Finance Officer (Cotabato City)

Title: Finance Officer

Location: Cotabato City, Philippines

Travel: As the need arise

Job Family and Level: P4, Professional - Finance

Pre hire checks: This role is classified as requiring standard pre-employment checks

1. Scope

Responsibility: Country Level

Department: Finance Department

Reporting to: Country Finance Manager

Direct reports: None

Budget responsibility: None

Relationship management: Internal stakeholders: Finance, HR, Supply Chain, and Program teams; External stakeholders: partners; banks; government agencies; auditors

2. 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 7,000 staff and local volunteers work in 15 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.

3. Job Profile

The Finance Officer is responsible for supporting the financial management, budgeting, monitoring, and reporting of the project, ensuring compliance with donor requirements, organizational policies, and government regulations. The position oversees financial transactions, account reconciliations, budget monitoring, financial reporting, and partner-grantee financial management. The position will be under the supervision of the Country Finance Manager, the Finance Officer provides financial analysis, forecasts, and strategic advice to support effective project implementation and informed decision-making. The role also leads financial management functions in the Cotabato office and strengthens the financial capacity and accountability of project staff and partner-grantees through guidance and technical support.

4. Key Responsibilities

Accountability and Complexity

Financial Management and Compliance

Manage project financial transactions, accounting records, reconciliations, and financial controls to ensure compliance with donor requirements, organizational policies, and government regulations.

Budget Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting

Monitor project budgets and expenditures, prepare financial forecasts and variance analyses, and produce accurate and timely financial reports to support effective project implementation and decision-making.

Financial Leadership and Partner Support

Provide financial guidance and strategic advice to project teams and partner-grantees, lead financial management functions at the field office level, and strengthen financial accountability, compliance, and capacity across project stakeholders.

Financial Management and Accounting

1. Ensure the implementation of the agreed financial budget, including documenting all financial transactions and maintaining financial records and supporting documents.
2. Record all financial transactions of the project in the books of accounts.
3. Reconcile bank accounts, advances, taxes, accounts payables, and other related accounts.
4. Review daily/monthly financial transactions in the Cotabato office.
5. Assist in verifying the accuracy and integrity of financial reports from partner-grantees and ensure expenditures comply with regulations and program objectives.

Budget Planning, Monitoring and Reporting

1. Reports directly and provides advice to the Country Finance Manager on project-related budgetary and financial matters.
2. Monitor project budgets and expenditures of partner-grantees and provide variance analysis.
3. Ensure the availability of project funds by preparing budget forecasts and variance analyses.
4. Prepare and provide timely, complete, and accurate financial reports, disbursement requests, and progress reports for direct implementation and partner-grantees.
5. Provide support to the project team in developing and implementing strict financial processes for the project.
6. Perform other project finance-related functions assigned by the country finance manager

Management and Leadership

1. Provide strategic financial advice and recommendations to the Country Finance Manager and Project team to support informed decision-making and effective project implementation.
2. Lead and coordinate financial management activities in the Cotabato Office, ensuring compliance with organizational policies, donor requirements, and government regulations.
3. Foster collaboration, accountability, and capacity development among project staff and partner-grantees by providing guidance, coaching, and technical support on financial matters.

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 team's 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

5. Person Specification

Essential criteria

1. Bachelor's Degree (BS/BA) in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a closely related field;
2. Proven, in-depth experience with Philippine tax laws, including hands-on experience in BIR tax calculation, declaration, reconciliation, and timely submission (e.g., Withholding Tax, BIR Form 2316 preparation);
3. Demonstrated personal and professional integrity;
4. Sense of accountability and initiative;
5. Commitment to achieving excellence and high standards;
6. Demonstrated personal and professional integrity;
7. Must be a graduate of accountancy or any accounting related course;
8. Must have 3 years of continuous experience working in a finance department of International Non-Government Organization;

1. Must have extensive experience in budgeting, supporting audits, and donor reporting; and
2. Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs, complex formulas) is mandatory

Desirable criteria

1. Candidates who are Certified Public Accountants (CPA) or actively pursuing CPA certification will have an advantage;
2. Demonstrated personal and professional integrity;
3. Excellent oral and written English communication skills;
4. Pleasant disposition, positive attitude, resourceful, proactive and self-motivated;
5. Demonstrated ability to plan and organize multi-tasks, with attention to details; and
6. Ability to work as an effective part of a team.

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