Senior Finance Officer (IFRC)

Philippine Red Cross; Mandaluyong; On-site; PHP 1,000,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Philippine Red Cross, in partnership with IFRC Philippines, seeks a Senior Finance Officer to lead the Delegation's finance function, oversee budgeting, reporting, and ERP implementation, and ensure compliance with donor requirements.

The role supervises the Finance Officer and Finance Assistant, works with the Head of Delegation, and drives financial capacity building across the organization while strengthening risk management and data integrity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field.
• At least 7 years of experience in accounting and financial management.
• Experience with ERP-based financial systems is required.
• Experience with nonprofit/humanitarian sector is preferred.
• Ability to coach and develop finance staff is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership over the Delegation’s financial position.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning for multiple resources.
• Ensure compliance with donor requirements and PEAR limits.
• Lead the ERP implementation and enhance financial reporting quality.
• Supervise the Finance Officer and Finance Assistant.
• Monitor financial health and perform monthly analyses.

Skills

ERP systems experience

Financial leadership

Budgeting & forecasting

Financial reporting

Risk management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance

Tools

Microsoft D365

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Job description

Purpose Statement:

Under the overall supervision of Management, the Senior Finance Officer (SFO) leads the finance function of the IFRC Philippines Country Delegation and assumes the responsibilities of the Delegation’s Head of Finance. The role ensures sound financial management, compliance, and accountability in accordance with IFRC policies, donor requirements, and local regulations. The Senior Finance Officer oversees budgeting, financial planning, reporting, analysis, and cash flow management to support informed decision-making and the efficient delivery of programs and emergency operations.

The position plays a key role in strengthening financial systems and risk management processes, including the implementation and optimization of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to enhance efficiency, transparency, and data integrity. The Senior Finance Officer also supports the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) in building financial management capacity and promoting financial sustainability, in alignment with the One PRC Plan and IFRC financial standards.

The Senior Finance Officer directly supervises the Finance Officer (FO) and the Finance Assistant (FA) to ensure smooth and effective financial operations across the Philippines Delegation.

Duties and Responsibilities:

A. Financial Management

• Provide strategic leadership over the Delegation’s financial position, ensuring income, expenditure, and project exposures remain within approved Project Expenditure Approval Request (PEAR) limits and comply with donor requirements.




• Work closely with the Head of Delegation (HOD) to regularly assess and update the financial situation across all programs and operations, ensuring routine financial health checks and sound fiscal planning.




• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning processes; support project managers in preparing and revising the operating budgets for Regular Resources (RR), Other Resources, and Shared Office and Services Costs (SOSC) ensuring proper alignment of allocations across projects.




• Provide guidance to the Appeal Manager/s during the preparation of PEAR forms and ensure quality control.




• Ensure that Shared Office & Services Cost (SOSC) is recovered as per costing principles of full cost recovery. Track and report to the HoD if there is any shortfall in recovery of costs.




• Supervise the Finance Officer (FO) and Finance Assistant (FA) to maintain an efficient, effective, and responsive finance function.




• Manage the Delegation’s financial assets, ensuring full balance sheet reconciliation, accurate valuation, and compliance with IFRC liquidity standards, minimizing foreign exchange losses and write-offs.




• Produce comprehensive monthly financial reports with analytical and narrative insights, clearly identifying financial risks, trends, and recommendations for management action.




• Monitor income, pledges, and donor balances; identify overdue payments, dormant pledges, and underspending, and propose corrective measures or extensions as required




• Liaise with the IFRC Regional Head of Finance and Administration on significant financial issues, ensuring timely escalation and consultation on complex matters.




• Promote solutions-oriented finance function, ensuring finance is positioned as a strategic partner in operations and decision-making.

B. Compliance & Accountability

• Ensure timely submission of accurate, high-quality financial reports in full compliance with IFRC policies, procedures, and donor earmarking requirements.




• Provide technical review and financial validation of donor agreements and proposals prior to signing, ensuring accuracy and compliance with IFRC standards.




• Conduct financial validation of project funding agreements with partners, including the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), ensuring that the project agreements must have clear budget breakdown, project proposal, and timeframe for spending and reporting.




• Collaborate with other departments to review framework agreements with suppliers, ensuring financial due diligence and compliance with IFRC procurement procedures.




• Ensure accurate and high-quality management of monthly financial cycles, working closely with the FO & FA.




• Continuously review and strengthen internal controls, addressing potential weaknesses and ensuring adherence to IFRC policies and procedures.




• Identify dormant projects and coordinate with management to resolve outstanding issues and ensure timely closure.




• Act upon audit recommendations, ensuring timely and effective implementation of corrective actions and compliance with quality standards.




• Conduct financial analyses and health checks of ongoing programs and operations, identifying concerns such as underspending, overexpenditure, or slow burn rates, and advising management accordingly.




• Collaborate with program and operations teams to monitor project implementation rates and provide timely alerts on budgetvariances or donor compliance risks.




• Guide the finance team in assessing and mitigating financial risks through spot checks, field monitoring, and transaction validation.




• Support the integration of risk management frameworks and internal control mechanisms within financial processes, including policies on fraud and corruption prevention.




• Provide clear and proactive financial advice to management and program teams, ensuring early identification of risks and irregularities.




• Strengthen team capacity through training, mentoring, and coaching, ensuring adaptability to new systems and ERP processes.

C. National Society Development

• Develop a deep understanding of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC)’s strategic vision and operational priorities, and actively support efforts to strengthen the agility, accountability, and practicality of PRC’s finance system.




• Provide technical and strategic support to PRC in the realization of their institutional goals as outlined in the PRC Strategic Plan and the One PRC Plan (OPP), aligning support services to reinforce these objectives.




• Collaborate closely with PRC counterparts to facilitate on-the-job capacity building, while ensuring adherence to relevant policies and procedures—particularly in areas of financial sustainability and financial systems development.




• Lead assessments and provide structured training, guidance, and advisory support to PRC in the enhancement of its financial management systems, in coordination with Finance Development partners across IFRC and Participating National Societies (PNS).




• Drive and oversee the implementation of the new funding modality under the Capacity Review and Risk Assessment (CRRA) process, supporting PRC leadership and technical units on their pathway toward recognition as a well-functioning and well-prepared National Society (CRRA NS).




• Coordinate with focal persons from PRC, the Asia Pacific Regionalm Office (APRO), and IFRC Geneva to ensure PRC’s compliance with the Federation-wide Databank and Reporting System (FDRS), particularly in relation to timely submission and accuracy of audited financial statements and related documentation.

D. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and other responsibilities

• Lead and support the implementation and optimization of the ERP system, enhancing compliance, transparency, and operational efficiency.




• Support the FO & FA and other staff in building ERP-related competencies, ensuring smooth transition and effective utilization of finance modules.




• Collaborate with program and operations teams to resolve ERP- related challenges and improve system use for financial reporting and analysis.




• Foster a culture of collaboration within a multi-cultural and diverse team environment, with strong leadership engagement and mutual support across functions.




• Be prepared for deployment to field operations or international assignments, as required, to provide technical support in emergencies or during ERP/system rollouts.




• Contribute to the development and maintenance of the Delegation’s risk register by identifying, analyzing, and proposing practical and actionable mitigation measures in financial aspects.




• Be open and responsive to taking on additional responsibilities in line with organizational needs, as mutually agreed with the Secretary General of PRC and IFRC senior leadership.

Qualifications/Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related and relevant field

Work Experience:

• At Least (7) years’ experience in Accounting and Financial Management (required)




• Experience of coaching/skill transfer/ training, and staff development (preferred)




• Experience in implementing or operating ERP-based financial systems (required)




• Experience in using ERP-based financial systems like Microsoft D365 is an advantage




• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, etc.)




• Experience working with a Humanitarian / Non-profit Organization (preferred)




• Experience working with Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (preferred)




• Knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards or equivalent (preferred)

Equipment Used:

Computer, scanner, printer, copier, and telephone

Working Environment:

Office-Based and Field Based

Key Contacts:

PRC NHQ Internal Departments & Employees, PRC Chapters & Employees, PRC Volunteers, Community Groups, International Partners