Finance Manager, Fluent in English and Arabic, Iraqi National JOB

Organizational Background
Partners Iraq, established in 2017, serves as the Baghdad-based field office for PartnersGlobal, an international non-governmental organization with 30 years of experience building local capacities to advance democratic institutions, civil society, and a culture of change and conflict management worldwide. Partners Iraq champions this mission by empowering citizens to build sustainable peace in Iraq, especially through inclusive reconciliation and reintegration, community security, and tribal mediation.

PartnersGlobal specializes in organizational development and social entrepreneurship, having provided the seed capital and technical assistance to establish 21 local Centers throughout the world. Together, these Centers compose the Partners Network, of which Partners Iraq is the newest member. Building on nearly 15 years of PartnersGlobal programming experience in Iraq, as well as tools, resources, and expertise from other Network members around the world, Partners Iraq is establishing itself as a preeminent peacebuilding organization in Baghdad.

The Position

Primary Objective: The upcoming months will be a period of rapid startup for the Partners Iraq team. The Iraq team’s portfolio of projects has focused on conflict resolution and mitigation, reconciliation, reintegration of internally displaced persons, youth engagement, and women’s empowerment. We are now seeking a qualified Finance Manager with extensive accounting, grants, and operations experience to ensure the success of all programming. Specifically, the position will work with Baghdad-based team members to oversee contract compliance from a finance perspective, ensuring no audit findings against the organization. The Finance Manager will oversee the implementation of finance policies and procedures, preventing all possibilities of corruption or misuse of funds. They will ensure the completion of financial reports on time, prepare advance requests based on inputs from programmatic staff, and coordinate financial audits.

This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the development of a vibrant organization that already has a track record of impressive work that is well respected by donors and local organizations alike. PartnersGlobal has a strong portfolio of projects not only across the MENA region but also in Africa, Europe, and Latin America.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Maintains and updates financial procedures for the office and provides training to staff to ensure compliance with procedures;
• Account for all payments and income in Intacct accounting software. Run reports from Intacct and provide reports based on schedule to DC-based finance staff;
• Finalize advance requests for PI based on inputs from programmatic staff. Train program staff in preparing advance requests as necessary;
• Oversee that taxes and payroll are paid in a timely manner;
• Prepare annual budgets and projections for the field office, and provide periodic reports to HQ on the budget execution;
• Prepare and process quotations (for purchases exceeding $500), purchase orders, invoices, check requests, manual checks, and contract payments;
• Ensure every payment has the required back-up documentation;
• Responsible for processing and maintenance of encumbrances (Fee for Service Contracts, Lease Agreements, Rental Agreements, etc);Keep and maintain an inventory of all assets and office supplies, including the coordination of periodic inventory counts;
• Provide guidance regarding purchasing and financial standard practices to personnel and vendors;
• Recommend changes to purchasing and other financial policies and practices, institutionalizing changes once approved;
• Alert program team and DC-based staff of potential under-spending or over-spending based on financial reports and advance requests. Overall responsibility for ensuring programs are completed within budget lines to support the program manager;
• Provides financial reports as required by the DC-based CFO or program staff;
• Other general accounting duties as assigned;
• Check and maintain bank account(s) on a regular basis;
• Assists with the development of proposal budgets as necessary;
• Legally responsible for keeping all finances of the office confidential;
• Immediately reports any suspected corruption to the DC-based MENA Senior Director and CFO;
• Randomly audits files to ensure compliance with financial procedures;
• Coordinates the completion of any internal or external audits.

Qualifications and Abilities:

• A minimum of 5 years experience in financial management and accounting, with preference for additional administrative and operations experience;
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or other related field required;
• Must be a team player with a high level of interpersonal skills. Must be comfortable working in a fast-paced work environment;
• Fluency in Arabic and English, both written and spoken;
• Demonstrated ability to manage financial transactions, monitor expenses, draft budgets, and create financial reports;
• High-level proficiency in MS Excel. High-level proficiency in MS Office applications (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint) required. Preferred experience using Intacct accounting software;
• Ability to analyze, organize, problem-solve, manage, and prioritize work.
• Demonstrated ability to manage and supervise staff, as well as to train staff in financial procedures;
• Knowledge of international financial best practices, with strong preference for familiarity with rules and regulations of the US government, Global Affairs Canada, and UNDP;
• Previous audit experience strongly preferred.