Senior Finance Manager  | Damascus, Syria | SEP Project

Job Title/Role: Senior Finance Manager

Programme: Syria Education Programme II (Manahel)

Background:

The Syria Education Programme II (SEP II), funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and running until 2027, provides primary school children access to quality, inclusive and sustainable education in conflict-affected areas of Northwest Syria. The project provides comprehensive support to schools and teachers, including pedagogical supervision, learning assessments, psychosocial support, and safeguarding measures. The goal is to foster hope for future generations by investing in capacity-building and models that facilitate learning.

Position Overview:

Chemonics seeks a Senior Finance Manager to lead the financial management, compliance and reporting functions for the SEP II local entity in Syria. This includes full compliance with Chemonics UK, FCDO regulations, and Syrian legal frameworks, as well as oversight of financial systems, financial procedures, audits and team management. This role requires attention to detail, a thorough understanding of financial compliance in Syria, and the ability to work within a complex and evolving environment in Syria.

The Senior Finance Manager will adhere to and act in accordance with Chemonics’ professional code of ethics, ‘Living Our Values’, and will make the principles of the code a part of Chemonics’ culture and operating procedures. They will also foster and maintain good and professional relations with prospective and actual sub awardees and vendors, will disclose any affiliations that could be perceived as a conflict of interest, and will maintain confidentiality regarding programme activities.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities (Essential Functions):  

  1. Financial Management and Compliance
    • Lead the financial operations of the SEP II local entity in Syria.
    • Ensure compliance with:
      • FCDO financial standards
      • Chemonics’ internal policies
      • Syrian financial regulations
    • Manage financial risks and ensure internal controls are in place and functioning effectively.
    • Identify financial or corporate risks under local law and propose mitigation strategies.
    • Maintain and strengthen financial systems and processes to ensure efficiency.
    • Maintain the project’s accounting files system. Make sure all vouchers are in order, completed properly and include all documentation required in the Field Office Guide to Field Accounting and Compliance.
    • Receive and manage invoices from vendors to ensure timely payment by the project and ensure that appropriate documentation and approvals are obtained.
    • Maintain transparent and audit-proof record keeping systems per Chemonics’ policies.
  2. Budgeting, Reporting and Documentation
    • Ensure all expenditures are properly documented and coded.
    • Generate accurate financial reports to internal and external stakeholders, respond to questions from home office accounting unit and project management unit.
    • Monitor and update budgets in line with programme requirements and donor regulations.
    • Support with forecasting monthly, quarterly, yearly finances in coordination with Programme Managers.
    • Support monthly invoicing to FCDO with accurate and complete documentation.
  3. Cash, Payroll and Banking
    • Liaise with local banks, reconcile bank statements and verify all deposits and withdrawals.
    • Lead payroll processing and benefits for all local staff in a timely and compliant manner.
    • Prepare wire transfer requests based on projected expenditures.
    • Oversee petty cash and petty cash reconciliation.
  4. Team and Coordination
    • Supervises, mentors, trains, develops, and evaluates assigned staff; provides regular performance feedback to supervisees, conducts performance reviews and responsible for preserving adequate time and opportunity to support supervisees to grow professionally.
    • Collaborate closely with:
      • Procurement, Operations and Grants teams to ensure financial compliance and documentation.
      • HR and Operations Manager on employee-related financial matters.
      • Head Office Finance teams for coordination and alignment.
  1. Audit and Tax Compliance
    • Ensure compliance with Syrian tax laws.
    • Work with local certified tax accountants, auditors and lawyers as needed.
    • Oversee and support audits.

Qualifications & Experience: 

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily. The qualifications listed below are representative of the required knowledge, skills, and/or abilities needed to perform the principal duties.

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field.
  • CPA, ACCA, or CIMA certification strongly preferred.
  • Minimum 5–8 years in financial management, preferably in international development or humanitarian setting.
  • Experience with donor-funded projects (FCDO experience preferred), multi-currency ledgers, and international audits.
  • Strong analytical and financial planning skills.
  • Proficiency in accounting software and financial reporting tools.
  • Excellent communication and cross-cultural collaboration abilities.
  • Fluency in Arabic, with strong speaking and writing skills in English.
  • Has the right to work in Syria and based or willing to be based in Damascus.

Reporting:

The Senior Finance Manager to and is directly supervised by the DTL – Operations and Risk.

Location:

This is a full-time position based in Damascus, Syria.

The Senior Finance Manager will adhere to and act in accordance with Chemonics’ professional code of ethics, “Living Our Values,” and will make the principles of the code a part of the programme’s culture and operating procedures. They will uphold Chemonics’ programmes’ safeguarding standards at all times and will promote a safeguarding culture among partners, beneficiaries, and staff. They will also foster and maintain good relationships with potential and actual project stakeholders, will disclose any affiliations that could be perceived as a conflict of interest, and will maintain confidentiality regarding program activities.

Application Instructions:

To apply please fill out this form: SEP II Job Application Form by September 30, 2025. If you are unable to access the link directly due to local internet restrictions, please consider using a VPN connection to access and complete the application form.

We will review the applications on a rolling basis. No telephone inquiries, please. Chemonics will contact finalists.

Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.

Chemonics values the protection of your personal data. If you are in the European Union, please read our EU Recruiting Data Privacy Notice to learn how we process personal data. You may access the notice via the following link: https://chemonics.com/eu-recruiting-data-privacy-notice/

Further Information

Safeguarding & Pre-employment Checks

Chemonics is committed to safeguarding our staff, associated personnel, and our beneficiaries from all forms of harm including sexual exploitation, abuse, and sexual harassment. We respond with a survivor-centred approach if these forms of harm occur, perpetrated by persons representing Chemonics. Our safeguarding policy applies to all Chemonics staff and associated personnel, including the board of directors, consultants, interns, and sub-awardees both during and outside of working hours.

All our employees /consultants are subject to due diligence checks including but not limited to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) basic check or equivalent overseas police checks and the Inter-Agency Misconduct Disclosure Scheme check

Our Culture

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive culture rooted in access, belonging, and connection for all our teammates.

Chemonics UK values and celebrates the diversity of our colleagues. We embrace differing perspectives, lived experiences and expertise and believe that everyone should be treated with dignity, respect, transparency and fairness.

We welcome and want to continue attracting diverse talent, recognising that each candidate is unique and ensuring that individuals or groups are not treated differently or less favourably on the basis of specific characteristics. Such characteristics include (but are not limited to) age, disability, gender including transgender, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, and how Chemonics UK supports pregnant women and new parents.

Chemonics values the protection of your personal data. If you are in the European Union, please read our EU Recruiting Data Privacy Notice to learn how we process personal data. You may access the notice via the following link: https://chemonics.com/eu-recruiting-data-privacy-notice/.