1. Context
Relief International (RI) is an international non-profit organization that partners with communities impacted by conflict, climate change and disaster to save lives, build greater resilience and promote long-term health and wellbeing.
Our team of more than 4,000 staff and local volunteers work in 14 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, providing Health and Nutrition, WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene), Education and Livelihoods programming that creates the foundation for community resilience.
We do this by working with local actors to develop safe and inclusive local programming that is evidence based, conflict sensitive, climate smart, and reaches those in need.
Relief International is an alliance of four organizations with one shared mission, comprised of Relief International, Inc., Relief International-France, Relief International-UK and Relief International-Europe, which operate under a one-team concept under a single senior leadership team.
2. Job Profile
The Country Finance Manager – Syria is the senior finance leader for the Syria Country Program, responsible for safeguarding RI’s financial integrity, strengthening financial systems, guiding strategic decision-making, and ensuring compliance with RI policies, donor regulations, and local law.
Your role will provide strategic, technical and operational leadership to all finance functions across Syria and cross-border structures. You will lead financial accounting, reporting, budgeting, forecasting, compliance, audits, internal controls, cash management, risk management, and support to program delivery.
You will operate with a high level of autonomy and complexity in one of RI’s risk and most challenging country environments. You will lead financial strategy, oversee multimillion-dollar donor portfolios, manage financial risks, ensure cross-border harmonization, and advise senior leadership on financial sustainability and decision-making.
3. Key Responsibilities
Accountability and Complexity
- Provide senior-level financial leadership for RI Syria, ensuring strong financial stewardship, compliance, and fiduciary risk management in a high-risk country environment.
- Lead development and implementation of financial strategies, systems, policies, controls and tools to ensure high-quality financial management across multiple operational hubs.
- Ensure robust internal controls, cash management, financial reporting, donor compliance, tax compliance and audit readiness.
- Act as the key financial advisor to the Country Director and SMT, providing scenario analysis, financial risk projections, and strategic recommendations.
- Ensure cross-border finance functions (NES/NWS/Amman) operate under unified standards and consistent financial oversight.
Financial Accounting & Internal Control
- Oversee countrywide financial accounting systems, ensuring accuracy, integrity and timely documentation in line with RI, donor and audit requirements.
- Ensure strong cash management and cash-flow forecasting for all operating locations, including remote and cross-border hubs.
- Maintain and strengthen internal control systems to prevent fraud, mismanagement and compliance breaches.
- Ensure monthly closing timely, account reconciliations, and archiving financial records to cloud-based systems.
- Ensure full adherence to procurement, cost allocation, inventory, and documentation procedures, with clear segregation of duties.
Financial Reporting, Compliance & Audit Management
- Lead preparation, review and quality assurance of donor financial reports, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and compliance.
- Produce monthly financial statements for CD and Global Finance review; ensure variance analysis, cost allocation accuracy and corrective actions.
- Coordinate internal and external audits, ensuring audit readiness, complete documentation and timely resolution of findings.
- Ensure full compliance with local tax laws, regulatory reporting, and statutory requirements in coordination with global and regional finance teams.
- Strengthen program team capacity to interpret BVA reports and proactively manage budgets.
Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial Planning
- Lead country annual budgeting and financial operational planning with the Country Director and SMT.
- Oversee budget development for proposals and revisions; ensure alignment with donor rules and operational realities.
- Provide financial analysis and forecasting to inform strategic decision-making, cost efficiency and resource allocation.
- Support strong financial collaboration across departments, building a culture of transparency and joint planning.
- Guide finance teams in projecting spending patterns, managing burn rates and ensuring real-time monitoring.
Management and Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and develop the Syria finance team across multiple locations, ensuring high technical standards and continuous capacity strengthening.
- Identify systemic weaknesses and drive improvements in financial processes, tools, workflows and financial literacy across the mission.
- Promote a culture of accountability, ethical conduct, data integrity and professional excellence.
- Provide technical guidance to cross-border finance teams with dotted-line oversight to the role.
- Represent RI in high-level financial discussions with donors, partners and external stakeholders as required.
Behavior and Conduct
- Will ensure the highest standards of behavior inside and outside of work promotes the values in RI’s code of conduct and safeguarding policies
- Will be a model for ethical conduct standards for other team members
- Will ensure own actions and the actions of the teams members they manage do not impact the safety of the RI team and the vulnerable communities we serve
- Will ensure external stakeholders are aware of RI conduct and reporting mechanisms
- Report any concerns
4. Person Specification
Skills, knowledge and expertise required for the role.
Essential criteria
- Advanced degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or CPA/ACCA (or equivalent professional qualification).
- Minimum 7–10 years of progressive finance leadership experience with INGOs, including managing complex multimillion-dollar donor portfolios.
- Demonstrated expertise in US/EU donor regulations, financial reporting, cost allocation, and audit management.
- Proven experience leading finance teams in complex humanitarian contexts with high operational, compliance and fiduciary risk.
- Advanced analytical skills with the ability to develop financial strategies, conduct scenario analysis, and advise senior leadership.
- Strong understanding of internal controls, compliance frameworks, tax laws, and financial risk management.
- Excellent communication, negotiation and relationship-management skills.
- Fluency in English (written and spoken).
- Proficiency in NetSuite or other enterprise-level financial systems.
Desirable criteria
- Arabic language skills.
- Experience in Syria context or similar high-risk humanitarian environments.
- Experience managing cross-border financial operations and remotely managed teams.
- Experience in organizational financial transformation, system redesign or process optimization.
- Strong ability to influence and train non-finance staff.
RI Values
Guided by the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, as well as “Do No Harm,” Relief International Values:
- Integrity
- Adaptability
- Collaboration
- Inclusivity
- Sustainability