Back Finance Officer MENA (for nationals only)

Period: 1/4/2021- 1/1/2026, starting with one-year contract.

Scope: Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Tunisia

Location: Beirut, Lebanon, Hivos regional Hub.

Hours: fulltime (36 hours)

ABOUT HIVOS AND FREE TO BE ME

Hivos is an international organization that seeks new solutions to persistent global issues. With smart projects in the right places, we oppose discrimination, inequality, abuse of power and the unsustainable use of our planet’s resources. Counterbalance alone, however, is not enough. Our primary focus is achieving structural change. This is why we cooperate with innovative businesses, citizens and their organizations. We share a dream with them of sustainable economies and inclusive societies.

Free to Be Me is an ambitious, daring and innovative program that will help build and maintain a vibrant LGBTIQ+ movement that is confident and capable to lobby and advocate for their human and economic rights. The program is led by an alliance of three consortium members – Hivos (the lead party), ILGA World and Positive Vibes – and three technical partners – Sogicampaigns, The Global Interfaith Network (GIN) and Workplace Pride. Together the alliance will coach, accompany, fund and train LGBTIQ+ persons and organizations to influence norms and attitudes, generate (public) support, and promote laws, policies and regulations that recognize, respect and protect LGBTIQ+ people’s human and economic rights.

The program will be implemented in 14 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Pending approval, the program starts April 1st, 2021. The program is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the Power of Voices program, which is part of the Strengthening Civil Society subsidy framework. The five-year program has a budget of EUR 37 million.

Main goal of the position

The Finance Officer (FO) supports the programme teams in delivering programme results.

The FO designs and prepares budgets and financial aspects of project plans and reports; administers the donor and partner contracts; keeps track of expenses and payments, and manages the related cash flow and reporting schedules. The FO assesses budgets, financial statements and financial reports of Communities of Action (CoAs), and of joint or individual projects of local organizations. The FO participates in participatory grantmaking processes, bringing in her / his / their specific financial expertise. FO is able and willing to support CoAs and local organizations in strengthening their financial administrative knowledge and capacities. The FO administers and reviews the income statements of projects implemented by Hivos, and supports the FMs, as well as POs, CoAs and local grantees with their internal and external reporting obligations.

Finance Officer ensures contracts with grantees are signed, progress and deliverables are met, and payments are made timely and orderly.

Finance Officer is responsible for upholding Free to be Me values and principles and translating them into practice. The FO coordinates the delivery of consolidated and sound country level financial plans and reports, that contain the budgets and reports of local organizations, joint CoA-activities and Hivos. These contribute to the overarching plans and reports. In doing so, the FO will closely work together with the Hivos finance and programme teams, as well as with the CoA facilitator, amongst others. While Free to be Me is main program, FO will be asked to support other programs as needed.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Budget design

• Prepares Hivos’ own activity and implementation budgets.
• Supports Communities of Action (CoAs) in developing country level financial plans.
• Provides input and ideas to the overarching management team on financial formats and reporting schemes

Participatory assessment

• Assesses financial-administrative aspects of organizational level and joint plans, in line with requirements and procedures, and prepares feedback and advice for improvements.
• Participates in participatory assessment teams, bringing in her/his/their specific financial-administrative knowledge.

Capacity strengthening

• Supports, guides and coaches individual or joint grantee-organizations, or CoAs in strengthening their financial-administrative capacities.

Contract management

• Prepares contracts with grantees, in coordination with the project officer and in line with agreed plans
• Administers funding-streams, and monitors implementation of budgets contracts in terms of ‘rights and obligations’ to comply with.
• Follows-up on reporting cycles and prepares internal and external financial program and project statements.
• Assesses financial reports and statements of grantees.

Income statements

• Reviews and administers revenue and expenditure and income statements for individual implementation contracts assigned to Hivos, according to donor and Hivos regulations and procedures.

Quality improvement

• Advises and supports the overarching management team about the improvement of formats and ways of working, in order to enhance accounting and reporting methods and capabilities on both the organization and the individual level.

Other tasks

• Inducts, trains and mentors other finance staff as requested.
• Supports/leads on other programs when there is work overload and covers absences for other finance staff within MENA as needed.
• Supports non-program related tasks as may be requested by GO Finance if required
• Other tasks as requested by Finance Manager and Regional Director.

REQUIREMENTS

This position is for nationals only:

• University degree in finance, accounting, business economics or related / similar field.
• Minimum of five years of relevant working experience, several years of which with international NGOs.
• Experience working with local and national partners in the area of capacity building and financial monitoring & compliance.
• Work experience in complex financial environments and with external stakeholders.
• Expertise in accounting, business economics and project finance management & monitoring.
• Work experience in a global setting, and with international organizations.
• Supports Hivos’ and Free to be Me values, has a progressive and positive view on LGBTIQ+ rights and the leadership of rightsholders.
• Fluent in spoken and written English and Arabic.
• High level of computer literacy with sound knowledge of financial accounting software and spreadsheet packages
• Able to travel outside the country, as requested.
• Job skills: customer orientation, independence, accuracy, collaboration, flexibility, multi-tasking, structured, detailed-oriented, communication
• Level skills: conceptual skills, persuasiveness, decisiveness, discretion

We offer a stimulating work environment in a professional international organization with very dedicated staff. We particularly welcome applications from women, trans and/or intersex people (in the broadest sense of each of these terms). We offer a contract based on Hivos Lebanon local labor conditions, with a remuneration commensurate with the experience and expertise. Contract renewable depending on performance.