Partnership Finance Officer - Erbil/ Baghdad/ Mosul/ Ramadi

Partnership Finance Officer (PFO) will provide support to IRC programs implemented through partnership in Iraq.  The position provides oversight and day-to-day financial management of IRC’s partner portfolio. The PFO will be responsible for capacity building for sub-awardees to build their financial management and administrative strength, in close coordination with the Partnerships Team, and IRC Finance staff. Review sub-awardee budgets at the proposal stage, participate in pre-award due diligence processes, document all financial matters related to sub-awardees’ finances to always assure audit readiness.

Major Responsibilities:

Partner Vetting

• Coordination with Partnership Unit in development and processing teaming agreements and vetting process as per PEERS procedure.
• Support Partnership Unit in partners’ due diligence assessment process as well as capacity assessment.

Partnership Management

• Coordinate with Partnership Unit and partner organizations in developing and finalization of proposal budget.

·Ensure timely submission of partners financial reports as per agreed schedule.

·Coordination with partners on program and compliance monitoring visits and support partnership team in program and compliance monitoring meetings.

·Promote and apply the IRC’s Partnership Excellence for Equality and Results System (PEERS). Contribute to building a strong understanding of PEERS throughout the Iraq Country Program, and to ensuring that IRC’s partnership principles, skills and approaches are applied by staff across programs and projects with partners.

Support Program Delivery

·Participate in the financial part of Partner's Project Capacity Review (PPCR) of potential partners as appropriate and contribute to efforts to collaboratively analyze and manage material risks identified, as it relates to finance.

·Participate in Partnership Project Opening, Review and Closure Meetings facilitated by Partnership Unit, including to review successes, challenges, and lessons learned with the partner, and capture effective finance practices for future partnerships.

·Work collaboratively with Partnership Unit to ensure the timely provision of funding to partners in accordance with the partnership agreement to ensure program continuity, ensuring clear communication with the partner and efficient resolution of issues.

·Assist in the close-out of partnership agreements, including in relation to financial verification and asset confirmation.

·Participate in the review of the financial performance of the partner, of the IRC, and of the partnership, including successes, challenges and lessons learned.

·Work collaboratively and supportively with Partnership Unit and partners to develop and finalize budgets and budget amendments, and (in the case of milestone-based partnership agreements) in determining the costing of milestones.

·Review draft partnership agreement terms relating to advances, reporting and any special conditions relating to finance.

·For cost-reimbursable partnership agreements, agree with partners the specific documentation required to support each type of cost, adjusting standard requirements to the operating context and the partner.

·Collaborate with Partnership Unit and partners to ensure completeness, correctness, and accuracy of financial reports, inventory report, tax report and cash requests.

·Review partner financial reports (and narrative reports for consistency) and supporting documents to ensure compliance with the partnership agreement, donor regulations and IRC policy, and provide feedback to the partner as appropriate.

·Develop/improve reporting templates that help improve partner financial reports.

Partnership Accounts reconciliation

·Constantly track, review, and reconcile individual partner balance sheet accounts in accordance with the IRC accounting methodology for sub-awards tracking.

·Regularly review partners Unsupported cost (76045) and follow up with partner for timely clearance.

Partner Capacity Building

·Provide finance and accounting training and mentoring support to partners, in accordance with partner project support plans, with a focus on supporting the partner to strengthen financial management systems and capacities that are responsive to the needs of the partner (rather than replicating IRC’s systems and policies).

Sub-grant Tracking & Monitoring

·Maintain a sub-grants tracker for all partnership/sub-grant agreements including basic sub-grant details, funds disbursed, and liquidations received. Contribute sub-grant updates to the country program’s monthly internal financial report template (FM01) and provide analysis of all current Partnerships, as required.

·Monitor partner budgets and actual spending in collaboration with technical coordinators, identifying issues and working proactively and collaboratively with partners to resolve them.

·Lead timely and effective finance review and reflection (monitoring), identifying appropriate follow up actions, and providing completed reports to DDF and partnership Lead. Prepare partner report expenditure journal for upload and submit to DDF for review.

Key Working Relationships:

Position Reports to: Partnership Finance Senior Officer

Position technically supervised by: Partnership Finance Senior Officer
Position directly supervises:  N/a

Indirect Reporting: N/a

Internal: Programs, Partnerships, grants, and Finance units

External:  Internal and External stakeholders