CARE Ukraine - Chief Accountant

Duty Station: L’viv (Ukraine)             

Starting Date: As soon as possible  

Duration of Contract: I year extendable

Salary Range: 2,300 Euro – 3,100 Euro depending on experience           

Reporting Lines/Line Management: Finance Manager 

CARE INTERNATIONAL

CARE International (CI) is among the world’s largest international non-governmental humanitarian relief and development confederations. Drawing on more than 75 years of experience, through its 21 Members, as both a practitioner and thought leader, CI’s work reaches over 100 countries worldwide to save lives, defeat poverty and achieve social justice. 

 CARE’s vision is to seek a world of hope, inclusion, and social justice; where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. CARE focuses heavily on women and girls; the areas of gender equality, diversity and inclusion are at the center of our work because we know that we cannot overcome poverty and social injustice until all people have equal rights and opportunities. We recognize that power relations between people and within systems and structures are unequal and that these are entrenched in our broader systems, structures, and institutions. 

At the core of the CI Confederation is a globally distributed Secretariat, which provides coordination and support to its Members in areas including governance, strategic planning, communications, membership development and accountability, advocacy, humanitarian response, and program development. In addition, the Secretariat represents the CI Confederation at the United Nations and the European Union, and with other external stakeholders.

Context in Ukraine

On 24th February 2022, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine marked a significant escalation to the conflict that started in 2014. It continues to profoundly impact the lives of people across the country at various levels. The front line is continuously shifting and there are areas controlled by Russian forces as well as cities under siege. Aerial attacks on military installations and critical civilian infrastructures are conducted in the whole territory of Ukraine, often resulting in collateral civilian casualties. The conflict has caused the largest population movement in Europe since World War II, with 6.24 million displaced within Ukraine and 7.68 million refugees having fled to neighboring countries. By October 26, OCHA had counted 17.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.  

Amid the upcoming winter, which is anticipated to be the worst in decades, at least one-third of the country’s energy infrastructure is damaged, leaving millions without heating and access to water. In October, the Russian Federation claimed to have annexed four Ukrainian oblasts, further increasing the challenge of access to these areas. Therefore, in addition to preparing the population for the approaching winter, an ongoing priority for the international humanitarian response is to secure access to recently liberated and recaptured areas in the East and to provide aid to previously unreachable and particularly hard-hit areas of Ukraine. 

CARE UKRAINE 

As a new actor in Ukraine, CARE prioritizes a locally led response and is partnering primarily with Civil-Society Organizations (CSOs), National NGOs, local authorities, and INGOs with a longstanding presence in the country and access to hard-to-reach areas. CARE Ukraine deliberately and strategically prioritizes partnerships with local and national Women Led and Women Rights organizations (WLO’s/ WRO’s), further strengthening the Gender in Emergencies (GiE) principle and the Women Lead in Emergencies (WLiE) approach. 

In the first few weeks after the escalation of the war, virtually all humanitarian aid inside Ukraine was organized and implemented by local actors. These groups (together with local authorities) remain the principal aid providers but are quickly being exhausted of funds, fuel, and physical energy. Thereby, a considerable proportion of CARE’s resources is dedicated to strengthening and supporting the capacities of local partners. 

As of November 2022, CARE Ukraine has established partnerships with twelve local/national organizations (including four WLO’s/WRO’s) and five international NGOs. From the more than 28 million that have been raised for Ukraine thus far, more than half is allocated to local/national partners. Through the activities that have been implemented so far, CARE Ukraine has been able to reach 550,030 people, including IDPs and affected populations in hard-to-reach areas. 

While CARE Ukraine’s office is currently located in Lviv, we are continuously working on strategically expanding CARE’s presence and reach with plans to open an office in Kyiv as well as field offices in Dnipro and Odessa, covering both the East and South of the country. 

Role Objectives

The Chief Accountant will make sure the organization is complying with Ukrainian government legislations and tax regulations related to overall financial operations (applicable to regular finance operations as well as related to employees). This position will review all the financial transactions to make sure they are aligned with regulatory requirements. Also, the person will supervise and carry out/review bank reconciliations to make sure all the records are reflected in banking/cash management system. Overall the incumbent manages financial statements and tax reporting according to Ukrainian Accounting Standards, Tax Code and IFRS, providing accurate quantitative information on financial position, liquidity, and cash flow of the organization.

Role Responsibilities:

• Manage/review all accounting transactions.
• Participate in cash flow management/forecast preparation related to regulatory requirements. 
• Manage financial statements and publish financial statements as necessary. 
• Handle monthly, quarterly, and annual financial closings.
• Reconcile accounts payable and receivable.
• Ensure timely bank payments, handle/review/supervise bank reconciliations.
• Report on the financial status to stakeholders as necessary.
• Ensuring the organization is updated following most updated regulations, as per changes stipulated by Government of Ukraine.
• Review financial transactions and documents, responsible for filing and archiving financial documents and tax reports.
• Reinforce financial data confidentiality and conduct database backups when necessary.
• Check contracts, acts of performed work/acceptance, invoices provided by suppliers, maintaining primary documentation in accordance with legislative requirements.
• Responsible for calculation and transfer of taxes and fees, ensuring contributions to state extra-budgetary social funds, payments to banking institutions, wages of employees and other payments.
• Accounting of property, liabilities (accounting for fixed assets, inventory, among others). 
• Assigned staff Management responsibilities. 
• Other duties as assigned by the line manager. 

Requirements

Mandatory criteria for longlisting

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, or relevant degree.
• Min. 5 years of work experience as a Chief Accountant. 
• Experience in using relevant accounting software in Ukraine according to Ukrainian legal requirements; reporting software applications ME.DOC experience will be preferred; advanced MS Excel/Word skills.
• Experience with general ledger functions.
• Strong attention to detail and good analytical skills.
• Thorough understanding of financial accounting, reporting, grants, and contract management processes.
• Solid analytical, problem solving, financial troubleshooting, and audit experience.
• Ability to quickly learn new systems, processes and procedures and adapt local practices to global standards.
• Strong oral and written communication skills; intermediate level of English and Ukrainian language is a must.

Desired

• Additional certification (CPA or CMA) is a plus.
• Experience of IFRS reporting/knowledge of INGO accounting features.

Accountability:  

A commitment to CARE values and CARE’s integrity framework is critical to working with CARE. Any candidate offered a job with CARE will be expected to adhere to the following key areas of accountability: 

•               Comply with CARE’s policies and procedures with respect to safeguarding, code of conduct, health and safety, confidentiality, do no harm principles and unacceptable behaviour protocols.

•               Report any concerns about the welfare of a child or vulnerable adult or any wrongdoings within our programming area. 

•               Report any concerns about inappropriate behaviour of a CARE staff or partner. 

Safeguarding: 

Children and vulnerable adults who come into contact with CARE as a result of CARE activities must be safeguarded to the maximum possible extent from deliberate or inadvertent actions and failings that place them at risk of abuse, sexual exploitation, injury, and any other harm. One of the ways that CARE shows this on-going commitment to safeguarding is to include rigorous background and reference checks in the selection process for all candidates.  

Gender Equality: 

CARE is committed to meeting the standards of the CARE International Gender Policy (2019). Through this policy, CARE seeks to promote the equal realization of dignity and human rights for girls, women, boys and men in all diversities, and the elimination of poverty and injustice. Specifically, this policy seeks to improve the explicit incorporation of gender in programmatic and organizational practices. 

How to Apply: 

Please send your complete application package (CV, motivation letter, references) only in English to Jo Fox at  Отправить резюме , no later than 27 January 2023, with Chief Accountant as the subject title of your email.   Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Women candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. 

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.  References will only be contacted after the interview.