The International Center for Biosaline Agriculture(ICBA) is an international, non-profit agricultural research center established in 1999 through the visionary leadership of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund, the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), and the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). ICBA is a unique applied agricultural research center in the world that is focused on marginal areas where an estimated 1.7 billion people live. It identifies, tests and introduces resource-efficient, climate-smart crops and technologies that are best suited to different regions affected by salinity, water scarcity and drought. Through its work, ICBA helps to improve food security and livelihoods for some of the poorest rural communities around the world. ICBA is an equal opportunity employer and appoints qualified staff regardless of race, creed, color, age, gender, religion or national origin. We demonstrate our commitment to each member of our team through a competitive benefits package designed to assist our employees to cover their needs and the needs of their immediate family members.
Job Summary The Senior Officer – Project Accounting is responsible for managing and overseeing ICBA’s project accounting processes, ensuring accurate recording, allocation, and reporting of financial transactions in accordance with established finance policies, IFRS, and donor requirements. The role provides critical financial support to project teams, contributes to budget management and compliance, and assists the Finance Manager in maintaining robust financial controls across the organization.
Job Responsibilities Project Accounting, Budget Control and Audit Oversight - Review proposal budgets prior to submission, ensuring alignment with ICBA's financial framework, donor requirements, and overhead cost recovery policies, and issue budget clearance accordingly.
- Manage and control project codes and dimensions in the ERP, ensuring accurate booking and allocation of expenses to the correct projects in line with donor agreements and ICBA's finance policies.
- Upload approved budgets into the ERP and process budget revisions and rollovers in a timely manner, maintaining up-to-date budget records for all projects.
- Review and issue budget clearance for purchase requests, consultancy requests, job cards, and any other project expenditure commitments, ensuring availability of funds prior to approval.
- Review and process financial transactions in the ERP, validate general ledger entries, and initiate correcting adjustments as required, ensuring accuracy and completeness of records.
- Review and process staff timesheets, ensuring accurate time allocations across all unrestricted and restricted projects in the ERP in compliance with grant requirements and donor guidelines.
- Compute project accruals and process necessary adjustments at project closeout, ensuring all financial obligations are settled, unspent balances are properly treated, and records are complete before final closure in the ERP.
- Review, validate and account for project partners and sub-grantees’ financial reports and ensure compliance with contractual agreements, donor requirements, and ICBA's policies.
- Prepare and submit periodic project financial reports to donors within contractually agreed timelines, ensuring reports are accurate, well-supported, and compliant with donor requirements.
- Oversee project audits from planning through to closure, coordinating with internal and external auditors, providing required documentation, and ensuring all findings are resolved and responded to promptly.
- Maintain the integrity of the general ledger by ensuring all project-related transactions are complete, accurate, and supported by appropriate documentation.
Financial Management, Operations and Compliance - Verify, process, and account for monthly staff payroll in close coordination with the HR and Finance units, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely disbursement in accordance with ICBA's policies.
- Review and process staff final settlement calculations, ensuring accuracy, proper authorization, and adherence to ICBA's HR policies.
- Process and post CRM transactions including job cards, vehicle usage, payment requests, and laboratory requests, ensuring each transaction is valid, duly authorized, and supported by complete documentation before posting.
- Review and validate expense claims and fund requests from offshore and remote ICBA offices (e.g. CAC), ensuring proper authorization, eligibility of expenditures, and adequacy of supporting documentation prior to processing.
- Monitor the web-based Finance Dashboard on a regular basis, identify discrepancies or irregular entries, and initiate corrective measures in coordination with the relevant staff or system administrator.
- Ensure accurate and compliant accounting for lease transactions in accordance with IFRS 16, including maintaining up-to-date lease schedules, computing right-of-use assets and lease liabilities, and ensuring proper disclosure in financial records.
- Support month-end and year-end closing activities, including preparation of accruals, reconciliations, intercompany adjustments, and supporting schedules, ensuring timely and accurate closure in line with the finance calendar.
- Reconcile bank statements with ERP records on a regular basis and process necessary journal entries to ensure the accuracy and completeness of financial data.
- Support the Finance Manager in developing, implementing, and monitoring a system of internal checks and balances across the Finance section.
- Perform any other related duties as assigned by the Finance Manager or Senior Management.
Qualifications and Experience - Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or Business Administration with a major in Accounting.
- Minimum 4–6 years of progressive experience in accounting, with at least 2–3 years in project accounting within a donor-funded, research, or non-profit organization.
- Solid working knowledge of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), including IFRS 16.
- Hands-on experience with ERP systems, preferably Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
- Strong knowledge of project costing, cost allocation methodologies, and budget management.
- Good English communication skills, both written and spoken.
- Proficient in MS Office, particularly Excel at an intermediate to advanced level.
- Professional accounting certification: CPA, CA, ACCA, or CMA (fully qualified or at final stage of qualification).
- Experience working in an international or multilateral research organization
- Familiarity with donor financial reporting requirements (e.g. EU, USAID, GIZ, or similar).
- Knowledge of the Arabic language is an advantage.
Post Date 20 October 2026
Status Open
Vacancy Type Full-time
Closing Date 1 November 2026
Location Dubai, UAE
Report To Finance Manager
Job Number ICBA-CSD-
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