The International Rescue Committee, one of the world’s largest humanitarian international NGOs, provides relief, rehabilitation and development support to vulnerable people and communities over 30 countries. We began work in Ethiopia in 2000 in response to severe drought in Ethiopia’s Somali region and are currently providing assistance to Ethiopians and refugees in six regions in Ethiopia, implementing emergency and development programs in health, water and sanitation, economic recovery, and development (ERD), women’s protection and empowerment, education, child protection, and multi-sectoral emergency response.

Job Overview/Summary

The Finance Manager – Partner support is one of a key position for the Finance Department in managing Partnerships financial management, sub awards compliance, PEERS implementation and provides support to IRC programs implemented across Ethiopia.The position is primarily responsible for providing oversight and day-to-day financial management of the IRC sub-awardees of all donors, in very close coordination and cooperation with the IRC’s internal Finance, Program and Partnership staff. The position will be responsible for capacity building for sub-awardees to build their financial management and administrative capacity, in coordination with the partners, Program staff, Partnership unit staff, and IRC Finance staff. The Finance Manager – Partnership support will provide support to review sub-awardee budgets at the proposal stage, participate in pre-award due diligence processes, document all financial matters related to sub-awardees’ finances to assure audit readiness at all times, and manage sub-awardee finances documents/reports including budget review, financial report review, providing guidance and training related to finance to sub-awardees in order to strengthen their capacity. S/he acts as the focal point for financial and compliance aspects of the sub-awardees, including ensuring high-quality financial monitoring of sub-awardees. This position reports directly to Director of finance, with an indirect technical reporting line to the Senior Partnership Coordinator. The Management in Partnership (MIP) will be coordinated and handled between finance and Partnership unit

Specific Responsibilities

Promote Effective Partnerships

• Promote and apply the IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results system (PEERS). Contribute to building a strong understanding of PEERS throughout the Bangladesh Country Program, and to ensuring that IRC’s partnership principles, skills and approaches are applied by staff across programs and projects with partners.
• Facilitate systematic partner feedback on IRC’s management of the partnership relationship, including the documentation of, and response to partner feedback.

Program Delivery

• Review donor budget templates, donor compliance requirements and design standard template for partners as per each donor requirements and share with partners with budget guidelines.
• Participate in the Partner’s Project Capacity Review (PPCR) of potential partners as appropriate and contribute to efforts to collaboratively analyze and manage material risks identified, as it relates to finance.
• Work collaboratively and supportively with partners to develop and finalize budgets and budget amendments, and (in the case of milestone-based partnership agreements) in determining the costing of milestones.
• Review draft partnership agreement terms relating to advances, reporting and any special conditions relating to finance.
• For cost-reimbursable partnership agreements, agree with partners the specific documentation required to support each type of cost, adjusting standard requirements to the operating context and the partner.
• Follow up with grant/Partnership unit with new T7 request
• Participate in Partnership Project Opening, Review and Closure Meetings, including to review successes, challenges, and lessons learned with the partner, and capture effective finance practices for future partnerships.
• Work collaboratively with partners to ensure the timely provision of funding to partners in accordance with the partnership agreement to ensure program continuity, ensuring clear communication with the partner and efficient resolution where for whatever reason this is not possible.
• Collaborate with partners to ensure completeness, correctness, and accuracy of financial reports and cash requests.
• Review partner financial reports (and narrative reports for consistency) and supporting documents to ensure compliance with the partnership agreement, donor regulations and IRC policy, and provide feedback to the partner as appropriate, and complete the program and finance review checklists for each report
• Handle and manage partners BVA and burn rates in collaboration with senior finance managers and partnership unit. Conduct meeting on the progress of partners burn rate, financial management, and advise program, partnership unit, senior finance managers and finance director for timely action on the best way to utilize allocated fund for clients.
• Ensure Partner’s trackers are updated including issues with partner financial management
• Lead timely and effective finance review and reflection (monitoring), identifying appropriate follow up actions, and providing completed reports to finance and partnership lead.
• Assist in the close-out of partnership agreements, including in relation to financial verification and asset confirmation.
• Participate in the review of the performance of the partner, of the IRC, and of the partnership, including successes, challenges and lessons learned.

Program Support & Capacity Sharing

• Summarize each donor compliance requirements and share with partners for smooth financial management
• Provide finance and accounting training and mentoring support to partners, in accordance with partner project support plans, with a focus on supporting the partner to strengthen financial management systems and capacities that are responsive to the needs of the partner (rather than replicating IRC’s systems and policies).

Team Management

• No direct line management responsibilities, yet the Finance manager – Partnership support (FM-PS) is expected to coach, train, and mentor staff with the aim of strengthening their technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing professional development guidance.
• Coordinate with senior finance managers, partnership unit and communicate with partners on financial reports, compliance, verifications, monitoring, budget matters, etc

Other

• Any other duties as assigned by the Director of Finance on financial and compliance matters and PEERS implementations.

Qualifications

• Fluency in English.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, finance, or any related field.
• Minimum 4 years of dynamic work experience in a non-profit setting overseeing and handling partners’ projects funded by major institutional donors, particularly USAID, ECHO, EU, DFID , and others
• Detailed knowledge of US Government procurement rules and regulations, OMB Circulars, and related administrative guidelines and requirements associated with funding from BHA or USAID in particular. Knowledge of ECHO, EU, UN, or DfID rules and regulation will be a plus.
• Experience in training, capacity building, and mentoring of staff, NGOs/CBOs.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to present to groups of all sizes.
• Self-starter with ability to work independently and part of a team.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively under pressure and handle multiple simultaneous tasks and demands coming from multiple sources.
• Willing to travel within the region.
• Hard-working, sharp and detailed oriented
• Proficiency in MS Office software suite – including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Experience working with databases and/or other tracking systems