Finance Officer

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Position: Finance Officer

Location: Manila, Philippines

Reports to: Finance Manager

About RI: Relief International is a leading non-profit organization working in 15 countries to relieve poverty, ensure well-being and advance dignity. We specialize in fragile settings, responding to natural disasters, humanitarian crises and chronic poverty.

Relief International combines humanitarian and development approaches to provide immediate services while laying the groundwork for long-term impact. Our signature approach — which we call the RI Way—emphasizes local participation, an integration of services, strategic partnerships and a focus on civic skills. In this way, we empower communities to find, design and implement the solutions that work best for them.

Relief International includes the four corporate members of the RI Alliance: RI-US, RI-UK, MRCA/RI-France and RI-Europe. Under our alliance agreement, we operate as a single, shared management structure. In addition, RI has country offices registered as affiliates of one of the alliance members in an additional 15 countries.

Key Responsibilities of the Finance Officer

Financial Reporting & Partnership Management

• Partner Financial Review: Responsible for the meticulous review of partner organizations' monthly financial reports, cross-referencing reported expenditures with supporting documentation to ensure strict adherence to the signed sub-grant agreements and donor regulations.
• Internal Reporting Support: Assist the Finance Coordinator in the preparation of accurate month-end financial reporting packages, including comprehensive Balance Sheet account reconciliations.
• Discrepancy Resolution: Proactively follow up on and resolve financial errors and discrepancies in a timely manner, in accordance with established standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Year-End Activities: Provide essential support during year-end closure activities, assisting with the preparation of financial statements and all requisite year-end reports.

General Ledger Management (Bookkeeping)

• Transaction Recording: Responsible for accurate and timely bookkeeping of all financial transactions within the NetSuite (NS) accounting system, including, but not limited to: processing vendor bills, vendor credits, journal entries, adjustment entries, and recording monthly liquidations for prepaid expenses and working cash advances (WCAs).

• Documentation, Filing, and Archiving

• System and Physical Filing: Responsible for the systematic physical filing and archiving of all hardcopy supporting documents. Additionally, ensure the proper creation, organization, and retention of all softcopy/digital documentation (e.g., scanned copies, digital reports).

• Digital Integration: Ensure all softcopy documents are appropriately attached/uploaded to the corresponding transactions and records in the NetSuite (NS) accounting system for easy retrieval and audit trail.
• Compliance Assurance: Ensure the completeness, integrity, and accessibility of both original hardcopy and softcopy supporting financial documents, maintaining full compliance with organizational (RI) policies, donor requirements, and external audit standards.

• Payment Processing and Verification

• Document Review: Critically review all incoming Payment Request Forms (PRFs) and Working Cash Advance (WCA) liquidations received from Supply Chain (SCO), Human Resources (HR), and Program teams.

• Payment Execution: Accurately and securely process payments received from SCO, Program, and HR (including wire transfers and check payments) via the online banking platform, ensuring appropriate authorization and documentation.

• Cash, Bank, and Ledger Management

• Ledger Reconciliation: Responsible for accurately maintaining and updating offline bank and cash ledgers, and performing regular, detailed reconciliation against the NS accounting system in coordination with the Finance Coordinator.

• WCA Tracking and Monitoring: Maintain detailed WCA trackers, ensuring all advances are liquidated on a monthly basis and strictly adhere to RI Finance procedures.

Philippine Tax Compliance

The role requires proven experience in tax calculation, declarations, reconciliation, and submission to the BIR.

• Withholding Tax Compliance (WH Tax):
• Calculation and Declaration: Accurately calculate and prepare required monthly/quarterly remittance forms (e.g., BIR Form 1601-C, 1601-E, 0619-E) for Compensation, Expanded, and Final Withholding Taxes.
• Remittance & Submission: Ensure timely and accurate payment and submission of all withholding tax declarations to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
• Reconciliation: Perform regular reconciliation of withholding tax accounts and balances against the general ledger.
• Annual Tax Certificate (BIR Form 2316):
• Support the Finance Coordinator in checking and preparing payments for mandated government remittances (SSS, PHIC, HDMF, WH Tax) and other in-country expenses.
• Conduct the annual review, checking, and accurate computation of employee tax refund or tax payable.
• Preparation and creation of the individual Annual Tax Certificate (BIR Form 2316).
• General Tax Compliance:
• Assist in the preparation and submission of other necessary tax returns (e.g., Annual Income Tax Returns, VAT, Local Business Taxes, if applicable, in accordance with the INGO's tax-exempt status).
• Maintain organized and complete documentation for all tax-related transactions and submissions.

• Audit Support

• Audit Preparation: Assist the Finance Coordinator and Finance Manager in the comprehensive preparation of all Field Office financial documents required for external and internal audits. This includes, but is not limited to: preparing samples of transactional documentation, compiling reports, collating manuals/SOPs, and fulfilling all other audit requirements.

Required Qualifications and Experience

Educational Requirements

• A minimum of a Bachelor's Degree (BS/BA) in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a closely related field from a recognized university.
• Preference will be given to candidates who are a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or actively pursuing certification.

Professional Experience

• Minimum of 3 to 5 years of progressive professional experience in finance, accounting, or audit roles, preferably within an International Non-Governmental Organization (INGO).
• NGO Financial Management: Demonstrated experience working with donor regulations (e.g., USAID, FCDO, UN agencies, EU, etc.) and managing financial reporting for grant-funded projects.
• Philippine Tax and Compliance: 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).
• System Proficiency: Strong command of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, with specific experience using NetSuite (NS) highly advantageous.
• Bookkeeping & Reporting: Expert-level ability in applying standard accounting principles (e.g., IFRS/GAAP) to bookkeeping, account reconciliation (especially Balance Sheet accounts), and month-end closing procedures.

Technical Skills

• Software: Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (e.g., Pivot Tables, VLOOKUPs, complex formulas) is mandatory.
• Language: Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.

RI Values:

We uphold the Humanitarian Principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and operational independence. We affirmatively engage the most vulnerable communities. We value:

• Inclusiveness
• Transparency and Accountability
• Agility and Innovation
• Collaboration
• Sustainability