Finance Assistant (Grants)

BACKGROUND
Over the past 90 years, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) has developed unparalleled expertise in responding to emergencies and helping uprooted communities to rebuild. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster. The IRC is on the ground in more than 40 countries, providing emergency relief, relocating refugees and rebuilding lives in the wake of disaster.

The IRC is committed to a culture of bold leadership, innovation in all aspects of our work, creative partnerships and, most crucially, accountability to those we serve. The IRC is a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable.

IRC UK
IRC UK is part of the IRC global network, which has its global headquarters in New York. Our team in the UK works to raise profile, deliver policy and practice change, and increase funding to help restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Since 2021, IRC UK has also provided integration services directly to refugees in England, a programme that is rapidly growing.

In Europe, the IRC also has offices in Berlin, Bonn, Brussels, Geneva and Stockholm.

The Purpose of the Role

The purpose of the role is to assist the finance team in delivering its objectives and providing effective support to our Awards Management Unit (AMU) programmes and country offices.

Scope and Authority

Authority:

This position assists and works closely with the Project Finance Lead. The position has no line management authority.

Key Working Relationships

·       Reports to Project Finance Lead.

·       Close coordination with other members of the Finance team.

·       Working relationship with the wider Finance & Operations department, Fundraising, US Finance, Country offices and the Awards Management Unit (AMU).

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Grants income Allocations and Transfers (20%)

• Donor receipts: Ensure all donor income are identified and allocated to the correct grant and country codes and inform AMU UK, New York and country offices on a timely basis.
• Field Grant transfers: Prepare international fund transfers batches to New York twice a month; ensure grant funding balance is checked using the Funds Available and Bank running balance spreadsheets.
• Ensure all the donor receipts and funds trasfers are posted timely and accurately in Integra.
• Maintain digital files for grant transfers with full supporting documentation attached.
• Assist in providing supporting documents grants/transactions as required by country offices for Field Audits.
• Generate donor payment requests/Invoices on the request of AMU & Fundraising teams and maintain payment request log.

·       Prepare non-PO journals to enable payments in Integra

·       Process donor refunds and follow up with IRC Inc./Country office to return the funds to the UK and maintain a tracker for Inc./country returns.

·       Prepare quarterly IATI report and submit to Project Finance Lead for review.

Grant Balances Reconciliation (65%)

·       Reconcile transfers and field expenditure data between UK and New York for all UK grants by end of each month.

·       Raise all issues arising from the reconciliations with the Project Finance Lead for quick resolutions with New York and country offices by end of each month so the corrections can be made promptly.

·       Ensure each grant is reconciled monthly and added to the main Grants Schedule.

·       Prepare grant revenue recognition journals for Project Finance Lead review to ensure completeness and accuracy every month.

·       Assist in fund balance reconciliations for all restricted grants and resolution of issues with Project Finance Lead.

·       Assist in the reconciliation of UK ledgers with the donor financial reports.

·       Work with AMU and IRC, Inc to collate donor financial reports, contracts and amendments for closed grants to ensure that Integra reporting is correct.

·       Assist in meeting the month end deadlines.

Other support (15%)

• Request the creation of new project extension in OTIS.
• Ensure any new projects are set up and mapped correctly in Integra
• Maintain UK office bank account templates held in on-line Bank software and amend templates when necessary.
• Ensure SCB digital bank statements are received from the bank and filed in the correct location on the server for all periods and passwords are removed before saving the statements.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

Skills, Knowledge and Qualifications:

·       Good knowledge of accounting demonstrated by an accounting qualification such as AAT or part Qualified Accountant

·       Strong IT skills including excellent Excel skills with the ability to use SUMIFS, IF, Pivot tables and VLOOKUP

·       Excellent attention to detail, particularly when working with data and large volumes of data

·       Data driven

·       Able to work independently and also as part of a team

·       Has strong communication skills, including communicating with colleagues in the UK and internationally, in person, on video calls and over email in a clear and professional way

·       Good organizational skills and the ability to plan and prioritise work

Standard Responsibilities

Promote and actively participate in initiatives and efforts to build team engagement, inclusion and cohesion in IRC UK.

Foster ongoing learning, honest dialogue and reflection to strengthen safeguarding and to promote IRC values and adherence to IRC policies

Standard Job Requirements

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct.  These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability.  In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Candidates must have the right to work in the UK.

The deadline to apply for this role is 14th October 2024.

Related standard content:

IRC strives to build a diverse and inclusive team at all levels who as individuals, and as a group, embody our culture statement creating a working environment characterized by critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity for us to achieve our aspirations as a team and deliver the best possible services to our clients.   

UK:

Narrowing the Gender Gap: The IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including flexible hours (when possible), enhanced maternity/adoption leave and pay and gender-sensitive security protocols.

IRC UK strives to be an equal opportunities employer. IRC UK is committed to equality of opportunity and to non-discrimination for all job applicants and employees, and we seek to ensure we achieve diversity in our workforce regardless of gender, race, religious beliefs, nationality, ethnic/national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability.

IRC UK welcomes applications from all candidates, including underrepresented groups and refugees who have the right to work in the UK.

IRC UK will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with reasonable adjustments to participate in the job application and/or interview process, and for essential job functions if appointed to a role. Please contact us if you may need such adjustments.