Organization: Jafra Foundation for Relief and Youth Development
Location: Beirut, Lebanon, with field visits
Reports to: Finance Manager
Expected start date: 10/11/2026
About Jafra
Jafra Foundation for Relief and Youth Development is a local Palestinian NGO working with Palestinian refugee communities in the camps of Lebanon and Syria. [Add one or two sentences on Jafra's mission and main programs.]
The Senior Finance Officer runs day-to-day financial management, donor reporting and compliance for Jafra's programs in Lebanon and Syria.
The Senior Finance Officer ensures that funds are managed accurately, transparently and in line with donor rules, national law and internal policies. The role protects Jafra's financial integrity and gives program teams the timely financial information they need to deliver.
Duties and responsibilities
1. Accounting and financial operations
- Oversee daily accounting: review and approve vouchers, journal entries and supporting documents before posting in QuickBooks.
- Ensure every transaction is coded correctly to the right grant, budget line and cost center.
- Complete monthly and year-end closing, including bank, cash and advance reconciliations.
- Manage cash flow: forecast monthly needs, request fund transfers and keep cash and bank balances within approved limits.
- Oversee payments to suppliers, staff and partners, checking that approvals and the delegation-of-authority matrix are respected.
- Track and settle staff advances, petty cash and inter-office balances between the Lebanon and Syria offices.
- Manage multi-currency transactions (USD, LBP and EUR): apply approved exchange rates and check that supplier offers, invoices and payments reconcile across currencies.
2. Budgeting and grant financial management
- Support preparation of donor budgets for new proposals, including cost allocation and shared-cost methodology.
- Produce monthly Budget vs Actual (BvA) reports for each grant and review them with budget holders.
- Maintain the cost allocation plan and make sure shared costs are charged fairly and per donor rules.
- Take part in grant opening, kick-off and close-out meetings.
3. Donor reporting and compliance
- Prepare accurate interim and final financial reports on time, in each donor's format.
- Know and apply donor regulations (eligibility, procurement thresholds, currency rules, visibility, audit requirements).
- Keep complete, audit-ready grant files and supporting documents.
- Act as the finance counterpart for donor and partner finance teams (e.g. Welthungerhilfe) on financial queries, budget revisions and no-cost extensions.
4. Audits and internal controls
- Act as focal point for external, donor and internal audits: prepare schedules, answer queries and follow up recommendations.
- Apply and help strengthen financial policies, procedures and internal controls.
5. Payroll, procurement and partner support
- Review monthly payroll, including deductions and statutory contributions, before approval.
- Support procurement by checking that purchases follow the procurement policy and that budget is available before commitment.
- Verify that procurement files (purchase requests, quotations, bid analyses, award decisions, purchase orders and supplier legal documents) are complete and meet donor requirements before payment.
6. Key performance indicators
- Monthly closing completed by the [10th] working day of the following month.
- Donor financial reports submitted on or before the deadline, with no major corrections requested.
- Monthly BvA reports shared with budget holders for every active grant.
- Audit recommendations closed within the agreed timeframe.
Qualifications and competencies
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance.
Experience
- At least 5 years of progressive finance experience in NGOs or international organizations.
- Prior experience managing multiple donor-funded grants (e.g. Welthungerhilfe/BMZ or other German public funding, EU, UN agencies, GCERF).
- Experience preparing donor financial reports and supporting external audits.
Technical skills
- Strong knowledge of accounting principles, internal controls and grant management.
- Advanced Excel (pivot tables, lookups, financial models) and experience with accounting software (QuickBooks preferred).
- Knowledge of Lebanese tax, VAT and NSSF regulations; familiarity with Syrian financial regulations is an asset.
- Fluent Arabic and professional English, written and spoken; able to draft donor financial reports in English.
Core competencies
- High integrity and attention to detail; handles confidential information with discretion.
- Clear communicator who can explain financial information to non-finance colleagues.
- Organized and able to meet tight deadlines under pressure.
- Problem-solver who works well in a team and in a changing, sometimes insecure context.
- Commitment to Jafra's values and humanitarian principles.
Working conditions and code of conduct
- Based in Beirut, with regular field visits to the camps in Lebanon and travel to Syria as required.
- Standard working hours are 40 hours per week.
- The post holder must comply with Jafra's Code of Conduct, Safeguarding (PSEA and child protection), Anti-Fraud and Anti-Corruption, and Conflict of Interest policies.
- Jafra is an equal-opportunity employer and has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. Selected candidates will undergo reference and background checks.
