Requisition ID: req59312 Job Title: Partnerships Finance Manager Sector: Finance Employment Category: Regular Employment Type: Full-Time Open to Expatriates: No Location: Damascus, Syria Work Arrangement:In-person Job Description Background/Context: The IRC has operated in Syria since 2012, providing protection, health, economic recovery, and early childhood development programs in Idleb, Aleppo, Ar-Raqqa, Hassakeh , and Deir ez-Zor , with new programs expanding into Hama, rural Damascus, and Homs. With a team of over 750 members, the IRC has established trust and strong community relationships, ensuring access and effective service delivery. It plays a significant role in Syria’s NGO, donor, and coordination forums, holding key positions and adapting to the evolving context. With the new realities under the new government, as of December 2024, the IRC has deployed a team to Damascus to set up operations and engage in coordination structures for newly accessible areas across Syria —including parts of NES, NWS, and other previously unreachable locations in South and Central Syria, adjusting operations to maximize coverage and efficiency. Job overview: The Partnerships Finance Manager is responsible for providing financial management to ensure that the country program has the appropriate financial structure and systems in place to support the partnerships' strategic ambitions. This position is responsible for ensuring effective partnership agreement finance management, including timely advances/payments to partners to ensure program and service continuity in accordance with partnership agreements, and timely action to resolve any challenges with financial management. The Partnerships Finance Manager acts as the focal point for financial and compliance aspects of the Partnerships Department, including ensuring high-quality financial monitoring and support of the partners in the Syria country program. Under the support of the Budget & Reporting Coordinator, the Partnerships Finance Manager will actively develop and roll out all initiatives related to capacity building of partners in collaboration with the partnership team and the finance staff. This position reports directly to the Budget & Reporting Coordinator of the Syria country program, with an indirect reporting line to the Partnership Coordinator. Responsibilities: Partnerships Financial Management : + Participate in partner’s proposal review and modification process, focusing on sub-awardee budget (both budget and budget narratives); review in coordination with Partnerships Coordinator Syria, and technical coordinators. + Support the provision of guidance notes to current and potential sub-awardees for the use of appropriate templates, overall budget drafting, and submission as part of calls for proposals sent to potential partners. Depending on the nature of the call, provide an appropriate level of support for current and potential sub-awardees to ensure proposal budgets and budget narratives meet IRC and donor requirements within set deadlines for submission. + Ensure effective partnership agreement finance management, including timely advances/payments to partners to ensure program and service continuity in accordance with partnership agreements, and timely action to resolve any challenges with financial management. Follow up with IRC HQ and partners to confirm transfer and receipt of payments, respectively. + S upervise the verification of partners’ financial reports and supporting documentation, ensuring that expenses are reasonable, allowable, and allocable to the approved budget and align with the donor’s regulations. Communicate findings to partners and ensure timely follow-up to provide solutions and document the findings. Reviews must be based on partner risk and sampling or review of full documentation, as required. + Ensure proactive communication with the partners about the submission of their financial reports according to the terms of their sub-awards. Ensure tracking of the partners' submission of financial reports, communicating delays to the Partnerships Coordinator, Syria. + Review and validate spending plans from partners against reported expenditures, following up with sub-awardees as needed. + Ensuring that the sub-awardee financial reports are approved (signed) by the appropriate authority within IRC, preparing the Journal Voucher, fully coding and posting it to the system. Respond to questions that arise from the Syria finance team and IRC HQ regarding submitted financial reports. + Ensure the financial monitoring and spot check visits to sub-awardee offices are conducted according to IRC requirements and standards. + Ensure monitoring visit plans are drafted and submitted ahead of visits to review and share monitoring visit reports in a timely manner to partners, the related Program team, and the Syria Partnerships Coordinator. + Reconciling the partnerships' advances on a monthly basis, reports to the Budget & Reporting Coordinator on all overdue, unliquidated advances, and updates on a monthly basis all tracking sheets for sub-grants finances. + Ensure that a sound, accurate, and organized archiving system is in place, both hard and soft (electronic) copies for all financial reports and their supporting documents. + Work with the Syria Partnerships Coordinator and the Finance team to collaborate on internal and external audits to ensure proper compliance with all regulations and to ensure that all sub-awardee files in hard and soft copy are always 100% audit-ready. + Review all sub-awardee budget modifications (both budget and budget narratives) in coordination with technical coordinators, and Partnerships Coordinator, ensuring clear action points for follow-up are communicated. + Ensure Partnership Capacity Analysis (PCA) is conducted for all new potential partners, as well as updating the PCAs for all existing partners, on an annual basis. Report to the Budget & Reporting Coordinator and the Partnerships Coordinator in Syria on the findings and provide recommendations for improvement. Support in developing a risk management action plan and suggest corrective actions to address/mitigate risks identified during the PCA process. + Contribute to Partnership Project Opening, Review, and Closure Meetings, including review successes, challenges, and lessons learned with the partner, capturing effective financial practices for future partnerships. Capacity Sharing : + Measure training progress by conducting pre- and post-evaluation of financial capacity building initiatives. + Support Organizational Capacity Assessment (OCA) implementation efforts (When applicable) + Provide (or delegate) Financial training and mentoring support to partners, in accordance with partner project support plans, with a focus on supporting the partner to strengthen the Finance systems and capacities that are responsive to the needs of the partner (rather than replicating IRC’s systems and policies). + Assist in the development of financial-specific partner support plans in collaboration with the Senior Capacity Sharing Manager. Staff Performance Management, Learning & Development: + Hire, supervise, and build the capacity of team members in relevant technical and management competencies. + Develop and implement remote management capacity-building approaches to build the strengths of the teams in Syria. + Coach, train, supervise, and mentor direct-report staff, including communicating clear expectations, setting annual performance objectives, providing regular and timely positive and constructive performance feedback, and providing documented semi-annual performance reviews. + Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions. + Approve and manage time, attendance and leave requests to ensure adequate departmental coverage; ensure monthly, accurate timesheet submission and carry out probationary reviews. + Hold high-quality meetings with each direct report on a regular and predictable basis, minimally on a monthly basis. + Provide a measurable development plan including on-the-job learning with the aim of strengthening technical capacity, exchanging knowledge within the team and providing guidance on career paths. + As required, identify staff performance issues and work with Human Resources to document and address these in accordance with the National Staff Employment Policies. + Maintain open and professional relations with team members, promoting a strong team spirit and providing oversight and guidance to enable staff to successfully perform in their positions. + Promote and monitor staff care and well-being. Model healthy work-life balance practices. Support appropriate interventions in response to identified staff care needs of both national and international staff. + Look for opportunities to support staff in their career growth, where appropriate. + Adhere to and act in accordance with the IRC Global HR Policies and Procedures and communicate through word and example a high standard of compliance with all applicable policies and regulations. Job Requirements: Education: + Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or any related field. Work Experience: + Minimum 6 years of financial work experience in a non-profit setting with at least 2 years of experience in a supervisory role. + Experience in managing and handling partners’ projects funded by major institutional donors will be preferable. + Knowledge of associated with funding from BHA or USAID. Knowledge of EU, UN, BMZ, GFFO, or FCDO rules and regulations will be a plus. + Experience working with databases and/or other tracking systems + Proven track record in developing the capacity of staff. Demonstrated Skills and Competencies: + A commitment to IRC’s mission, vision, values, and IRC Way – Professional Code of Conduct. + Credible written, presentation, and verbal communication skills; ability to convey information effectively and solid experience providing training and staff development. + Validated sense of professional discretion, integrity, and ability to handle complex situations diplomatically and to achieve effective resolution. + Excellent management and interpersonal skills and a solid ability to promote harmonious/cohesive teamwork, in a cross-cultural context. + Validated ability to plan long-term, organize priorities, and work under administrative and programmatic pressures with detail orientation and professional patience. + Highly collaborative and resourceful; ability to establish positive working relationships with senior-level management and all other partners to maximize cooperation and productivity. + Curiosity, a desire to continually learn and develop, and a sense of humor are a must. + Analytical ability in creating effective solutions to complex matters while adhering to labor laws and internal policies. + Strong project management, coordination, interpersonal, and negotiation skills, and a demonstrated ability to promote harmonious/cohesive teamwork in a cross-cultural context. + Strong remote management skills required. + Diplomatic and strong acumen in establishing positive working relationships with employees and all other stakeholders to maximize cooperation and productivity. + Excellent presentation and training skills. The ability to work under pressure and with employees from all levels. + Willing to travel within the Middle East region. + Hard-working, sharp, and detail-oriented. Language/Travel: + Excellent written and oral communication in both English and Arabic are required. + Travel: Minimum 40% to field sites in Syria as well as attending regional and global workshops and meetings. Key Working Relationships: + Position Reports to: Budget & Reporting Coordinator + Position directly supervises: management in partnership with Finance Officers in the Finance department. + Indirect Reporting (If applicable): N/A + Key Internal Contacts: Head of Teams (especially, Partnership Coordinator, Deputy Director - Programs, and the Deputy Director - Finance), Budget Holders, and the Finance department + Key External Contacts: IRC partner organizations