Deputy Finance Head of Department

Desired start date: 01/10/2025
Duration of the mission: 6 Months - with possibility to extend
Location: Syria - Damascus

SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL (SI) is an international humanitarian aid association which, since more than 40 years, has been providing assistance to populations affected by armed conflicts and natural disasters by meeting their basic needs for food, water and shelter. Particularly committed to the fight against diseases linked to unsafe water, the leading cause of death in the world, SI's interventions provide expertise in the field of access to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, but also in the essential area of food security and livelihoods. Present in 26 countries, the SI teams – 3200 people in total, made up of expatriates, national staff, permanent staff at HQ, and a few volunteers - intervene with professionalism and commitment while respecting cultural norms.

About the mission

Solidarités International operates in Syria since 2013 with a very diversified programs portfolio in Hassake & Raqqa (NES), Aleppo and Idlieb (NWS) governorates. To achieve its humanitarian objectives the mission employs 350 staffs and developed meaningful partnerships with international and local NGOs.

In NES, SI is one of the leading agencies in the WASH sector, responding to emergencies, protracted situations and recovery needs. The strategy is complemented with a significant FSL component, addressing market rehabilitations, business development and agriculture.

In NWS, SI operates in Idleb and Nothern-Aleppo with large WASH programs, with a focus in camps settings for IDP populations, and rehabilitation programs, especially after the earthquake. SI also responds to new emergencies, including regular displacements, natural disasters and epidemics.

SI is also heavily involved in humanitarian coordination, both at strategic and technical level with relevant fora and stakeholders, including key donors.

Since regime's change, SI is redefining it operational model as well as well as its geographical scope and programmatic priorities. The organizational set up is being deeply reviewed with a Damascus-based coordination office, the reshaping of the base level structure. Assessments are being carried out in new areas including rural Damascus, South, Aleppo and Hama and new partnerships are being envisioned. This is to ensure relevance and efficiency, maximize impact through secured access and more generally ensuring the mission remains fit for purpose in a quickly evolving environment. And this on-going transformation will be at the core of the new CD responsibilities.

GOAL OF THE POSITION: The Deputy Finance Coordinator supports the Finance Coordinator in overseeing financial operations and budget management for the Syria mission. They ensure effective implementation of financial processes and policies across field bases. The role includes managing cash transfers and partner payments in coordination with HQ.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Financial and budgetary management:

· Update the monthly budget follow up tool with the accountancy extraction and exchange rate and share with coordination.

· Consolidate the budget follow up tool for the mission

· In line with new projects approval, prepare formats of financial follow up (OFU, LFU, TFU, BFU) for the review of Finance Coordinator

· Cross check the spent and forecasted expenditures information recorded by the Fields and request information to justify any variation month to month

· Prepare & share budget follow up analysis with Finance Coordinator prior to Fields BFU meeting

· Ensure that global/master allocation board is updated after closure of monthly accountancy & share with the Fields

· Ensure that the global/master allocation board is updated after finalizing each final financial report for grants.

· Ensure that all new grants are updated in allocation board as soon as the grant is submitted to donors

· Participate in the BFU meeting for Fields & prepare meeting action plan with Finance Coordinator

· Conduct variance analysis and provide recommendations for budget optimization for the grants facing challenges under & overspent.

· Prepare financial risk & share with Finance Coordinator for his/her validation

· Validate the mission’s accounts at the end of each month, following the Senior Accountant’s completion of the consolidations.

· Validate procurement request for Damascus as the Authorization Table

Cash Forecast update and treasury management:

· Ensure the Fields sends their monthly forecast in a timely manner

· Verify & consolidate Fields and the Coordination forecast

· Coordinate with Base Admin Managers and the Fields Finance Manager to address any overly high or unrealistic forecasts, helping to prevent excessive cash transfers from HQ to the mission and to minimize high end-of-month cash and bank balances.

· Review Damascus monthly cash requirements (CFF) in coordination with the HR and Logistics departments, consolidate the information, and share it with the Finance Coordinator.

· Process and monitor cash transfers from Headquarters in Paris.

· Supervise and support the regular update of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Cash for the whole mission.

Proposal Budget and Reporting:

· Assist in proposal development, providing financial guidance and contributing to budget preparation for donor funding through.

o Sharing budget templates (Internal & Donor)

o Donor rules & regulations associated with finance.

o Financial guidance related to cost & no costs extensions, budget modifications & Donor flexibility.

· Check & consolidate partners’ budget into SI budget for all new grants and submit it to Finance Coordinator for his/her review.

· Contribute to kickoff & grants closure meeting (finance) presentations when informed by Grants team.

· Identify, prepare, and submit all re-allocations for Finance Coordinator approval before forwarding to the Senior Accountant for integration into SAGA and BFU, ensuring optimal use of grants.

· Close coordination with Compliance & Grants team regarding financial matters, ensuring compliance with donors

regulations and timely submission of financial reports.

· Prepare the financial reports (monthly, interim, yearly) and instalment requests with the support of the Senior Accountant.

· Analyze financial reports to ensure accuracy and compliance with regulations, ready for submission to the Finance Coordinator for validation.

Capacity Building

· Contribute to the training sessions that will increase the financial management capacity of SI staff members across coordination's.

· Conduct regular field visits to support and train the field team, enhancing their capacity for financial management.

· Provide technical support to the finance teams when required

Partnership management:

· Regularly monitor and analyze partner reports and burn rates, identifying any areas requiring immediate attention or alerts. Communicate significant findings to the Finance Coordinator for necessary action or solution.

· When requested, perform finance due diligence for new partners & contribute to existing partner performance evaluation.

· Build Partners capacity for financial management through regular guidance, support & trainings.

· Prepare partner installment payments for submission to HQ, following validation by the Finance Coordinator.

Audit

· Prepare & share documents with Finance Coordinator for all active or closed Grants requested from authorities, donors & auditors

· When requested, contribute to internal audit managed by compliance for all active or closed grants

· Monitor audit compliance with authorities’ requirements, donor agreements, and organizational policies.

· Develop & maintain a systematized spot check system within the finance department to enhance compliance with financial regulations & mitigate risks.

Coordination:

· Takeover of the tasks of the Finance Coordinator in case of absence/gap of the position

· Lead the finance meetings at Damascus level when requested &/or in the absence of a Finance Coordinator.

· Represent the Finance department in the Coordination meetings when requested and /or in the absence of Finance Coo.

YOUR PROFILE:

DIPLOMAS AND EXPERIENCE

Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Business Administration
3–4 years of experience in financial management (budgeting, monitoring, and reporting).

+3 years of experience in a similar position

+3 years of experience in INGOs is mandatory
TECHNICAL SKILLS

Accounting skills including usage of software
Advanced Excel skills (formulas, pivot tables, financial modeling)
Strong financial and accounting technical capacity
Strong computer skills (Excel, Word, financial systems)

TRANSVERSAL SKILLS

Excellent communication skills
Strong time management and team management abilities
Ability to work autonomously
Highly organized and able to prioritize multiple tasks
Comfortable working under pressure

LANGUAGES

1. Fluent in English
2. Proficient in Arabic

SI will offer a monthly basic salary of 2,070 USD, along with other benefits and allowances.

How to apply

https://www.aplitrak.com/?adid=YXNzaXN0LnJlY3J1dC4xMTAwMC4zODMwQHNvbGlkYXJpdGVzaW50ZXJuYXRpb25hbC5hcGxpdHJhay5jb20