Finance Officer - Asia Region

Finance Officer / Project Controller

Our partner is the first and only international financial mechanism exclusively focused on securing land and forest rights for Indigenous Peoples and local communities across the developing world.
Recognizing local and Indigenous rights to land and forests constitutes one of the most important opportunities to promote sustainable rural development, address global climate goals, and reduce local conflict at a reasonable cost.

Our partner provides grants and technical assistance directly to Indigenous Peoples and local communities organizations to scale up implementation of land and forest tenure reform policies and legislation; and enable governments and communities to test new models and approaches to securing rights.

Through grants and assistance, our partner supports practical solutions to implementation challenges, assists governments and communities to overcome administrative obstacles to land rights recognition and titling, and builds the capacity of government agencies responsible for titling and protecting Indigenous and community rights. In so doing, projects supported by our partner contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular impact on the rights of women, poverty reduction, conflict resolution, and climate change mitigation.

The Role

The Finance Officer is the main resource for support, entailing assurance and advisory services, to the financial internal control of the projects and partners to which our partner provides funding.

The Finance Officer supports and works in Project Teams. Your work is coordinated by the Senior Finance Officer and your supervisor is the CFO. The position entails in-country visits to project partners for capacity building and direct support to partner organisations.

The Finance Officer is a close support, knowledge transfer function, and advisor to partners throughout the project cycle from budget analysis, governance development, and contract preparation, over analysis of financial reports and audits, to roadmaps for the financial administration of the partner organisation.

Previous work experience as a Finance Officer in NGO/CSO organisations working in an international context is necessary. Programme Officers and Grants Officers are welcome to apply, since the nature of the role goes beyond financial management with an ambition that finance should be a tool and an enabler rather than a planning and control function. We also welcome applications from Financial Controllers with an international background and from accountants and auditors.

Main Responsibilities

Assess, analyse and follow up partners financial administration capacity through the grant agreement cycle.

Risk management:

• Reviewing grant budgets in project proposals
• Perform risk assessments of partners regarding financial management and internal control
• Participate in quality assurance of project proposals and assist in preparation of project agreements
• Assist in monitoring risks and ensure appropriate risk mitigation and support/follow up measures are taken

Financial reporting and audits:

• Monitor and analyse financial reports submitted by the project partners
• Participate in ensuring the financial reporting from project partners feeds into the aggregated reporting for our partner
• Assist in analysing and addressing issues identified in project reports
• Assess project partners audit reports and coordinate with program officers to address any issues

Capacity building and compliance:

• Coordinate and ensure capacity building within partner organizations on internal control, organisational management and financial issues
• Evaluate and follow-up if funds forwarded to project partners have been spent in compliance with signed agreement
• Ensure compliance with relevant internal control regulations and adherence to anti-corruption policies
• Provide training and advice to partners and to colleagues on the above topics and on anti corruption in particular
• Coordinate within the Controller team the various activities deployed among individual partners and groups of partners

Educational Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administration, or a related field is generally the minimum requirement
• Certifications like the Project Management Professional (PMP) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is a benefit but not a requirement

Experience

• Experience in project management or project controls is highly valued
• Experience in financial management, budgeting, and forecasting is also crucial 
• Experience from financial roles in Civil Society Organisations or development assistance agencies is highly advantageous

Skills

• Strong analytical abilities to interpret financial data and provide insights
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills are expected
• Previous experience from intercultural communication, particularly with Indigenous Peoples, is highly beneficial
• Ability to identify and resolve issues related to project performance and finances
• Proficiency in project management software (e.g., MS Project, Primavera), financial modeling, and other relevant tools
• Accuracy and meticulousness are important for managing project budgets and schedules
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and to be able to negotiate with partner organisations and their representatives
• Knowledge of risk identification, assessment, and mitigation strategies

Proficiency in English is required, along with Bahasa Indonesia or another widely spoken local language in the region.

To apply

In order to apply, email your application to gayathri@arthancareers.com and raashi@arthancareers.com - send a cover letter and updated CV in PDF  format.