The posting
Your mission
War Child is looking for a:
Finance Officer Ukraine
The Finance Officer is War Child's in-country finance capacity in Ukraine. The role is responsible for the day-to-day financial operations of the Ukraine Country Office, including payments, banking, cash management, payroll and statutory tax obligations under Ukrainian legislation, and for financial control of procurement before payment. The role also provides hands-on finance support to implementing partners. Reporting to the regional Finance Manager, who retains oversight of partner financial review, donor financial reporting and compliance, the Finance Officer ensures that War Child's operations in Ukraine are financially sound, well documented, audit-ready and compliant with War Child policies, donor requirements and Ukrainian law.
About the role
CORE RESPONSIBILITIES
- Manage payments and banking: Process supplier, staff and partner payments and bank transfers, ensuring that every payment is supported by complete documentation, approved in line with the Authorisation Matrix and made only after supplier vetting has been completed. Manage petty cash and cash counts, and prepare monthly bank and cash reconciliations.
- Run payroll and statutory obligations: Prepare and process the monthly payroll for national staff employed under Ukrainian law, including calculation and payment of personal income tax, military levy and the unified social contribution, and timely submission of statutory reports to the tax authorities and the Pension Fund, in coordination with HR.
- Maintain accounting records and month-end close: Record transactions accurately in War Child's finance system, coding them to the correct budget lines, projects and donors.
- Complete the monthly closing and submit it to the regional Finance team within the agreed deadlines.
- Ensure financial control of procurement and vetting: Before any commitment or payment, check that procurement has been carried out and documented in line with the War Child procurement policy and thresholds, that the supplier has been vetted, and that approvals follow the Authorisation Matrix. Coordinate sanctions and due-diligence screening of consultants and partners, and keep the vetting register up to date. Procurement itself, supplier vetting and supplier contracts are carried out by the Procurement & Logistics Officer.
- Support implementing partners on finance: Act as the day-to-day finance contact for implementing partners. Brief partners on War Child and donor requirements, carry out first-level checks of partner financial reports and supporting documentation, help partners correct gaps, and follow up on recommendations in coordination with the regional Finance team and, for partner procurement, with the Procurement & Logistics Officer.
- Monitor budgets and support financial reporting: Prepare budget-versus-actual overviews for Ukraine projects, flag under- and over-spend to budget holders, and prepare inputs and supporting schedules for donor financial reports.
- Support audits and compliance: Prepare for internal, donor and statutory audits, provide auditors with the required documentation, and follow up on audit recommendations and action points until they are closed. Ensure compliance with Ukrainian tax, accounting, labour and banking requirements, and monitor relevant legislative changes.
- Liaise with external parties: Act as the finance focal point for banks, tax authorities and external accounting or legal advisers in Ukraine.
- Each staff member is responsible for contributing to creating a culture committed to our mission, vision, internal safeguarding standards, JEDI ((Social) Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion) principles and the CHS (Core Humanitarian Standard) framework and are expected to actively promote this in their work.
- These duties provide a framework for the role and should not be regarded as a definitive list. Other reasonable duties may be required consistent with the grade of the role.
What you will do
ROLE-SPECIFIC OR CONTEXT RESPONSIBILITIES
- Within the Ukraine response, the Finance Officer will:
- Set up and run payroll and statutory reporting for staff employed under Ukrainian law from January 2027, working with HR and, where needed, external accounting or legal advisers to put compliant processes in place.
- Strengthen financial and procurement controls in the Country Office, in particular checks that suppliers and partners are vetted and procurement files are complete before any payment, and audit-ready filing.
- Work closely with the Procurement & Logistics Officer, who runs procurement, supplier vetting and contracts, while the Finance Officer provides financial control of procurement and makes payments, ensuring segregation of duties.
- Support local partners, who vary considerably in financial and procurement capacity, through practical guidance, checklists and on-site or remote support visits where security and access allow.
- Work closely with the regional Finance Manager (line manager), who leads partner financial reviews, donor financial reporting and technical oversight, and with programme colleagues who manage project budgets.
- Maintain sound internal controls, including segregation of duties, document retention and anti-fraud measures, and report any suspected fraud, corruption or irregularity without delay.
- Escalate financial, legal, compliance and safeguarding concerns to the regional Finance Manager and the Country Director promptly.
Your profile
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE
Education
- Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, economics or another relevant field.
- A professional accounting qualification (e.g. ACCA, CAP/CIPA or a Ukrainian accountant certification) is desirable.
Experience
- At least three years of professional experience in finance or accounting, of which at least one year in an NGO, international organisation or donor-funded project.
- Hands-on experience running payroll and calculating and filing taxes and social contributions under Ukrainian legislation.
- Good understanding of procurement procedures and documentation, sufficient to check procurement files before payment.
- Experience preparing for or working on audits (internal, donor or statutory), or professional experience in an audit firm. · Experience with donor-funded budgets, budget-versus-actual monitoring and financial reporting.
- Experience supporting or reviewing the finance of partner organisations or sub-grantees is an advantage.
- Experience in a humanitarian, conflict-affected or rapidly changing context is desirable.
Languages
- Fluency in spoken and written Ukrainian.
- Professional working proficiency in English, sufficient to prepare financial documentation and communicate with the regional Finance team and auditors.
(Technical) Knowledge
- Sound knowledge of Ukrainian accounting, tax, labour and banking legislation, including personal income tax, military levy, unified social contribution and the requirements for non-profit organisations.
- Practical knowledge of payroll calculation and statutory reporting, and of electronic reporting tools (e.g. M.E.Doc or the tax authority's online services).
- Knowledge of procurement principles (value for money, transparency, competition, conflict of interest) and procurement documentation.
- Understanding of internal control, segregation of duties, anti-fraud and anti-corruption measures, and sanctions screening.
- Knowledge of donor financial and compliance requirements (e.g. EU, Dutch MFA/RVO, UN, SIDA or private donors) is an advantage. · Experience with accounting software (e.g. BAS/1C) and an international finance system is desirable.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel and good knowledge of Microsoft Office, SharePoint and Teams.
Competencies
- Accuracy and attention to detail; takes ownership of deadlines · Integrity, confidentiality and a firm commitment to transparency and anti-fraud standards
- Clear communication in Ukrainian and English; explains financial rules simply to non-finance colleagues and partners
- Supportive but firm with colleagues and partners on financial standards
- Proactive problem-solving; flags risks early and escalates appropriately
- Planning and organisation; balances monthly cycles with ad-hoc requests and audits
- Flexibility and resilience in a fast-changing context
How to Apply
Interested candidates are invited to submit their CV and cover letter in English through our career's website no later than 30/10/2026.
Please note that applications will only be accepted through our careers website. To ensure a fair and consistent recruitment process, applications submitted via email will not be considered.
____________________________________________________________________________ By submitting your application you certify that all of the statements made in your application are true, complete, and correct and are made in good faith. You understand that falsifying, misrepresenting or intentionally withholding information will be grounds for rejection of your application or withdrawal of any offer of appointment or, if an appointment offer has been accepted, this will be ground for employment sanctions, such as, but not limited to, instant dismissal. In addition, you understand that you need to submit a Criminal Record Certificate and that, if you fail to submit it, no employment relationship can be established.
Disclaimer
- Only applications received via our website are processed.
- If we appoint a suitable candidate before the given closing date, we reserve the right to remove the vacancy from our website before that date. In such a case, any responses received after that time are not processed.
- It could be that during our selection process the closing date for the vacancy is extended. If so, and you have not yet heard from us, your application will remain active.
