Finance and Operations Officer (m/f/d)

Finance and Operations Officer

Reports To: Executive Director, Finance Manager, 

Operations Manager

Position Type: Full-time employment

Job Location: Berlin, Germany

ABOUT ARDI

Atlas Relief and Development International (ARDI) is an international development organization working to empower diverse communities affected by conflict to shape and participate in the peaceful, inclusive, rights-based, and secure futures they envision. ARDI specializes in supporting civilians affected by the conflict in Syria. ARDI is registered in the United States, Germany, Turkey, Iraq, and Syria; and we operate in areas affected by conflict and migration. ARDI leads programming across a wide variety of development projects, including expertise in peacebuilding, women’s empowerment, capacity building, civil society strengthening, political participation, economic empowerment, technical research, awareness-raising, and the amplification of diverse and minority voices. 

POSITION SUMMARY

ARDI is seeking a Finance and Operations Officer who will engage, lead, and collaborate across financial, operational, and communications arenas within the organization. The Finance and Operations Officer role will add value to our finance and operational efforts in ways that establish, maintain, and enhance an effective, transparent, and strategic financial management structure, enhances and maintains effective internal operational approaches and tools that set a solid foundation from with the organization can grow from, and supports the growth of an international network of donors and supporters. ARDI works directly with major government donors across North America and Europe as a prime implementer or consortium partner, with the aim of expanding our project portfolio and network of donors, while maintaining our strong and trusted relationships with existing partners. As a swiftly growing organization, with an expanding presence across the MENA region, our programmatic capacity is also growing and we seek to secure funding opportunities that will enable us to build upon the significant groundwork we have been working to establish so that we can enrich our support to communities affected by conflict. This position reports to and works closely with the Executive Director, Director of Programs, Finance Manager, and Operations Manager to meet our objectives in collaboration with other relevant members of the ARDI team.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Finance and Accounting

• Support financial controls, prepare and analyze budgets, develop financial reports, and make recommendations to the organization on budget expenditures.
• Ensure proper books of accounts are kept and maintained in ARDI’s archiving and accounting (filing and retrieval) system and other systems/tools. 
• Provide oversight across the accurate documentation of financial information and maintenance of all financial records for projects and for the organization.
• Record accounting transactions for asset, liability, and capital account entries by compiling and analyzing account information.
• Provide guidance and oversight to ensure all financial transactions are carried out and recorded in accordance with ARDI and international procedures and policies.
• Prepare organizational monthly accounts for review by the Executive Management.
• Provide oversight to ensure correct cash flow management and bank reconciliation for accounts in all countries of operation.
• Prepare and/or provide oversight to ensure year-end accruals and monthly reconciliation of the accruals and make journals where necessary.
• Approve the monthly payroll, ensuring direct transfer to staff salary accounts and remitting the payroll deductions to the relevant government authorities.
• Lead and/or provide oversight to ensure financial reporting is completed on time and submitted to donors.
• Support financial liaison efforts with programmatic contractual partners in reviewing financial and administrative procedures/policies, reporting, and milestones to identify shortcomings and train partners in such areas.
• Support the monitoring and tracking ARDI bank deposits and payments.
• Perform periodic financial analysis to detect and resolve problems, and provide strategic recommendations to improve systems and approaches.
• Other relevant tasks, as needed.

Opportunity and Partnership Identification, Tracking, and Engagement

• Identify, track, engage with, and apply for funding opportunities from European- and North American-based corporations with philanthropic donation mandates. Support tax deduction documentation efforts on behalf of ARDI for donations made to the organization. 
• Cultivate, solicit, and steward current and prospective contacts with European and North American donors. Participate in both online and offline donor government meetings.
• Lead and/or collaborate on the development, writing, and submission of well-researched grant proposals/concept notes, funding applications for diverse donors, and other funding and communications oriented materials that showcase ARDI’s unique organizational attributes, multi-sectoral and geographic efforts, and intersectional approaches.
• Develop and/or update templates and tools relevant to proposals/concept notes, fundraising applications, and communications efforts. 
• Participate in strategy and design meetings focused on designing programmatic activities, financial approaches, and strategic planning efforts that integrate finance, operations, programming, and communications efforts within the organization to achieve intersectional organizational targets that build upon ARDI’s unique expertise, local capacities, and diverse network.
• Other relevant tasks, as needed.

Organizational Operations

• Support the drafting of internal and external policies related to the organization, our programmatic efforts, and other key focus areas relevant to our work. 
• Collaborate on donor requests for operational information, documentation, policies and procedures.
• Lead the organization of financial, operational, and programmatic folders (online and physical), and support the establishment of new or enhanced organizational systems and processes. 
• Support coordination with German-language donors, governmental agencies, and service providers in relation to ARDI’s internal and external efforts. 
• Support the design of job descriptions, job postings, applicant coordination, interview processes, contracting, and onboarding. 
• Other relevant tasks, as needed.

EDUCATION, TECHNICAL SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE 

• Bachelor's degree (masters degree considered an advantage) in finance, accounting, business, public administration, international development, and/or other relevant fields.
• 3-5 years of experience in finance, accounting, business, public administration, international development, and/or other relevant fields.
• Native German speaking and writing fluency is required with at least B2 English fluency. Ability to write, read, and speak in both languages within a professional environment. 
• Ability to work from Berlin, Germany as a salaried employee on German payroll.
• Dynamic self-starter who thrives off of tackling complex challenges, identifying strategic solutions, and has the ability to collaborate well with diverse teams in both distance-based and in-person environments.
• Ability to effectively manage a diverse portfolio of work while delivering high-quality outputs. 
• Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to cultivate productive relationships with diverse colleagues and stakeholders and work collaboratively with diverse groups of people.
• Proficiency in MS Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Google.
• Ability to manage sensitive and confidential information with sound judgment.
• Strong critical thinking, passion for excellence, and personal integrity. 

APPLICATION PROCESS

Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and updated CV with three professional references and their contact details via Indeed, ARDI’s website submission form, or directly via email. If submitting by email, please indicate the title of the position in the subject of your email "Finance and Operations Officer". 

Click on the APPLY NOW Button further down and send in your application.

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Hiring is conducted on a rolling basis until a qualified candidate is selected, with the aim to identify a pool of qualified candidates to engage in the interview process in July, 2023. Due to the high volume of applications, ARDI will only contact applicants who meet the key criteria needed for this position, as outlined in the job description.

ARDI is committed to fostering a diverse, multicultural work environment for all and is an equal opportunity employer with zero tolerance towards discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy, national origin, citizenship, age, marital status, disability, medical condition, and any other characteristic protected by international and federal laws and ethical standards.