Finance & Audit Liaison Coordinator

Job Description

  • Publish Date: May 15,2025
  • Category: Development/UN/NGOs            
  • Deadline:  May 21, 2025    
  • Position: Finance & Audit Liaison Coordinator
  • Location:  Aden-Country office
  • Reports to: Deputy Country Director - Support
  • Duration: Until December 31, 2025 Renewable based on fund availability and performance    
  • Reference: HR-25-13

Note:  Position is open for Yemeni Nationals only. 

ABOUT RI:

1.    Context 

About Relief International

Relief International (RI) partners with communities impacted by conflict, climate change, and disaster to save lives, build greater resilience and promote long-term health and well being. 
Currently, RI is active in 14 countries around the world, including some of the most fragile: Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen.
Relief International includes the four corporate members of the RI Alliance: Relief International Inc., Relief International-UK, Relief International-France and Relief International-Europe Under our alliance agreement, we operate with a single, shared management structure.

2.    Job Profile

RI is looking to hire a Financial Accounting Coordinator within its county office in Sana’a to be in charge of proper accounting of ALL RI-Yemen activities in its financial accounting system. 

[ABOUT THE ROLE]

As the focal point for centralized financial functions in the North and South hubs, He/She will oversee all accounts functions in both the country office and field offices, including financial commitments, payment processing, and transaction booking. He/She will direct finance staff activities, conduct field visits, and ensure compliance with RI Financial Policies and Procedures. This role involves preparing and reviewing monthly financial reports, ensuring proper classification of project expenses, and maintaining clear financial statements. He/She will assist in preparing monthly financial reports, implement cash management procedures, and liaise with field offices to ensure smooth financial operations. Additionally, He/She will manage exchange rate differences, review monthly cash and bank reconciliations, ensure proper documentation, and meet closing deadlines. He/She will also review inter-company financial transactions, suggest improvements for financial systems, review contract financial terms, monitor sub grant agreements, and prepare financial documents for audits, along with performing other duties as needed. 
The Audit Liaison is pivotal in upholding organizational compliance and ensuring smooth audit processes. This role encompasses leading and representing Relief International (RI) during all external audits and regulatory engagements, including those by donors, audit firms, and tax/social security authorities, as well as internal HQ audits. A key function involves conducting internal compliance reviews, such as ad-hoc audits, spot-checks, and field visits, to assess operational efficiency, internal controls, financial reporting accuracy, and adherence to both RI and donor regulations. Furthermore, the position is responsible for proactively identifying and mitigating compliance risks, reviewing financial reports and project documentation for compliance, maintaining comprehensive compliance trackers, providing regular updates to senior management, and actively building staff capacity on compliance matters through training and presentations.

[AUTONOMY AND COMPLEXITY]

This role demands significant autonomy and involves a high degree of complexity in both financial management and audit liaison responsibilities. The individual acts as a central point for diverse financial functions, requiring independent decision-making and ownership over tasks such as managing operational expenses, ensuring financial accuracy, handling inter-company transactions, and coordinating cash flow, all while navigating intricate processes and multiple interdependencies. Simultaneously, the audit liaison aspect necessitates independent leadership of audit cycles, skillful stakeholder management across various entities, comprehensive policy application, proactive risk mitigation, and effective communication and capacity building within the organization...

3.    Key responsibilities 

Context background

This individual is responsible for overseeing all financial functions in the North and South hubs, including managing accounts, financial commitments, payments, and compliance with financial policies. They supervise finance staff, conduct field visits, ensure timely financial reporting, manage exchange rates, and review reconciliations. Additionally, they serve as the primary point of contact for all internal and external audits, conduct compliance reviews and risk assessments, manage relationships with stakeholders, maintain compliance trackers, provide updates to leadership, and build organizational capacity on compliance to ensure adherence to policies and regulations.

Relationships Management 

The Finance & Audit liaison Coordinator plays a crucial role in managing relationships with various RI departments and external entities like banks.

HR Department:

The Finance & Audit liaison Coordinator collaborates with HR to ensure accurate and timely processing of payroll, benefits, and other employee-related financial transactions. This involves regular communication to address any discrepancies and ensure compliance with financial policies and audit issues.

Operation Department:

 Coordination with the operations team is essential for budgeting, procurement, and expense tracking. The Finance & Audit liaison Coordinator ensures that all operational expenses are properly documented and aligned with financial policies.

Program Department:

 The Finance & Audit liaison Coordinator works closely with program/Project managers to ensure project activities expenses are booked in a timely manner and orient program/project staff on the proper supporting documents of all kinds of project activities, and provide financial reports that support program activities. This relationship is vital for maintaining financial transparency and accountability in program implementation.

Field Offices: 

Effective communication with field offices is necessary to oversee financial activities, provide guidance on financial procedures, and ensure the timely submission of financial reports. The Finance & Audit liaison Coordinator conducts field visits to support and verify financial operations.

Banks: 

Managing relationships with banks involves ensuring smooth banking operations, including handling transactions, managing exchange rates, and resolving any banking issues. The Finance & Audit liaison Coordinator liaises with bank representatives to maintain efficient financial services.
Overall, the Finance & Audit liaison Coordinator ensures seamless financial operations through effective communication, collaboration, and relationship management with all relevant stakeholders.

Key deliverables (main duties, with subtasks)  

  • Act as the primary focal point for all centralized financial operations and functions specifically related to both the North and South hubs of the organization.
  • Oversee and supervise the complete spectrum of accounts functions within the country office and all field offices, encompassing financial commitments, payment voucher processing, thorough reviews, payment procedures, and the accurate booking of financial transactions in the designated financial system, including scanning and systematic archiving of documentation.
  • Direct the day-to-day activities of finance staff located in both the country office and field offices, fostering close collaboration and providing necessary guidance. This includes conducting regular field visits to monitor operations and ensure the timely completion of all accounting activities and reporting in full compliance with both RI and donor requirements.
  • Guarantee that every financial transaction is executed strictly in accordance with the established RI Financial Policies and Procedures, ensuring adherence to internal controls and regulatory guidelines.
  • Take responsibility for ensuring the timely completion of the month-end closing processes and the accurate preparation of the monthly financial report for review by the Finance Manager and Regional Support Office (RSO), strictly adhering to specified deadlines.
  • Ensure the precise classification of all project-related expenses to the appropriate General Ledger (GL) account and maintain consistency in charging expenses to the relevant GL account across all financial activities.
  • Strive to maintain clear and accurate financial statements for RI-Yemen on a monthly basis by proactively identifying and processing necessary adjustment entries to resolve any unusual or outstanding account balances.
  • Provide active assistance in the preparation of various periodic financial reports as required and contribute to the implementation of robust cash management procedures to ensure the highest level of control, availability of funds, and security of financial assets at all times.
  • Maintain consistent and effective communication channels and liaise regularly with finance teams in field offices to ensure the smooth and efficient running of all financial and accounting activities across all locations.
  • Manage all aspects related to exchange rate differences in accordance with the RI finance manual and the specific rules and regulations stipulated by various donors.
  • Conduct thorough monthly reviews of Cash and Bank reconciliations prepared for both the country office and all field offices, ensuring accuracy and addressing any discrepancies promptly.
  • Ensure the proper and timely compilation and organization of all supporting documentation for the monthly financial reports, maintaining a comprehensive audit trail.
  • Consistently meet established closing deadlines in alignment with the overall objectives set by the Global Support Office (GSO).
  • Review all inter-company financial transactions meticulously and ensure their complete reconciliation with the accounting records of RI-Yemen, resolving any discrepancies.
  • Analyze existing financial accounting and control systems and proactively develop and propose improvement suggestions to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Carefully review the financial terms and conditions of all contracts prior to their final approval by the authorized manager or director, ensuring financial prudence and compliance.
  • Monitor the financial aspects and compliance of sub-grant agreements implemented by partner organizations, ensuring responsible management of funds.
  • Ensure the thorough preparation and organization of all necessary financial documents required for both external and internal audits, facilitating a smooth audit process.
  • Lead and manage all audit and spot-check cycles, ensuring successful representation of RI during external audits and spot checks conducted by donors or external audit firms.
  • Take the lead in all HQ US/UK audit cycles, ensuring successful representation of RI with the Regional Support Office (RSO) and Global Support Office (GSO), and also represent RI during external regulatory visits related to Tax and Social Security, including representing RI in tax appeal stages with relevant committees.
  • Perform other duties as needed.

4.    Person Specification

Skills, knowledge and expertise required for the role. 

Essential criteria 

  • Bachelor Degree in Finance, Accounting.
  • Professional accounting qualification such as CPA or CIA will be an added advantage.
  • Experience in applying audit and compliance principles to NGO settings and Knowledge of the rules and regulations of key donors such as ECHO, OCHA, WFP, UNFPA, USAID, BHA, EU, DIFID etc.
  • Good knowledge of internal control and financial reporting systems
  • Experience in accounting/finance no less than 3 years.
  • INGO/NGO previous experience. 
  • Ability to prepare and administer budgets, manage finance function.
  • Analytical/Communication/inter-personal skills 
  • Ability to work under highly stressful conditions 
  • Writing/drafting skills 
  • Advanced Excel skills
  • Ability to train and educate other people 
  • Familiarity with business principles and practices

Desirable criteria

  • Holding a professional certificate YCPA, CIA, CMA, or equivalent.

5.    RI VALUES:     

We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence as well as “Do No Harm.” We value:    

  • Integrity
  • Adaptability
  • Collaboration
  • Inclusivity
  • Sustainability

How to Apply

Qualified candidates meeting the above Qualifications and requirements are requested to send their CVs in English to: aden.vacancies@ri.org  before 11:55 PM of May 21, 2025 with the vacancy reference Subject: (HR-25-13+ Applicant Full Name).

-    على من تنطبق عليهم الشروط المبينة اعلاه ارسال السيرة الذاتيه باللغة الانجليزية على الأيميل التالي (aden.vacancies@ri.org ) قبل الساعة PM) 11:55) من (May 21, 2025)  ولكي يتم النظر في طلبك يرجى مراعاة كتابة المرجع وإسم المتقدم في عنوان الإيميل بالشكل الصحيح كالآتي : (الاسم + HR-25-13)

Relief International never uses external recruitment agencies and the entire Recruitment Process is free of charge.

-    لا تقوم منظمة الاغاثة الدولية  بالاستعانة باشخاص او بوكالات خارجية للتوظيف اطلاقا، وان عملية التوظيف مجانيه  100% .

RECRUITMENT IS URGENT: Interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible and not to wait until the closing date, as interviews will be done on rolling bases.

   التوظيف عاجل : على الاشخاص الذين تنطبق عليهم الشروط سرعة التقديم وعدم الانتظار حتى نهاية فترة الاعلان علاوة على ان المقابلات ستقام بشكل دوري.

Females Candidates and qualified candidates from the targeted governorates are strongly encouraged to apply.

-    تشجع  الاغاثة الدولية الاناث وكذلك الاشخاص المؤهلين من المناطق المستهدفة  على التقديم للوظائف المعلنة.

Only short-listed candidates meeting the requirements will be contacted. All communication will be done through RI formal emails and recruitment number (774395700).

-    سيتم التواصل مع المرشحين الذين تنطبق عليهم الشروط و يتم اختيارهم للقائمة القصيره فقط وان اي تواصل سيكون عبر ايميلات الاغاثة الدولية الرسمية وكذلك رقم التوظيف التالي: (774395700).