vibrant and culturally diverse city.
- Arabic lessons provided through Alsama’s social-enterprise language school.
Safeguarding
Alsama is committed to safeguarding all students and vulnerable adults. To work at Alsama, all staff and volunteers must promote a safe learning environment and uphold Alsama’s student safeguarding and protection policy, including completion of safeguarding and protection training and prompt reporting of any concerns or suspicions of abuse. You are expected to listen to students’ concerns, respond calmly and non-judgmentally, and follow our procedures to ensure every concern is handled appropriately.
How to apply
Please send your CV to financeintern@azkatech-alsama.odoo.com
You will then be invited to complete a set of questions on your motivations for this opportunity.
Application Deadline: Friday 29th May
Shortlisted candidates will be invited to complete a technical assessment and a lead team interview.
As a locally led organisation working on the ground, we strongly encourage applications from Arabic speakers, particularly those from Lebanon and Syria.
For any questions, contact alsama-hr@alsamaproject.com