Lena Melikian

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to express my interest in the Project Finance officer position at your organization, as advertised. With a solid background in finance and program assistance, bookkeeping, bank reconciliations, payables…coupled with my extensive experience at Wecf Netherlands and Hivos MENA non profit organizations, I am excited about the opportunity to bring my skills and expertise to your team.

Over the past 6.5 years, I have honed my accounting & financial skills at Wecf Netherlands and Hivos MENA, where I played a pivotal role in assisting with various finance, program related tasks and partners accounts for many global programs: Women Power, Women empowerment for Leadership (WE4L), Free to be Me, Freedom of Expression, We Lead, ROOM projects funded by DRL, SIDA, European union, MOFA Netherlands and others. From financial reporting, coordinating partner reports to bookkeeping, salary & staff expense bookings, managing accounts payable processes, reconciliations, and grants disbursements, I have developed a comprehensive understanding of financial systems and procedures. My experience extends to bookkeeping, accounts reconciliation, payments to partners through Rabo bank, further emphasizing my ability to handle diverse operational responsibilities efficiently.

Prior to my tenure at WECF Netherlands and Hivos MENA, I served as a Chief Accountant at Ste Libanaise D’ameublement SARL for 7 years, where I managed the accounts of multiple companies and spearheaded HR and finance tasks ranging from payroll management to budge ng and controlling. This role equipped me with robust financial analysis capabilities and the capacity to navigate complex accounting functions seamlessly. Additionally, my early career experience as an Accountant at Toy Market Trading S.A.L. installed in me a strong foundation in cost accounting, inventory control, and financial reporting.

Through me culoustia en on to detail and a proactive approach to problem-solving, I consistently delivered results and contributed to the overall success of the organizations I served.

My experience at WECF and Hivos has been instrumental in shaping my passion for addressing pressing global challenges, including the realm of climate justice. Working closely on programs dedicated to fostering sustainable development and advocating for climate resilience, I have witnessed firsthand the intricate intersections between social justice and the imperative for a just internet freedom transition. Through initiatives aimed at empowering marginalized communities and promoting equitable access to resources, I have come to understand the pivotal role that internet freedom and sustainable practices play in advancing both environmental integrity and social equity.

This experience has deepened my conviction that effective solutions to climate change must prioritize the needs and voices of vulnerable populations, bridging the gap between social justice imperatives and the imperative for the internet freedom future.

With this, I would like to thank you for considering my application. I am eager to further discuss how my qualifications align with the needs of your team.

Please find my resume attached for your review. I look forward to the possibility of contributing to the continued success of your organization’s Non-Prolifera on Treaty Initiative.

Warmest regards,

Finance & Project Officer at Stichting Women Engage for a Common Future (2024-10 – 2025-12)

• Preparation of financial Reports honorary payments, accounts receivable, and bookkeeping function.
• Accounting and financial project support.
• Automization, innovation and coordination between different departments and international offices.
• Booking in the general ledger of all income and expenses, including memorial bookings, most of which are project related.
• Checking of expense statements, or invoices of partners; project coordinators are responsible for validating those based on budgets.
• Checking and processing weekly payments, and monitoring timely approval by budget holders.
• Checking, booking and archiving financial reports from partners, including partners in the Global South.
• Managing financial interim and final project reports and overviews for donors, in co-operation with project managers.
• Providing support and advice to project managers and other staff on project-budgets and other finance matters.
• Handling invoicing and accounts receivable management.
• Maintaining an overview of a correct and closed administration, including annual 'reconciliation letters' with the other three WECF offices.
• Keep the Pluriform administration up to date, test annual upgrades, create new projects.
• Timely and accurate provision of requested information for annual and project audits and to grant providers.
• Strengthening internal controls and updating the Financial Procedures handbook.
• Playing a role in migrating from Pluriform to Exact, as partly externalised administration.
• Bookkeeping and payment preparation on AllSolutions.
• Handling limited VAT-administration and annual declaration according to EU rules.
• Collecting and providing data for externalized payroll administration (LoonLoket).
• Limited staff and personnel administration (pension fund, absence regulations, timesheets).

Finance & Program Assistant at Hivos MENA (2019-07 – 2024-07)

• Assist in Assessment of partners Reports.
• Assist as Finance I, Purchase entries, Cash & Bank reconciliations.
• Assist with all project related requests (Partner Contract, subproject creation and reviews, reports, payments to partners) and follow up on the advancement.
• Assist with bookkeeping and payment preparation on AllSolutions.
• Manage financial and operational activities, including accounts payable end-to-end process, per diems, expenses reimbursement to staff and partners, grants disbursements, honorary payments, accounts receivable, payroll, and bookkeeping function.
• Manage travel and accommodation arrangements and booking for the Mena team.
• Assist with the 2018 account reconciliations for the finalization of the Audit and Closing of the accounts.
• Make a list with all project related requests (Partner assessment, Budget review, financial report review and approval) and follow up on the advancement.

Chief Accountant at Ste Libanaise D'ameublement SARL (2012-09 – 2019-07)

• Manage the accounts of 5 companies: Ste Libanaise D'ameublement sarl & Prime Selected Products (PSP) & Prime Selected Products FZCO (Located in Dubai), Sleeping Plaza (Located in Dubai) and A&H Trading sal.
• HR and finance tasks that include: NSSF calculation, tax calculations, end of service calculation, payroll, insurances, contracts, forms and procedures (warnings/internal memos), checking all transactions, VAT calculations, tax on salary, profit and loss calculations, cash flow.
• Budgeting & controlling, Financial statements & reporting, Reconciliation, Accounting techniques, Asset management, Stock control, Accounts Payable, Taxation, General ledger & Payroll.
• Review monthly aging reports, and tackle problems related to late collections, follow up on corrective measures with concerned operating entities.
• Review and propose receivables benchmarks according to risk volatility by client, and ensure.

Accountant at Toy Market Trading S.A.L. (1999-07 – 2012-07)

• Suppliers Reconciliations.
• Assisting with the Clearing of goods from Port, freight chgs, Insurance.
• 7-8 Years Cost Accounting, Analysis and Cost control.
• Journal entry for the prepaid expenses.
• Book keeping, paper work and organizing files.
• Preparing all vouchers concerning the general Expenses of the company.
• Preparing all vouchers concerning Electricity and phone bills.
• Journal entry for all the expenses of the imported goods.
• Journal entry for bills for collection.
• Journal entry for checks for collection.
• Journal entry for LC T/T payments of all the external suppliers (Openings-Docs Rcvd-Closing).
• Prepaid Expense vouchers.
• Recurring vouchers.
• Debit and Credit Note vouchers.
• Calculating Costs of Goods using Excel and Dolphin.
• Purchases and Inventory control.
• Clearance of arriving goods.
• Preparing expense sheets for shipments.
• Preparing the calculations for Vat(for Imported Items).
• Controlling selling prices set by the company.
• Communicating relevant information to management and across departments.
• Statement of accounts of the Clients.
• Preparing and Closing the Costs of the external shipments.
• L/C & T/T payments.
• Calculation of NSSF.
• VAT Calculation and submission.
• Salaries.
• Tax on Salary.
• Internal Audit (As a Chief Accountant).

Assistant Manager at PERI – German Engineering Company (1998 – 1999)

MA in Human Resources – Lebanese International University (2020)

BA in Leadership – Vision International (2012)

BS in Actuarial Science – Notre Dame University (1993)

Dutch Language Level 2.2

2025 Confidence Building self_awareness Certificate Women Engage for a Common Future

2024 Proposal Writing and Business Development for NGO’s American University of Beirut (AUB)

2024 Practicing Human Resource Management in Uncertain Context: Application to the NGO Sector American University of Beirut (AUB)

2022 Safeguarding Essentials certificate KAYA – Humanitarian Leadership academy

2016 IFRS Standard Workshop (IAS1, IAS2, IAS7, IAS8) Move Forward International

2004-2005 French language CCF (French Cultural Center)