Join Our Team! (Based in Ankara) 

Sparkassenstiftung Türkiye Team is seeking a “Project & Finance Assistant” to support project team in Türkiye.

For a detailed job description and required qualification please check the Terms of Reference.

Send the English version of your CV with the topic of “Project & Finance Assistant” to info@sparkassenstiftung-turkey.org. Application Deadline: 12.07. 2024

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Terms of Reference (ToR)

Project & Finance Assistant – Based in Ankara

Background and Introduction

German Sparkassenstiftung für internationale Kooperation (DSIK) is the international consultancy and development company of the Sparkassen, the largest network of German retail banks. DSIK’s mission is to promote financial inclusion all over the world. Funded by its member banks, the German government and other donors, German experts advise partners in more than 40 countries on topics such as financial literacy and consumer protection, triple bottom line banking, capacity development, small and medium enterprise finance and others.

More people are currently living as refugees than at any time since the Second World War. UNHCR estimates that global forced displacement has surpassed 110.8 million for the first time in history in 2023. With about 4 million refugees on its territory, the Republic of Türkiye is hosting the highest concentration of FDPs by far, mainly owing to the war in Syria which has been ongoing since 2011. Most refugees live in local communities, often in urban and peri-urban areas on the outskirts of bigger cities. The refugees need access to health care, education, employment, and economic opportunities. This situation has generated a multitude of challenges for the Turkish communities hosting refugees in their neighbourhood as well as for local authorities.

The German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has commissioned the Sparkassenstiftung für internationale Kooperation (Sparkassenstiftung) with the implementation of the project “Financial Inclusion for Refugees and Host Communities in Türkiye” since April 2021 throughout December 2025.

DSIK aims to improve the living conditions refugees and the economically challenged local host communities in Türkiye. The project objective is to strengthen the financial inclusion of target group by promoting financial and business literacy, supporting entrepreneurial activities and to linking these target groups to financial institutions.

Within this respect Sparkassenstiftung has started main phase of the “Financial Inclusion for Refugees and Host Communities in Türkiye” project in April 2021. The project aims to increase the financial and business knowledge of target group and link them into financial institutions. Project partners are governmental and non-governmental organisations such as Ministry of National Education (MoNE), Ministry of Youth and Sports, Turkish Grameen Microfinance Program (TGMP), Chambers of the pilot cities.

Within this respect Sparkassenstiftung will recruit a Project & Finance Assistant to support project team.

Duties and Responsibilities

A. Assisting the Project Team in the day-to-day management of the project.

• Office administration of the project office including office maintenance,
• Handling all incoming and outgoing calls, requests, documents, including filing and archiving,
• Performing daily routine Turkish accounting tasks, monitoring daily entries, bookkeeping, filling vouchers, monthly journals and updated the financial system on daily basis, following up payments and maintaining contact with the banks and reconcile bank statements,
• Perform preparation for Turkish legal Audit and prepare the related documentations and forms,
• Check accuracy of supporting documents related all transactions to provide them to Turkish legal accounting system (cycle) and as well as with donors,
• Following responsibilities as an NGO and taking the necessary actions accordingly in close cooperation with the accountancy company and other necessary parties.
• Procurement of equipment and stationery and office supplies according to the office needs and preparing the procurement documents of third parties/suppliers and managing the collecting and controlling proper invoices and timesheets from third parties/ short term experts (STEs),
• Providing organizational, logistical, and administrative support to activities of the project such as preparing the contracts for experts and third parties, scheduling, arranging meetings and drafting meeting minutes,
• Coordinating the travel arrangements of project staff and experts, such as air-tickets, accommodation, visa arrangements, etc,
• Coordinating the in-city travel arrangements and preparing the necessary documents to support office driver,

• Translating documents, regulations, training information and other written materials from English to Turkish or vice versa,
• Edit and proofread translated text for grammar, spelling, and punctuation accuracy, ensure translated content conveys original meaning and tone,
• Regularly monitoring and updating all social media platforms and website of German Sparkassenstiftung Türkiye office (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube etc.),
• Supporting the project team to create, curate, and schedule engaging content (posts, stories, graphics, videos) aligned with our project’s goals and target.
• Developing creative and informative content ideas for both social media, the website of German Sparkassenstiftung Türkiye,
• Using multimedia tools to design graphics, edit videos, and enhance visual content such as Canva, Adobe etc.

Place of Duty

The office base of the Project & Finance Assistant will be in Ankara. Project & Finance Assistant will travel to the other cities in Türkiye when it is needed. 

Contract and Duration

Starting from July 2024 till the end of December 2024 with possible extension.

Qualifications and Skills

• University degree in business administration, international relations, foreign trade, communication or similar social sciences,
• Minimum 2 (two) years of experience in office management and project activities,
• Minimum 1 (one) year of experience with international donor funded projects,
• Minimum 1 (one) year of experience in NGOs as project/ finance assistant,
• Solid experience in Turkish legal accounting for NGOs,
• Excellent command of written and spoken Turkish and English,
• Excellent communications skills,
• Excellent proofreading skills with the ability to identify grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors,
• Good knowledge of content editing tools,
• Proficiency in MS Office programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.),
• Completed military service (for male candidates),
• Proven organizational and coordination skills and time management,
• Ability to work under pressure and with tight deadlines,
• Ability to travel within Türkiye,
• Ability to work independently and as part of a multicultural team,
• Proven experience in social media management and content creation,
• Strong writing, editing, and communication skills,
• Proficiency in using social media platforms and website management tools,
• Creativity and ability to develop engaging content,
• Basic knowledge of graphic design and video editing software is a plus.