Head of Operations & Finance

1. Role Purpose

The Head of Operations & Finance provides strategic leadership and institutional oversight of financial management and operational support functions within CARE Iraq.

The role ensures that financial stewardship, risk management, compliance systems, and operational structures effectively enable programme delivery while safeguarding organizational integrity, regulatory compliance, and donor confidence.

As a core member of the Country Management Team (CMT), the position strengthens governance, internal controls, financial sustainability, and operational performance across the Country Office.

The role operates at a strategic and oversight level, ensuring strong systems, accountability, and institutional performance rather than engaging in transactional execution.

2. Key Responsibilities
3. Strategic Leadership & Institutional Governance

• Serve as a core member of the Country Management Team (CMT), contributing to strategic direction, institutional sustainability, and organizational performance.
• Lead the development, consolidation, and monitoring of the Country Office annual master budget in close collaboration with the Country Director and relevant units, and coordinate review and alignment processes with CARE Germany.
• Provide strategic oversight of overall financial performance, proactively monitoring expenditure trends to identify potential over- or underspending risks and initiating timely corrective measures.
• Advise the Country Director on financial health, operational capacity, compliance exposure, and institutional risk, ensuring early mitigation and informed decision-making.
• Strengthen institutional governance by ensuring that financial and operational systems, controls, and planning processes align with CARE Germany policies, donor regulations, and internal risk management standards.
• Promote a culture of accountability, cost-efficiency, compliance, and stewardship across the Country Office, reinforcing leadership oversight beyond direct reporting lines.

1. Financial Stewardship & Compliance Leadership

• Hold overall accountability for the financial integrity, transparency, and regulatory compliance of the Country Office.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis, donor compliance, and audit readiness processes.
• Provide strategic direction to the Finance Coordinator to ensure:
• Strong internal controls and segregation of duties
• Effective treasury and cash flow management
• Accurate and timely financial reporting
• Compliance with donor, statutory, and CARE requirements
• Oversee partner financial governance, including financial risk assessments, compliance monitoring, and capacity strengthening.
• Work closely with CARE Germany (Bonn) and CARE’s Shared Service Center (Manila) to ensure effective governance and compliance of the PeopleSoft accounting system within the Country Office.

1. Operational Systems & Performance Oversight

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of all operational support functions, including procurement, supply chain management, logistics, fleet and transport, asset management, IT systems, data protection, and office administration.
• Ensure operational systems, SOPs, and internal controls are compliant with CARE Germany policies, donor regulations, and local legal requirements.
• Oversee procurement governance by ensuring transparent, competitive, and compliant processes, and review high-value or high-risk procurement and contractual decisions within delegated authority frameworks.
• Strengthen supply chain planning and contract management to ensure timely, cost-effective, and risk-aware delivery of goods and services supporting programme implementation.
• Ensure robust asset and inventory management systems are in place, including tracking, safeguarding, depreciation controls, and compliant disposal processes.
• Provide oversight of fleet and transport systems to ensure cost efficiency, safety standards, duty of care compliance, and alignment with security requirements.
• Oversee IT governance and data protection measures, ensuring secure systems, appropriate access controls, data integrity, and business continuity safeguards in coordination with CARE global IT standards.
• Ensure office administration and facilities management systems are efficient, compliant, and supportive of safe and productive working environments.
• Anticipate operational risks (supply chain disruptions, vendor risks, infrastructure gaps, system failures) and implement mitigation strategies to ensure continuity of operations.

1. Financial Strategy in Programme Development

• Lead the financial strategy and budgeting processes during proposal development, ensuring alignment between programme design, donor regulations, and organizational financial policies.
• Coordinate closely with Programme Managers, Technical Advisors, and Operations teams to obtain accurate implementation assumptions and cost estimates (e.g., staffing, logistics, procurement, transport, and operational requirements) to ensure realistic and deliverable budgets.
• Provide financial modelling, scenario analysis, and risk assessments to strengthen funding competitiveness and financial sustainability.
• Review and validate all proposal budgets, budget narratives, and financial assumptions prior to submission, ensuring internal consistency, cost eligibility, and compliance with donor requirements.
• Advise programme teams on value-for-money, cost-efficiency, operational feasibility, and financial risk exposure during design and budgeting stages.
• Support negotiations with donors and partners on financial structures, cost-sharing arrangements, and funding ceilings.
• Strengthen post-award financial forecasting and grant start-up planning processes to ensure controlled and compliant financial implementation from project inception.

1. Risk Management & Institutional Assurance

• Strengthen and monitor internal control systems across finance and operations.
• Lead coordination and follow-up of internal and external audit processes, ensuring timely implementation of corrective actions.
• Support fraud prevention, detection, and investigation processes in coordination with CARE Germany and relevant governance units.
• Ensure financial and operational risks are systematically identified, documented, monitored, and mitigated.

1. Leadership & Team Management

• Provide leadership, direction, and performance oversight to the Finance Coordinator and Operations Coordinator.
• Strengthen team capacity, succession planning, and institutional knowledge retention.
• Foster strong coordination between finance, operations, and programme teams to ensure systems effectively support delivery objectives.

3. Key Relationships

Internal

Country Director; Deputy Country Director – Programs; Programme Leadership; MEAL; HR; Communications; Partnerships; Support Units.

External

CARE Germany HQ; Shared Service Center (Manila); Auditors; Donors (financial/compliance matters); Banking institutions; Service providers; Implementing partners.

Staff Risk Management Responsibilities

CARE believes that personal risk management is crucial for staff; however, the risk management cannot be achieved unless each staff member fulfills the following responsibilities. Failure to do so can not only endanger their own safety but also compromise the entire team and organization.

• Maintain Situational Awareness:
• Staff must maintain a high level of situational awareness at all times. This includes being vigilant about their surroundings, recognizing potential threats, and understanding the local context and culture.

• Stay Informed:
• Staff must stay informed about the security situation in their area of operation and avoid complacency. They should promptly read and understand information shared by the organization in relevant communication channels.
• Comply with Protocols:
• Staff must strictly adhere to the risk protocols and guidelines established by their organization. This includes following travel advisories, checking in regularly with designated security contacts, and complying with curfews or movement restrictions.
• Emergency Preparedness:
• Staff must be well-prepared for emergencies by knowing the location and contact details of local emergency services, the nearest hospital, and their organization’s security focal point. They should carry essential emergency supplies, such as first aid kits, communication devices, and personal identification, and participate in regular safety drills and training sessions.
• Maintain Reliable Communication:
• Staff must ensure they have reliable means of communication at all times and keep their phones charged and operational. They should keep the team informed of their whereabouts, especially when traveling or working in the field, and establish check-in routines to confirm their safety regularly.
• Respect Local Norms:
• Staff must understand and respect local customs, traditions, and social norms to avoid unnecessary risks and foster good relations with local communities.

• Additionally, all staff members must:

• Take Reasonable Care:
• Staff must take reasonable care for their personal health, safety, and security and ensure that their actions do not harm other staff members.
• Comply with Instructions and Policies:
• Staff must comply with the orders/instructions of the Risk focal points as required, and adhere to any workplace policy/procedure aimed at increasing the safety of all staff, including Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as laid out in the Risk Management Plan.
• Ensure Equipment Readiness:
• Staff must ensure that all radios, Track24 units, Satphones, helmets, body armour, trauma/first aid equipment, and any other personal protective equipment and items used in field operations and elsewhere are in a safe and serviceable condition and used in accordance with their operating instructions. All damages must be paid for personally.
• Supervise and Train:
• Supervisors of other staff have a Duty of Care to ensure that their staff are not put at risk and are adequately supervised while performing their work. Managers, supervisors, and staff must ensure that before they, or their staff, work in field-based locations, they receive adequate training in security, field health and safety, and risk management.
• Report Incidents Promptly:
• Staff must promptly notify the Risk focal point of any field/operational Risk, health, safety, and security incidents that occur.

Representation of CARE Mission and Values:

• Actively communicate and promote CARE’s mission, values, and goals to all stakeholders, partners, and the public.
• Utilize CARE’s logo and branding materials appropriately in all professional activities, ensuring donor acknowledgment and visibility.
• Wear the official CARE identification material such as vest, badge and/or pin at all business settings including meetings and events to clearly represent the organization.
• Employees are expected to engage in business related video/photo shoots, interviews, or audio recordings to promote CARE and its projects, enhancing organizational visibility.
• Employees are encouraged to re-share CARE’s social media posts and follow official CARE channels on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram to help amplify the organization’s message.
• Ensure the organization’s logo and online presence are used professionally, with misuse potentially leading to disciplinary action.

Promoting Equality, Justice, and Climate Responsibility

Employees at CARE Iraq are expected to embody the organization's core values of equality, justice, and climate responsibility. This includes fostering equity between men and women, promoting climate justice, and embedding these principles into the organizational activities and work culture overall. A key focus internally and externally is on empowering women through leadership opportunities, professional growth, and meaningful participation in decision-making, while addressing workforce imbalances and amplifying women's voices to drive transformative change.

Equally, all employees of CARE Iraq are expected to prioritizes climate responsibility by encouraging sustainable practices, reducing ecological foot print, drive positive environmental impact, and supporting climate-affected communities. Integrating resilience and sustainability into all operations and actions will ensures a just and equitable future.

These principles are central to CARE Iraq’s vision for justice, fairness, and environmental stewardship.

Safeguarding and Ethics:

 At CARE, we recognize our responsibility to promote human dignity and social justice within our organization. At the heart of CARE’s efforts to impact poverty and social justice is our engagement with marginalized communities. We place human dignity at the center of our work. We are aware of the importance of organizational culture and accountability in enabling a safe and supportive environment for programme participants, the communities where we work, our staff, related personnel and our partners.

At CARE, we believe all people have a right to safety and to live their lives free from harm. The Safeguarding Policy is a response to CARE’s commitment and recognition of our responsibilities to protect and safeguard people we work with, and who work for CARE, from any form of abuse, including sexual harassment, exploitation and abuse, physical and emotional abuse, neglect, and child abuse. To find further details about our Safeguarding Policy commitments, please click on this link CARE International Safeguarding Policy - October 2023_EN.pdf

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related discipline (Master’s preferred).
• 7–10 years of progressive experience in senior finance and/or operations management within INGOs or complex operating environments.
• Strong knowledge of donor compliance requirements (EU, BMZ, ECHO, etc.).
• Experience with ERP systems (preferably PeopleSoft) and shared service structures.
• Demonstrated experience in governance, audit coordination, and internal control strengthening.
• Proven ability to lead systems and teams at strategic level.
  
  Core Competencies

• Strategic financial leadership
• Institutional governance and risk management
• Analytical decision-making
• High integrity and accountability
• Stakeholder coordination and negotiation
• Ability to manage complexity in fragile contexts

If you're interested in this role, kindly apply via https://care-international-iraq.jobs.personio.com/job/2659768#apply   by 19th June 2026 at the latest. Regrettably, applications received after this date will not be considered.

Notes:

-A Strong Call for #Women Candidates: We highly encourage women candidates to apply for this role. At CARE Iraq, we are committed to equity and justice and strive to create a safe, inclusive space where everyone can thrive. Our goal is to build a workforce that reflects the diverse communities we serve and contributes to meaningful change in the lives of women and girls.

-Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 

-Due to the urgent nature of this role, CARE may review applications and initiate recruitment prior to the application deadline.

-For any inquiries regarding this position, please contact CARE Iraq HR Manager through nmirza@care.de