About Us:
HKN Syria Ltd. is a privately held, independent oil and gas company operating in the Syrian Arab Republic. HKN Syria operates the Suwaydiya, Rmeilan, Alyan, Karatchuk, Sazaba, Laylak, Hamzeh, and Oudeh fields and is comprised of 1,189 km2. The fields share an Upper Cretaceous carbonate reservoir system, with the fractured "Massive" limestone as the principal producing horizon, with more than 2,100 wells mapped across the concession.
At HKN, our strength lies in our highly experienced, diverse team, whose professionals bring insights from working across 80+ countries. We are committed to building a culture deeply rooted in our Core Values, which include Integrity, Respect, Commitment, Excellence, and Teamwork.
Position Summary
HKN Syria is seeking an experienced Finance Manager to join our HKN Syria team, based in-country in Syria. Reporting to the VP and Chief Accounting Officer, with a dotted line to the Syria Asset Manager, this position is the senior finance presence on site, owning financial controls, payroll, and Syria payables as the workforce scales toward 2,000 people.
The role is a significant contributor to the budgeting and forecasting process, working regularly with each department on site as budgets mature, and supports accruals, asset-level reporting, and supply chain management. The position also coaches non-finance colleagues to follow company processes and controls, and works closely with Corporate Accounting and Regional Shared Services (AP) in Erbil.
The ideal candidate combines hands-on oil and gas finance experience in emerging markets, sound judgment, and a collaborative coaching style, with the ability to build practical controls and processes in a developing operating environment.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
Cash Governance and Financial Controls:
· Design, implement, and enforce processes for handling, approving, safeguarding, and reconciling cash payments, including limits, authorizations, segregation of duties, and documentation standards.
· Develop the treasury process with Corporate Accounting to enable electronic payments to Syria-based suppliers, with the goal of minimizing and eliminating cash transactions.
· Maintain a strong control environment suited to a high-risk operating country, coordinating with HKN Legal on sanctions and compliance matters and with HKN Tax on tax matters, and keeping finance records audit-ready.
· Perform regular cash counts, reconciliations, and spot checks, and escalate exceptions promptly to the CAO and Asset Manager.
Payroll:
· Design and run a documented, scalable payroll process for a workforce expected to reach 2,000 people, replacing current practices that will not scale.
· Own headcount tracking, timekeeping inputs, payroll calculation and approval, payment, reconciliation, and records, with clear controls over who gets paid and how.
· Coordinate with HR and operations on onboarding, terminations, contractor versus employee treatment, and local requirements.
Payables and Supply Chain Support:
· Manage payables for the Syria asset, working with Regional Shared Services (AP) in Erbil on invoice processing and payment runs, and keeping vendor balances, commitments, and accruals accurate.
· Support the Supply Chain Management team and work with local suppliers on invoicing, three-way match, approvals, and payment scheduling.
· Support supplier onboarding and the move of Syria-based suppliers to electronic payment.
Budgeting, Forecasting, and Reporting Support:
· Be a significant contributor to the budget and forecasting process alongside Supply Chain and other administrative functions, working regularly with each department on site as budgets mature.
· Expect budgets to flex considerably as the asset develops from its starting point: help departments refine assumptions, update forecasts as scope and headcount change, and keep leadership informed of the impact.
· Track actuals, commitments, and accruals against budget and AFEs, and explain variances to asset and corporate leadership.
· Assist Corporate Accounting with the accrual and reporting process, and review contractual reporting and asset-level financial reports for accuracy and timeliness. Corporate Accounting owns asset-level reporting.
Coaching and Team Development:
· Coach and mentor in-country staff, most of whom are not finance professionals, on company processes, approvals, and documentation standards.
· Build and develop a local finance team as the asset grows, and serve as the day-to-day finance point of contact for site leadership.
· Deliver practical training on expense policy, cash handling, purchasing, and payroll inputs.
Minimum Qualifications
Required:
· Experience building controls and treasury processes that minimize cash transactions and enable electronic payments in emerging markets.
· Experience running payroll or overseeing a payroll process for a large, field-based workforce.
· Budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis experience, ideally with AFE or work program and budget processes.
· Experience supervising, training, and influencing non-finance staff, with the ability to explain processes clearly to non-finance colleagues.
· Working proficiency in English sufficient to prepare reports and correspond with international stakeholders
· Ability to live and work on site in Syria.
· Strong Excel and BI skills, with ERP experience and comfort working in a system being replaced preferred.
· Fluency with AI tools for analysis, reporting, and process automation, and a habit of using them to improve how work gets done, preferred.
Education and Experience
· Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field required.
· Minimum of eight years of progressive finance and accounting experience required, including significant time in upstream oil and gas or oilfield services in emerging or frontier markets.
· Professional accounting qualifications (CPA, ACCA, CIMA, CA, or equivalent) preferred.
· Experience with joint venture accounting, partner reporting, and cost recovery preferred.
· Working knowledge of Syrian statutory, labor, and banking practices preferred.