Finance Associate

Background

Chemonics is an international development consulting firm that promotes meaningful change to help people live healthier, more productive, and more independent lives. Chemonics’ mission is driven by our commitment to service – to our mission, our beneficiaries, and clients, and our staff. Working under contract with USAID and other aid donors, Chemonics designs and implements development projects in many of the world’s developing countries.

The Iraq Durable Communities and Economic Opportunities (DCEO) is a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) program implemented by Chemonics International in Iraq. DCEO aims to support vulnerable communities to build community resilience against destabilizing factors by increasing their adaptive capacity and economic well-being. The project consists of two objectives. Objective 1, Adaptative capacity of vulnerable communities increased is achieved through two components. Component 1.1 seeks to mitigate drivers of conflict in targeted communities and Component 1.2 seeks to enhance community leadership of inclusive local development.  Objective 2, Economic well-being of communities advanced, will rest on the assessments, analysis, foundations, and groundwork of Objective 1.

OBJECTIVE: The Bookkeeper will support financial operations within the office for DCEO. S/he will be responsible for ensuring project financial policies are carried out in the office and will enter all local transactions into ABACUS, the project financial management system.

–                                                Responsibilities

• Record accounting transactions in Chemonics’ accounting system, ABACUS, ensuring proper GL coding per Chemonics’ field office chart of accounts.
• Process expense reports and review payments to ensure that all supporting documentation and approvals are included and complete per Chemonics’ Accounting Voucher Checklist and Chemonics’ FAC Manual (Field Accounting and Compliance Manual).
• Update Finance Teams’ DCEO Tracker regularly This includes maintaining records for Finance portals on a daily basis and managing Social Security and Personal Income Tax documentation on a monthly basis Processing payroll and preparing/submitting salary payslips, Liaise with local income tax authority and local social security office.
• Preparing Hawala payments and ensuring thorough follow-up with hawala providers ensure to verify successful fund delivery to beneficiaries.
• Track sub ledger balances, including receivable accounts for individual staff, such as outstanding travel advances, vehicle mileage, and personal telephone usage.
• Maintain proper financial data and financial files and archiving them on SharePoint.
• Assist the Finance manager/supervisor with financial reporting, and analysis.
• Review payment requests and support the payment of vendors, grantees, subcontractors, checking the back-up documentation accordingly.
• Review payroll and ensure all calculation are made correctly and processed efficiently.
• Ensures that Chemonics’ standards of ethics and conduct are upheld throughout all aspects of the project’s financial conduct.
• Liaise often with the with the HR team to ensure appropriate collection of timesheets and LOE (Level Of Effort) management across all Task Orders.
• Assist with bank reconciliations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Reports to: Finance Manager

Staff reporting to this post: None.

Working Hours: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required in business management, accounting, or a related field.
• At least Two years of relevant bookkeeping, financial management and/or accounting experience in Iraq is preferred.
• Knowledge of basic accounting and accounting practices is required, as well as general accounting best practices in Iraq.
• Ability to work in a professional and cordial manner with fellow staff members, visitors, the public, and partner institutions including international and local NGOs, and governmental entities.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision, prioritize multiple work assignments in an extremely fast-paced environment, meet deadlines, and exercise good, professional judgment that reflects positively on the image and communicates the established program message of the project.
• Ability to effectively use computer software including financial management applications and Microsoft Office. Demonstrated high proficiency with Excel spreadsheet applications is required.
• Fluency in written and oral Arabic and good desirable English skill is required.