Administrative and Financial Coordinator at Première Urgence Internationale

Starting date : ASAP

Duration of Mission: 12 months

Location: Erbil, Iraq

Première Urgence Internationale (PUI) is a non-governmental, non-profit, non-political and non-religious international aid organization. Our teams are committed to supporting civilian victims of marginalization and exclusion, or those hit by natural disasters, wars and economic collapse by answering their fundamental needs. Our aim is to provide emergency relief to uprooted people in order to help them recover their dignity and regain self-sufficiency. The association leads on average 200 projects a year in the following sectors of intervention: Food Security, Health, Nutrition, Construction and Rehabilitation of infrastructures, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Economic Recovery. PUI is providing assistance to around 6 million people in 22 countries across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and France.

Find out about our history and values.

Humanitarian Context in Iraq

Wide-scale violence and armed conflict erupted in Iraq in January 2014. In Anbar governorate, the cities of Ramadi and Falluja were particularly affected, the violence and its impact quickly grew. Also in June 2014, ISg, together with other armed groups, attacked and seized control of Mosul and large portions of northern Iraq, including areas of Diyala, Kirkuk, Ninewa, and Salah al-Din governorates. The Government of Iraq (GoI) has conducted multiple military operations since 2016 to regain control of territories held by ISg and announced in November 2017 that military operations had successfully concluded in their retaking of all Iraqi territory. Military operations in Mosul, Anbar and Salah Al-Din have led to ongoing massive internal displacements, serious and systematic violations of civilian protection and basic human rights, interrupted access to basic services, and put a severe strain on host communities. The country is now gradually moving from an emergency situation which required lifesaving operations to a post-conflict transition towards durable solutions. As per the HNO published by OCHA on November 2019, 5.67 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, with 1.77 million in acute need. Half of them are concentrated in Ninewa and Anbar governorates. Furthermore, an estimated 2.8 million returnees continue to form a complex caseload for humanitarians, development actors, relevant government agencies and donors, with 1.2 million in acute resilience and recovery needs.

PUI in Iraq

Present in Iraq since 1983 through Aide Médicale Internationale (AMI), and since 1997 through Première Urgence (PU), PUI (Première Urgence Internationale) brings help to vulnerable refugees, displaced persons as well as host communities (to avoid marginalization when the pressure on available resources becomes unbearable), in order to improve their living conditions and reinforce their resilience to enable them to regain dignity and autonomy. PUI’s objective in Iraq is to provide a humanitarian response to needs arising from movements of population through actions aimed at reinforcing the existing Health system, and providing Mental Health Psychosocial Support to the people in need, but also at providing access to Shelter, to drinking Water, Hygiene and Sanitation. Given the scale of the crisis and the needs observed, PUI emphasizes multiple sectoral interventions and develops as much as possible an integrated approach, keeping health the core sector of its intervention.

Current programs of PUI in Iraq

1. Integrated Health, Protection, WASH and Shelter services provision to IDPs and vulnerable communities living in areas previously affected by the conflict in Anbar, Ninewa and Dohuk Governorates of Iraq

The project aims at improving the living conditions of vulnerable populations in areas still impacted by the previous conflict, through health, protection, shelter and WASH interventions, and at providing health and protection services to IDPs in camps.

2. Strengthening quality and access to mental health services in Iraq, in consortium with ACF-lead, IMC and HI

The project aims at improving the access to quality mental health and psychosocial care in Iraq through enhancing technical capacities of governmental institutions at the ministry of health level, capacity building of stakeholders at national and governorates levels and promotion of mental health care. In particular, the project supports the mental health authorities in Iraq in order to improve the access and quality of services as well as increase community resilience.

3. Increasing access to integrated Health, MHPSS, and Protection services for conflict-affected population unable to return to their area of origin in Iraq, in consortium with IMC

This ECHO-funded project aims at addressing unmet needs of conflict-affected population in Iraq who are unable to return to their areas of origin, by increasing their access to integrated Health, MHPSS and Protection services. Both PUI and IMC will provide quality primary health care services including MHPSS through a tailored approach.

4. Support the COVID-19 quarantine and isolation (Q/I) area set up in IDP camps in Northern Iraq.

This project is funded by IHF and is implemented by a consortium of 4 NGOs (PUI, INTERSOS, BCF and DAMA) with PUI leading the consortium. The project aims to ensure access for vulnerable communities in overcrowded settings to prevention and safe isolation from spread of COVID-19.

Click here for more information about our response to the crisis.

As part of our activities in Iraq, we are looking for an Administrative Coordinator in Erbil.

Tasks and Responsibilities

The Administrative Coordinator is accountable for the sound financial, accounting and budgetary management of the mission as well as the administrative and legal records. S/he is also responsible of the administrative management of the human resources (expatriate and national) at the mission level. S/he will guarantee constant, harmonized and efficient human resources support of employees throughout the country as well as developing and rolling out the mission strategy for 2020/2021.

Financial, budgetary and accounting management: S/he is responsible for all aspects relating to finance, including budgetary and accounting elements, as well as the mission cash
Administrative and legal management: S/he supervises administrative financial records and guarantees that the status and functioning of the mission are in legal accordance with PUI management standards and the requirements of the intervention country and donor
Representation: S/he represents the association in its relations with partners, authorities and different local players for the financial, and administrative aspects of the mission
Coordination: S/he centralizes and diffuses information within the mission and to headquarters for all financial, administrative, aspects of the mission, and consolidates the internal and external reporting for these
HR Policy definition and application: According to the mission strategy, he/she leads the development of PUI’s HR policy in the mission in accordance with the country of operation’s relevant legal framework (including tax aspects) and the organization’s policies and guidelines (including antifraud, protection, abuse prevention, )
Administrative management and processes: S/he oversees and acts as ultimate reference in the administrative management of national teams as a whole (recruitment, pay, monitoring, evaluation, training, licensing, )
Salary grid: S/he supervises salaries payment and follow the evolution of the salary grid (latest update of the grid was 2018).
National personnel development: She/he implements a clear development policy linked to objective setting and builds a plan for training and accompanying to increase the level of employee The mission objective is to have as many locally hired staff in managerial positions as possible.
Ensure the Administrative Follow-up of Expatriates: He/She will ensure a proper administrative follow up of expatriates (residence, arrival and departure, holidays and attendance…) in collaboration with the HR S/he will support the HoM upon request in issues related to expat HR

Objectives and related activities

1. ENSURING SOUND FINANCIAL, BUDGETARY AND ACCOUNTING MANAGEMENT FOR THE MISSION

Financial

S/he elaborates and updates monitoring charts to ensure the financial equilibrium of the mission and prevent risks. S/he analyses financial information, and shares his/her conclusions with the coordination team, the base managers and the appropriate technical managers, as well as with the audit manager at headquarters.
S/he ensures the implementation and correct use of financial, accounting and budgetary procedures and management tools throughout the mission. S/he is responsible for briefing new managers on these rules and organizes ad hoc training when necessary.
S/he ensures, amongst other things, that expenditure procedures are respected and implements an internal control system.
S/he also participates in the validation of procurement files.
S/he is responsible for financial audits on the mission and supervises the transmission to headquarters of the necessary documents and information within the framework of headquarters’ audits

Budgetary

S/he pilots the development of the mission budgetary framework for the year, and monitors/revises it at regular intervals.
S/he formulates project budgets within the framework of operations proposals (including budgetary narrative), respecting the procedures for each donor, in coordination with the coordination team and the appropriate field managers. S/he ensures therefore the cost coverage strictly linked to the proposed programs, but also to the fair distribution of mission operating costs throughout each project.
S/he prepares each month the budgetary monitoring for each project, which s/he communicates to the appropriate players in the mission and headquarters within 25 days following the end of the month, and analyses with them any discrepancies between forecast and actual
S/he carries out budgetary projections at regular intervals in order to ensure the optimization of budgetary resources while respecting the eligibility and flexibility rules of each donor. S/he proposes where necessary budgetary adjustments, which could necessitate requests for contractual amendments. S/he takes into account the contractual timing required for presenting an amendment and ensures that all the documents are transmitted in due time to headquarters.
S/he ensures, throughout each project, that funds are correctly attributed, respecting the contractual framework in terms of eligibility rules (date, nature and procurement procedures) and reporting intervals.
S/he produces external financial reports for the donors that s/he transmits to the Head of Mission for transmission to headquarters with all the documents constituting the contractual

Accounting

S/he supervises the accounting assignment of transactions, ensures that expenditure is correctly assigned and carries out the monthly accounting closure having carried out all the necessary controls. S/he then transmits the monthly accounts to headquarters in an electronic version as well as the paper accounting returns within 5 days following the end of the month.
S/he is responsible for the correct archiving of accounting documents according to the rules established by

Cash Flow

S/he establishes the provisional cash flow with the teams and transmits to headquarters requests for transfers. S/he ensures that the amount of cash flow for the mission is sufficient for the requirements in the field over the period, taking into account possible donor payments carried out locally in these transfer requests to
S/he is responsible for the bank accounts and funds for which s/he regularly controls the balances, and s/he organizes fund movements to the mission permanently mindful of the security of the transferred and stocked .

2. ENSURING THE DEFINITION OF PUI’S HR POLICY AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE AND LEGAL MANAGEMENT OF THE MISSION

S/he defines the yearly HR strategy in collaboration with the Head of mission (HoM) and including input from Base administrators and field coordinators. Ensure its implementation and update if needed.
S/he ensures legal compliance with Iraqi and Kurdish laws and regulations by working in close partnership with the contracted lawyer.
S/he makes sure that the rules and procedures are known, understood, and implemented by all team leaders and coordinators, and that they have all tools needed for their application (internal regulations, employment contracts, job profiles, etc.).
S/he leads the implementation and be the guarantor of PUI’s policies, including specific measures and mechanism for Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, Anti Fraud and Corruption Policies and Child Protection, along with the HoM and with the assistance of technical relevant persons for each case if necessary. An institutional code of conduct was published but the HR coordinator (in collaboration with the HoM) will be in charge of rolling it out in the field and adapting it to the local set-up in order to make sure it is fully understood and potential breaches are reported and followed-up appropriately.
S/he observes and oversees the actual HR management (recruitment, integration of new employees, functioning of payroll, training, filing)
S/he will be the direct responsible of the HR management of Erbil base (coordination), supported by the HR officer.
S/he provides daily HR support and advice to employees and managers based on the needs and situations faced.
S/he provides recommendations on his/her observations and work with the coordination team to make the necessary improvements.
S/he ensures the fairness and efficiency of the recruitments (regular adjustments of the process based on the needs identified and feedback received, ensure measures are taken to avoid bias in the selection, ensure transparency of the process and appropriate documentation in case of audit …. )
S/he implements a staff complaint, conflict resolution and representation system for labor claims, sensitive HR complaints and overall staff satisfaction.
S/he ensures that the Internal Regulations roll out properly and watches for any modifications or updates needed.
S/he oversees PUI’s yearly registration before the relevant authorities in KRG and CSI in collaboration with the HR officer in Erbil and liaison officer in Bagdad.
S/he elaborates medium- to long-term HR development policy for locally hired employees active and updated

3. ENSURING THE CIRCULATION OF INFORMATION, THE COORDINATION AND THE REPRESENTATION FOR “ADMIN” QUESTIONS

S/he ensures an efficient circulation of information to field, capital and headquarters teams.
S/he drafts or participates in the drafting of internal activity reports for everything dealing with financial, budgetary, accounting
S/he ensures the administrative coordination at mission level by regular visits to the bases, controls, monitoring, training, etc…
Externally, s/he represents PUI with the legal, fiscal and administrative authorities (Work inspectors, Tax office, collection organizations…)

4. SUPERVISING AND MANAGING “ADMIN” TEAMS

S/he supervises all the admin team, directly or not. S/he drafts and validates job descriptions and carries out or delegates performance appreciation interviews. S/he animates work meetings, arbitrates possible conflicts, and defines priorities and activity timings.
S/he participates in the recruitment of members of the admin team.
S/he ensures and/or supervises continuous development training for procedures and tools of PUI for local and international members of the admin team, at the capital and on the bases.
S/he supports the Base Managers in their admin activities, in a functional and non-hierarchical relationship.
S/he elaborates the admin department action plan according to the objectives defined in the annual mission program.
S/he supervises the action plan of the Finance Team in the mission
Check and validate payroll on a monthly basis for all 6 bases
Check and validate all recruitments for all 6 bases before new employees are hired
Provide technical support to base administrators on HR matters (including but not limited to: sensitive cases, situation that does not fall under any of our procedures…) and ensure a harmonized and fair treatment of employees mission-wide.
Take over base HR management in the absence of a local HR team or admin manager.
Assess the implementation of the different HR measures and policies at mission level, ensuring feedback and adjusting when required.
Review and assess all promotion requests and salary upgrade requests in order to guarantee their fairness and assess budget availability along with finance department.
Ensure the information sharing and coordination within the HR department mission-wide
Train newcomers of HR team in collaboration with the admin manager (if any)
Travel to bases to provide in-person HR support when required

5. ADMINISTRATIVE FOLLOW UP OF EXPATRIATE STAFF

S/he oversees the issuance of all Visas in KRG (process managed by HR officer),
S/he oversees visa process for expatriates: communicate new visa / extension requests to liaison officer in Baghdad (under the admin manager’s daily supervision) and manage visa-related issue. Seek support from relevant partners (NCCI, DNGO, lawyer, liaison officer etc…) to stay up to date on visa-associated regulations and ensure appropriate visa management for current and future expatriates.
S/he ensures the arrival arrangements for expatriates (accommodation, airport pick-up, briefings etc…) in collaboration with logistics and head of mission.
S/he ensures the per diem and travel allowance calculation for expatriates
S/he links with HQ, ensure the leaves request follow up for expatriate as well as flight booking for 6/12 month breaks.
Under the management and upon request of HoM, support communication between the mission and HQ regarding expat contracts and other technical HR aspects of the mission functioning and organization

Required Profile

Training: Financial/accounting management

Professional Experience:

Humanitarian and International professional experience desirable
Technical work experience required

Knowledge and Skills:

Knowledge of institutional donor procedures (ECHO, Europe aid, OFDA, UN agencies…)
Good knowledge of the financial administration of a humanitarian mission.
Training and capacity building skills

Language: English mendatory

Required Personal Characteristics:

A strong commitment to humanitarian principles and the will to make sure beneficiaries’ needs are covered as best as the resources available allow.
Capacity to delegate and to supervise the work of a multidisciplinary team;
Capacity to manage multi-donor, multi-sector and multi-location (governorates) projects
Strong commitment to support/develop capacity of national staff and developing second layer of leadership;
High resistance to pressure, stress and ability to say “no”;
Strong listening and empathy skills;
Problem solving and leadership skills;
Proven management ability and inter-personal skills – team player;
Ability to work on own initiative and collaboratively as part of a diverse team and manage a varied workload;
Proven capacity for analysing and synthesizing comprehensive information and technical data;
Ability to write and edit reports under deadline pressure;
Ability to guarantee effective and timely outputs;
Self-motivated, flexible and adaptable to the needs of the team and organization;
Important organization and rigor skills.

Proposed Terms

Employed with a Fixed-Term Contract
Monthly gross income: from 2 200 up to 2 530 Euros depending on the experience in International Solidarity + 50 Euros per semester seniority with PUI
Cost covered: Round-trip transportation to and from home / mission, visas, vaccines…
Insurance including medical coverage and complementary healthcare, 24/24 assistance and repatriation
Housing in collective accommodation
Daily living Expenses (« Per diem »)
Break Policy: 5 working days at 3 and 9 months
Paid Leaves Policy: 5 weeks of paid leaves per year + return ticket every 6 months