2026.08 Finance Manager Syria

KIRKENS NØDHJELP; Oslo; On-site; NOK 861,000 - 1,244,000; Full time

Job summary

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) Syria seeks a Finance Manager to lead financial management, grant compliance, and internal controls in a challenging humanitarian setting. You will oversee accounting, budgets, audits and staff development, coordinating with donors, partners and Head Office to ensure transparent reporting.

The role requires a Master’s in business/Accounting, CPA, 7+ years’ international NGO experience, fluency in English; Arabic is an advantage.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Business Administration, Accounting or Financial Management.
• CPA qualification and accounting experience.
• 7+ years in financial management, international NGO preferred.
• Experience with grants management for donors like UN/EU.
• Proficiency with accounting systems and Excel.

Responsibilities

• Oversee accounting, grant management and internal controls.
• Lead month-end closings, budgets and financial reporting.
• Manage audits and external statements, address findings.
• Oversee partner financial management and capacity building.
• Represent NCA on financial matters with donors and authorities.

Skills

Financial analysis

Excel proficiency

Internal controls

Stakeholder management

Accounting systems

Education

Master's in Business Administration

CPA / Chartered Accountant

Tools

Maconomy

ERP systems

Job description

Are you motivated by ensuring high standards of integrity and compliance, strengthening local capacity and systems, and making a meaningful difference through your work? Then you may be the candidate we are looking for.

About NCA in Syria:

Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) is a non-governmental organisation registered in Norway, founded in 1947 and headquartered in Oslo. As one of the largest aid organisations in the Nordic region, NCA works in more than 30 countries through emergency response and long-term development programmes to support people in need. Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), alongside the prevention of and response to Gender-Based Violence (GBV), are among NCA’s core areas of work globally. NCA is committed to assisting people regardless of their religious beliefs, ethnic background or political affiliation.

NCA has been providing humanitarian assistance in the Middle East for more than a decade. In Syria, NCA established its Damascus office in 2021 and its Aleppo office in 2023.

Purpose of the position:

The Finance Manager is responsible for the overall financial management of NCA Syria. You will oversee accounting, grant management, internal controls and audits, and work closely with senior management, staff, partners, donors and Head Office to ensure transparency, accountability and high quality financial reporting.

Key responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with applicable Syrian financial and statutory requirements, including taxation, payroll-related obligations, social security contributions and financial reporting. Review and quality-assure budgets and financial reports, ensure compliance with grant conditions, and follow up on budget variances in a timely manner.
• Verify that financial transactions booked in NCA’s global accounting software adhere to NCA’s accounting principles and procedures.
• Oversee month-end-closings including reconciliations and follow-up of project and all types of balance accounts.
• Maintain and strengthen the internal control systems for both operational and partner‑based activities.
• Manage office budgets, cash flow and treasury operations, including banking arrangements, currency conversions and exchange-rate risks, and ensure that all payments and costs are correctly processed and documented in accordance with NCA procedures and donor requirements.
• Oversee partner financial management throughout the project cycle, including capacity strengthening and corrective actions.
• Lead processes for annual and project financial statements and external audits and follow up audit findings.
• Manage and build staff competence and interdepartmental cooperation.
• Represent NCA on financial matters with authorities, donors and Head Office, as agreed.

Qualifications and experience

• A Master’s degree in Business Administration, Accounting or Financial Management
• Certified Public Accountant with accounting experience.
• At least 7 years of experience in financial management, preferably in an International Non-Governmental Organization, including personnel management and technical supervision/quality control.
• Documented and diversified experience in financial and grant management for various governmental and institutional donors such as the UN and EU.
• Experience in ensuring compliance with national financial and statutory requirements. Familiarity with the Syrian regulatory context is an advantage.
• Solid knowledge about internal control measures and how to apply them in practice.
• Strong experience with accounting systems (Maconomy or similar) and advanced Excel skills.
• Highly numerate and able to analyze and interpret financial data to produce timely financial reports that can be understood by non-financial colleagues and that will support program colleagues in project follow up and management.
• Experience from working with national partners in various humanitarian contexts will be considered an advantage.
• Fluency in English is required. Arabic language skills are an advantage.
• Experience from working in high-risk environments is an advantage.

Personal qualities

• Structured and systematic, with strong attention to detail.
• Analytical and solutions-oriented.
• Comfortable working independently while collaborating closely with others.
• Strong interpersonal skills and cultural sensitivity.
• A clear and trustworthy communicator, able to build confidence across teams and partners.
• Patient and able to handle large workloads with short deadlines in a calm manner.

What we offer

• A meaningful leadership role in a long-standing, reputable organization.
• The opportunity to contribute to humanitarian and development work in a complex and demanding operational context.
• A professional, international work environment with committed and supportive colleagues across country offices and Head Office.
• Competitive salary and benefits.

Important notes:

• For international appointments, this is a non-family duty station, requiring the ability to live and work independently in a high-risk context.
• Contract length: 12 months.
• Applicants will be screened, shortlisted and interviewed on a rolling basis.
• Start-up date: as soon as possible.
• This position is open to both national and international (expatriate) candidates.
• Terms of employment:The selected candidate will be offered a contract under either NCA nationalstaff terms or NCA international/expatriateterms, depending on their employment status. Selection will be based solely on the qualifications and competencies outlined in the vacancy notice.
• International (expatriate) candidates must have completed HEAT (Hostile Environment Awareness Training) within the last four years. Those who have not will be required to complete the training within the first three months of employment.
• Duty station: Damascus, Syria, with travel to programme locations as required.

In accordance with core humanitarian principles, NCA implements a range of safeguards to prevent or reduce the possibility of humanitarian aid falling into the wrong hands. This includes those individuals and groups who are subject to sanctions by the United Nations Security Council. As part of this process, NCA will screen the details of the successful candidates for this post against the sanctions lists maintained by the UN and by some of NCA’s governmental donors.