Do you aspire to make a meaningful impact by strengthening the protection of humanitarian personnel worldwide? Are you comfortable building financial, procurement, and operational systems from scratch in a small, fast-moving organization? Do you combine strong financial expertise with a hands-on, solutions-oriented approach to organizational development?
Join us as Finance, HR & Operations Coordinator and play a central role in building the NGO’s operational backbone, ensuring sound governance, donor confidence, and sustainable growth in support of humanitarian workers globally.
## Summary
– Full-time contract, HQ based (Brussels), for 12 months with possibility of extension
– Starting date: ASAP
– Reporting to: Executive Director
– Part of Protect Humanitarians’ Senior Management Group
– Supervises up to 3 staff members and/or consultants
**About Protect Humanitarians:** We protect, support and advocate for humanitarian personnel worldwide. We promote good practices in Duty of Care for staff and volunteers working on the frontlines. We provide Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) and legal advice to humanitarian personnel and NGOs. We advocate for justice alongside victims and amplify the voices of survivors. We create new ways to effectively protect and support humanitarians on the frontlines. More: [www.protecthumanitarians.org](http://www.protecthumanitarians.org)
## Context and purpose of the role
Protect Humanitarians is a young NGO strengthening its operational backbone. This newly established position will lead day-to-day financial management, oversee compliant procurement systems, and build HR and operational processes, ensuring stewardship of resources and sustained donor confidence in a growing organization.
The role is designed for a strong finance professional who is also comfortable operating as a startup “backbone lead”, capable of establishing, managing, and progressively strengthening systems in finance, procurement, HR and administration. The Finance, HR and Operations Coordinator will play a central role in developing robust, and scalable internal controls and support services that enable Protect Humanitarians to deliver its mission effectively, transparently, and responsibly.
## Key Responsibilities
### 1. Financial Management & Internal Controls
– Ensure day-to-day financial operations, including bookkeeping oversight, payment processing, bank and cash management, expense tracking, and monthly closing.
– Prepare and monitor organizational and project budgets, forecasts, and budget follow-up; identify variances and propose corrective actions.
– Produce accurate management accounts and financial dashboards for Executive Director and the Board, as required.
– Maintain and implement strong internal control systems, including segregation of duties, approval workflows, documentation standards, and archiving.
– Ensure proper financial filing and documentary traceability for all transactions.
– Coordinate with external accountants and payroll providers; support annual accounts, statutory filings, and financial audits.
– Provide training and ongoing technical support to PH staff and PH partner organizations on financial procedures, budget management, and internal controls.
### 2. Procurement & Compliance management
– Lead and oversee organizational procurement systems in line with internal policies, donor regulations, and applicable legal requirements.
– Ensure compliance with competitive bidding, quotation, and tendering procedures proportionate to organizational scale.
– Enforce procurement thresholds, authorization levels, and signature matrices.
– Ensure procurement documentation is complete, compliant, and audit-ready.
– Maintain supplier records, evaluation reports, contracts, and asset registers.
– Ensure traceability between purchase requests, quotations, purchase orders, delivery notes, invoices, and payments.
– Monitor compliance with donor-specific procurement rules and conditions.
– Coordinate procurement planning linked to project budgets and implementation schedules.
– Provide training, guidance, and coaching to PH staff and PH partner organizations on procurement policies, ethical purchasing, and conflict-of-interest management.
– Identify procurement risks and propose corrective actions and system improvements.
– Support internal and external audits related to procurement and asset management.
### 3. Donor & Grant Management
With the support of our existing Grants Officer:
– Ensure compliance with donor financial rules, contractual requirements, and reporting standards.
– Set up grant budgets, budget revisions, cost allocations, and financial reporting schedules.
– Prepare and coordinate donor financial reports and supporting documentation.
– Act as focal point for donor financial audits, spot checks, and verifications.
– Contribute to proposal development through compliant and realistic budgeting and financial analysis.
– Monitor financial risk and eligibility of expenditures under donor-funded projects.
– Provide training and technical guidance to PH staff and PH partner organizations on donor financial compliance, reporting requirements, and grant management procedures.
– Identify Donor and Grant related risks and propose corrective actions and system improvements.
### 4. HR administration & people processes
– Manage core HR administration, including employment contracts, personnel files, leave tracking, and onboarding/offboarding processes.
– Support recruitment processes, including documentation, contracting, and compliance checks.
– Coordinate payroll inputs and ensure compliant personnel cost documentation.
– Maintain HR templates and records in line with legal and donor requirements.
– Ensure staff induction on key organizational policies (Code of Conduct, safeguarding/PSEA, anti-harassment, anti-fraud).
– Liaise with external HR or legal service providers as required (social secretariat).
– Support continuous improvement of simple and compliant HR policies appropriate to a growing organization.
### 5. Operations, Administration & IT Coordination
– Develop and coordinate administrative systems (travel arrangements, insurance, subscriptions, utilities, service contracts).
– Act as focal point for IT and digital tools administration and coordinate with external IT providers.
– Support development of secure and proportionate information management systems.
– Ensure operational continuity through documentation, backups, and structured handover procedures.
– Promote efficient and cost-effective administrative practices.
### 6. Systems Building & Organizational Scaling
– Design and implement scalable finance, procurement, HR, and administrative systems appropriate to a growing NGO.
– Develop and maintain operational tools, templates, trackers, approval matrices, and compliance calendars.
– Identify organizational risks and systems gaps and propose improvements.
– Proactively identify and implement cost-efficiency and value-for-money measures, including cost optimization opportunities, improved resource allocation, and streamlined processes.
– Conduct periodic reviews of administrative and operational expenditures to ensure cost-effectiveness and financial sustainability.
– Contribute to strategic planning and organizational development processes, including financial sustainability and growth planning.
### 7. Team & Stakeholder Management
– Line-manage up to three staff members and/or interns/consultants, including task planning, supervision, performance management, coaching, and professional development.
– Provide regular feedback and quality control to ensure high standards of work.
– Coordinate closely with program and advocacy teams to enable compliant and timely implementation of activities.
– Represent operations and support functions in internal coordination and management meetings.
## Key Performance Indicators
– Timely and accurate monthly and annual financial reporting.
– Clean audit outcomes and positive donor compliance.
– Fully documented and applied finance and procurement procedures.
– Reliable HR administration and payroll coordination.
– Functioning, scalable, and proportionate operational systems.
– Strengthened staff and partner capacity in procurement and compliance.
## Profile
– Degree in finance, business administration or equivalent professional experience.
– Strong experience in NGO, non-profit, or audit/accounting finance roles.
– Demonstrated experience in procurement compliance and financial controls.
– Exposure to DG ECHO and DGD donor-funded project management and reporting.
– Experience in startup or growing organizations strongly preferred.
– Experience supervising staff and consultants highly desirable.
– High attention to detail and integrity.
– Strong knowledge of internal control systems and compliance standards.
– Excellent Excel/Sheets and financial analysis skills.
– Ability to communicate financial and compliance concepts clearly to non-finance colleagues.
– Ability to work autonomously in a dynamic and evolving environment.
– Fluency in English required; French and Dutch are an asset.
## Why Join Us?
– Build the organization’s backbone: Play a central role in strengthening Protect Humanitarians’ finance, procurement, HR, and operational systems.
– Real organizational influence: Work with senior leadership and the Board to shape governance, internal controls, and sustainable growth.
– Leadership opportunity: Lead and develop a small team while remaining hands-on in a dynamic startup environment.
– Professional growth: Develop broad operational leadership experience with strong potential for progression in a growing international NGO.
– Flexible and values-driven culture: Join an agile organization that values trust, initiative, accountability, and results.
## Application Process
Interested candidates are invited to submit their application no later than **March 9th COB**. Applications should include:
– A cover letter (maximum 1 page) outlining motivation and relevant experience
– An up-to-date CV (maximum 3 pages)
– Contact details of at least two professional references
Applications should be sent by email to: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])
Please include “**Finance, HR & Operations Coordinator – Application**” in the subject line. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis; early applications are encouraged. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
**Protect Humanitarians** is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, age, religion, sexual orientation, or other protected characteristics.
We have a zero-tolerance policy toward fraud, corruption, harassment, sexual exploitation, abuse, and any form of misconduct. Successful candidates will be expected to adhere to the organization’s Code of Conduct and safeguarding policies.
