Transparency and Compliance Officer - Damascus

About Acted

“We go the last mile. Founded in Afghanistan, against the backdrop of a forgotten crisis, Acted’s mission is to save lives and support people in meeting their needs in hard-to-reach areas. Millions of vulnerable people around the world need humanitarian assistance today, and hundreds of millions will need it tomorrow, in the face of the growing threat of climate change. We believe that our assistance must be conceptualised and delivered within the framework of people’s natural environments, and the territories on which they depend. Therefore, Acted pursues a triple mandate as a humanitarian, environmental and development aid actor, contributing to the relief, stabilisation, and recovery of crisis-affected people in fragile areas. This vision is guided by the motto “Think Local – Act Global” - reflecting the need to rely on a deep understanding of local territories and contexts to develop and implement actions based on local knowledge, structures, and capacities. This local thinking contributes to a global response - running through all Acted programming and operations - as we work together towards the building of a 3ZERO world: a world with Zero Exclusion, Zero Carbon, and Zero Poverty”.
Greening strategy:
Acted’s greening strategy aims to tackle environmental degradation and climate change while meeting the needs of the most vulnerable who are often those most affected by the deepening environmental crisis. Each Acted employee will adhere to these principles through key green programming responsibilities: Contribute towards the adherence and development of the greening strategy plan. Explore innovative green programming opportunities and/or solutions within your realm of responsibilities and roles. Encouraging and promoting environmental safeguarding processes and environmental programming
standards in accordance with SOPs and technical guideline notes
Acted PSEAH Policy:
The Transparency and Compliance Officer has the responsibility to adhere to the PSEAH Policy (Protection against Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment). And has the obligation to complete all mandatory trainings related to the Code of Conduct and the PSEA policy and report any safeguarding concern such as breaches of organisational policies or codes of conduct according to Acted’s procedures. The Transparency and Compliance Officer carry out work duties in a way that does not harm children, vulnerable adults or other staff or volunteers.
Location: Damascus – Syria
Start Date: ASAP

Chain of Command

• Under the authority of:

TC Supervisor

• Line Management (when Applicable):

Assigned Capital T&C assistants

Working Relations

Internal:

• Interaction with all the capital and field departments (coordination, finance, logistics, administration, security, program, MEAL, PD)
• HQ departments (audit, IU finance, logistics, HR, security, grant management)

External:

• Partners
• Donors’ auditors
• External auditors

Job Purpose

• The capital Transparency and Compliance officer is responsible based on an audit risk approach, the implementation of Acted’s processes in compliance with Acted guidelines, best practices, and national regulations in relevant country.
• Develops and actively contributes to action plans to mitigate the risks identified in the capital office, in collaboration with the line manager.
• Provides technical support and capacity building to the capital transparency and compliance staff to implement action plan and address the issues.
• Provides technical support and works to build the capacity of the FLATS teams in his/her to identify difficulties, propose action plans and follow them up
• Supports the preparation, coordination and follow-up of donor external audits and due diligence exercises.
• Provides technical support and capacity building to FLATS teams to identify compliance gaps, develop corrective actions and monitor implementation.
• Supports in investigation processes regarding any case transferred by the TC manager.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under the supervision of the Transparency and Compliance Supervisor, the transparency and compliance officer must independently:

1. Promote Transparency and Accountability

• Foster a culture of transparency, accountability, and ethical conduct.
• Ensure an objective and independent view of operations.
• Promote adherence to acted's values, policies, and Code of Conduct

2. Ensure Compliance with Policies, Procedures and Donor Requirements

• Monitor compliance with acted procedures, donor regulations, and applicable national laws.
• Verify that FLATS processes are properly implemented.
• Ensure proper documentation, traceability, segregation of duties, and internal controls.

3. Strengthen Internal Control Systems

• Assess the effectiveness and efficiency of internal control mechanisms.
• Identify weaknesses and propose corrective measures

4. Conduct Compliance Reviews

• Perform monthly compliance reviews of expenditures, procurement files, staff files, project documentation, and implementing partners.
• Identify compliance issues, estimate risks, and monitor corrective actions.

5. Manage Compliance and Fraud Risks

• Anticipate compliance risks and develop mitigation measures.
• Promote implementation of acted's Anti-Fraud, Bribery and Corruption Policy.
• Ensure suspected fraud and corruption cases are reported and followed up appropriately.
• Supports investigation processes regarding any case transferred by the TC manager.

6. Support Internal Audits

• Assess compliance through risk-based internal audits.
• Develop action plans and monitor implementation of recommendations.

7. support External Audits and Due Diligence

• Coordinate audit preparation and document reviews.
• Facilitate donor audits and due diligence exercises.
• Follow up on audit findings and management responses

8. Strengthen Capacity and Share Best Practices

• Deliver compliance and anti-fraud training to staff and implementing partners.
• Promote lessons learned and best practices.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of procedures and systems.

9. Ensure Implementing Partner Compliance

• Conduct and monitor partner due diligence processes.
• Follow up on risk mitigation plans.
• Support partners in strengthening compliance and internal controls.

10.Reporting and Follow-up

• Produce timely compliance reports and action plans.
• Track implementation of recommendations from compliance reviews, internal audits, and external audits.
• Report key risks and compliance issues to management and HQ

Key Performance Indicators

• % of Monthly Compliance Reports (MCRs) submitted on time and with acceptable quality.
• % of external audit risks identified and reported through monthly compliance reviews before the audit.
• % of ongoing projects covered by risk-based compliance reviews and audit preparation activities.
• % of internal audit, external audit, compliance review, and investigation recommendations effectively followed up and implemented.
• Frequency of compliance findings, risks, and recommendations shared with Heads of Department and Coordination.
• Number of targeted FLATS and programmatic spot checks conducted according to the audit plan.
• % of compliance tracking tools, action plans, and audit follow-up tools updated on time.
• Number and quality of compliance, anti-fraud, and procedure trainings delivered to staff and partners.
• Number of implementing partner Risk Mitigation Plan (RMP) follow-up meetings conducted and documented.