Job Description

VACANCY ANNOUNCEMENT

ZOA, as an international NGO, supports people who have lost everything due to armed conflict or natural disaster. Together, we can come to their aid in emergencies and remain faithful to communities as they recover – providing new opportunities for them to help themselves again. The work of ZOA is coordinated from the Netherlands. We are active in multiple countries in Africa, South America, the Middle East Region, and Asia. We work with approximately 900 employees worldwide and with (local) partners. We invite you to join our team of committed colleagues. ZOA has been operational in Yemen since 2012, mainly focusing on WASH and Food security & Livelihoods interventions in Sana’a, Hajjah, Al Mahwit, Aden, Al-Dale’a and Lahj Governorates.

Partnership Finance Officer – 1 position

The Partnership Finance Officer is to support local partners in providing guidance and review of financial transactions and reports. The position is primarily responsible for providing oversight and day-to-day financial support to ZOA local partners in close coordination and cooperation with ZOA’s Finance staff.

I. Tasks, responsibilities, results 

The Partnership Finance Officer would be assigned with responsibility and holds delegated authority for:

• Supports the Partners’ Finance Team in ensuring accounting systems, policies, procedures are properly understood and undertaken by all staff.
• Contributes to assisting partners in preparing budgets and in submitting budget amendments when necessary.
• Contribute to the partnership assessments of potential local partners to assess their related financial documents (if requested).
• Assist in drafting partnership agreement terms relating to advances, reporting and any special conditions relating to finance.
• Participate in Partnership Project Opening, Review and Closure Meetings, including in relation to financial verification and asset confirmation and in addition to review successes, challenges, and lessons learned with the partner, and capture effective finance practices for future partnerships.
• Perform regular (at least monthly) financial spot checks including but not limited to verifying all partner payment requests, ensuring that all supporting documents are attached as per ZOA policy, and are authorized by the budget holder, and ensuring no double payment is made.
• Assist in monitoring partner budgets and actual spending in collaboration with technical coordinators, the Partnership Program Officer, the PGM and the Head of Programme Support identifying issues and working proactively and collaboratively with partners to resolve them.
• Assist partners in any finance related processes and procedures as requested by partners and determined by partner assessment.
• Participate in the review of the performance of the partner and of the partnership, including successes, challenges and lessons learned.
• Review partner financial reports (and narrative reports for consistency) and supporting documents to ensure compliance with the partnership agreement, donor regulations and ZOA policies, and provide feedback to the partner in consultation with Finance Controller as appropriate.
• Provide financial and accounting training and mentoring support to partners’ financial management systems in consultation with the Finance colleagues and the Head of Programme Support in accordance with partner capacity building plans and as determined by the partner assessments and learnings. 
• Support in preparing monthly budget monitoring and accurate donor reports in accordance with the specified format within the agreement timeframe in coordination with programme.
• Assists the Finance Coordinator in the efficient conduct of project/donor audit and internal audit exercise where needed.
• Contribute to conducting partners’ appraisal and review of finance report from partners to ensure compliance with relevant ZOA and donor’s standards and guidelines.
• Ensure partner expenses after review are uploaded timely (at least monthly) and correctly in ERP.
• Perform any other duties as assigned by the line manager.

II. Contacts 

External Contacts 

• Local partners
• Government authorities and other NGOs
• Contractors, suppliers 

Internal contacts 

• Finance Team, and Programming Teams (especially the Partnership Program Officer).

III. Supervises 

• The position does not supervise any other ZOA employee.

IV. Competencies 

Knowledge 

• Fluent in spoken and written English.
• Fluent in spoken and written Arabic. 
• Completed Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or other relevant field.
• At least 3 years work experience with International NGO, including experience of working with local partners. 
• Accounting, data and administrative management practices and procedures.
• Computer skills and relevant office software packages (MS Office programs, email, accounting).
• Basic knowledge of project cycle management.

Skills/Attitude 

• Adhere to ZOA values.
• Adhere to the humanitarian values.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative.
• Willingness to be flexible with tasks and working hours.
• Possesses judgment and problem-solving skills.
• Planning and organizational skills related to work and time management.
• Attention to detail and high level of accuracy.
• Supportive attitude towards partners.
• Ensures mutual respect in partnerships. 
• Willingness to learn and be trained and be challenged to grow.
• Willingness to teach and train others.

V. Special requirements 

Willingness to travel to ZOA FO locations other than duty station whenever required to support Finance team there and willingness to regularly travel to local partners offices and sub-offices to support them. 

Location: Sana’a

Start date: as soon as possible, contract until 31st of December 2024 with possibility for extension