Senior Finance Lead

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.

BACKGROUND

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a leading humanitarian and development organization working in more than 40 countries and 26 U.S. cities to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future.

The IRC was present in Sudan from 1981 to 2009. In November 2019, the IRC re-registered in Sudan and opened a main office in Khartoum, with programming beginning in 2020. The IRC expanded into non-SAF-controlled regions of Darfur and South Kordofan in 2024. It is currently operational in Al Jazeera, White Nile, Gedaref, River Nile, Blue Nile, South Kordofan, West Darfur, Central Darfur, and North Darfur states, including a satellite office in Tunaydbah (Gedaref). The IRC’s impact groups are vulnerable individuals impacted by conflict and crisis, including women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities, refugees, mixed populations, and host communities.

Since the outbreak of war in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the country has spiraled into relentless violence, institutional collapse, and mass displacement. Despite multiple ceasefire announcements, violence has continued for nearly two and a half years, displacing over 12 million people across all 18 states. Sudan is facing one of the most complex and devastating humanitarian crises in the world today.

More than 30 million people now require humanitarian assistance, and around 25 million people face acute food insecurity, including 770,000 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. Damage to infrastructure, supply shortages, and restricted humanitarian access continue to severely hinder the humanitarian response. In response to increasing needs, the IRC has scaled up its humanitarian efforts despite immense challenges. The IRC supports Sudanese communities, within the country and across national borders.

Scope of Work

The IRC is seeking a Finance Leader for an upcoming FCDO funding opportunity. The project is intended to help mitigate conflict-driven mortality, morbidity, and protection risks by enabling vulnerable people to access lifesaving, multi-sector humanitarian assistance and protection in a highly constrained operating environment.

The programme is expected to run from October 2026 for 2.5 years.

The Finance Lead serves as a member of the Programme's Senior Management Team and is responsible for overseeing financial management and operations for the programme. The postholder provides leadership necessary to ensure the programme has appropriate financial infrastructure and systems in place to support smooth implementation. Working closely with the Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader, the Finance Lead contributes to the development of strategic and operational plans and is accountable for monitoring delivery against financial plans through comprehensive financial analytical reviews.

The Finance Lead establishes programme finance policies, systems, and procedures, and directs their development, documentation, and implementation. This includes preparing and regularly reviewing the programme financial management manual and ensuring all staff comply with organisational and FCDO requirements. The postholder manages programme finance activities to meet reporting requirements and deadlines, including preparing quarterly accrual reports, expenditure reporting, and projections consolidated across all programme offices. The Finance Lead provides programme staff with monthly actual-to-budget expenditure reports and analysis, facilitating review to support adaptive management.

The Finance Lead directs the preparation of all FCDO financial reports in accordance with accounting, legal, and contractual requirements. The postholder maintains up-to-date knowledge of local government requirements and ensures compliance with tax and other legal regulations, including establishing programme-specific bank accounts with adequate financial controls. Given the programme's use of conditional cash transfers, the postholder works closely with the Cash Programming Technical Lead to ensure robust fiduciary risk management across cash delivery mechanisms.

The Finance Lead holds accountability for finance and programme support staff, including performance management, career progression, and capacity strengthening. The postholder leads recruitment for finance staff and implements training programmes covering accurate expenditure tracking and quarterly forecasting.

In addition, the Finance Lead will oversee financial management across downstream partners and any sub awards, including financial due diligence, partner budgeting support, minimum compliance standards, and routine expenditure verification. The role will strengthen partner finance capacity through coaching and practical tools, ensuring partner reporting is accurate, timely, and consistent across locations.

The Finance Lead will also lead programme assurance, including audit planning and coordination, follow up on findings, and implementation of corrective actions, with a clear focus on internal controls and fraud risk management. The postholder will provide scenario based financial analysis and value for money insights to support senior management decisions and course correction during implementation.

Finance Lead Profile and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in accounting, business administration, commerce, or finance with a recognised professional certificate in accounting such as CPA, or a master's degree in accounting.

• Minimum of 10 years in a similar financial, compliance, or operational role supporting FCDO accountable grants and other international donor projects in fragile and conflict-affected contexts.

• Experience with budgeting and financial reporting requirements on multi-million-pound, multi-year FCDO accountable grants.

• Experience with financial management and reporting on programmes with substantial sub-awards and consortium partners operating across multiple locations.

• Experience with adaptive management approaches and evidence-based programming is strongly preferred. 

• Strong knowledge of generally accepted accounting practices, financial reporting standards, and financial management processes and procedures.

• Familiarity with FCDO rules and regulations, particularly related to the management of programme expenditure, forecasting requirements, and fiduciary risk management.

• Experience with financial oversight of cash transfer programming, including understanding of risks and financial controls required for cash delivery mechanisms, is strongly preferred.

• Extensive experience with computerised accounting systems, standard spreadsheets, and database programmes.

• Proven track record of proactively identifying and communicating potential problems and proposing solutions, particularly within complex and high-risk operating environments.

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills with the ability to interact, partner, and thrive in a diverse environment. Committed to staff training and development and effective at facilitation.

• Experience managing staff performance and providing additional training or managing performance improvement plans.

• Fluency in English and Arabic is required. Experience working in Sudan is an advantage.

This position will be contingent on the outcome of the bid.

PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS

All International Rescue Committee workers must adhere to the core values and principles outlined in IRC Way - Standards for Professional Conduct. Our Standards are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Safeguarding, Conflicts of Interest, Fiscal Integrity, and Reporting Wrongdoing and Protection from Retaliation. IRC is committed to take all necessary preventive measures and create an environment where people feel safe, and to take all necessary actions and corrective measures when harm occurs. IRC builds teams of professionals who promote critical reflection, power sharing, debate, and objectivity to deliver the best possible services to our clients.

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