Mansoor Syed

In my role as Finance and Accounting Officer at HiiL, I am responsible for ensuring the accurate and timely processing of invoices and payments, including the creation and management of creditor accounts. I manage the payment process for multiple countries, Tunisia, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Uganda, while also handling petty cash and ICS card bookings in the Netherlands.
I play an active role in month-end, quarter-end, and year-end closing activities, including performing bank and account reconciliations to ensure accurate financial reporting. My responsibilities also include booking SimpledCard transactions and managing monthly expense reports, with a strong focus on minimizing discrepancies through continuous reconciliation and adjustments.
I have an intermediate understanding of VAT, including how different VAT regimes may apply across international contexts, and I continue to build my expertise in this area through practical experience and collaboration with finance colleagues.
Beyond day-to-day operations, I contribute to process improvement initiatives within the department, offering input on system changes and workflow enhancements from a user perspective.
Detail-oriented and methodical, I communicate effectively with stakeholders across departments and countries. I am client-focused, solution-driven, and thrive in international, multicultural environments, ensuring finance operations align with organizational goals.

As an Accounting Administrator at Oikocredit, I handled various paymentprocesses, including payroll, disbursements, accounts payable, redemptions,dividends, and reimbursements, while assisting the treasury with internal transfers.

I managed bank accounts, maintained authorized signatories, andoversaw user profiles for the electronic banking system.

My responsibilitiesalso included accurate financial record-keeping, transaction classification,recording, and reconciliation, as well as processing invoices using Exact,Scansys (ImageCapture), eFront and Titan.In addition to supporting general administrative tasks such as coordinatingpayment approvers’ schedules, managing emails, and organizing documents.I ensured compliance with financial regulations and internal policies, assistedwith audits, maintained documentation, and collaborated with auditors.

I worked closely with departments like Operations, HR, IT, Investor Relations,Capacity Building, and Special Collections to resolve financial issues.

I also identified opportunities for process improvements and implementedstreamlined procedures to boost efficiency. Additionally, I provided backupfor processing supplier invoices, reconciling accounts payable to the GeneralLedger, and recording financial transactions from investors.

As a Operations Officer at Oikocredit, I was responsible for generating loan repayment invoices daily and coordinating with Investment Officers across Asia, LAC, Africa, and EECA for invoice checks and approvals.

I worked closely with the finance team to ensure smooth payment settlements and reimbursements. Additionally, I supported the Special Collection Unit (SCU) by calculating penalties and preparing financial overviews of loans.

My responsibilities also included preparing and sending audit letters, acting as the focal point for loan repayment rescheduling, and assisting the credit analyst team in organizing weekly Credit Committee meetings.

I prepared monthly Portfolio at Risk (PAR) reports for integrated Investment Analysts and managed bank operations, including payment settlements, in the absence of the Accounting Administrator.

As a Legal Affairs Assistant at Oikocredit, I was responsible for maintaining and updating the legal page on the intranet, processing invoices for the legal department, and ensuring proper authorization.

I managed Power of Attorneys, processed loan documentation for signatures and legalization, and coordinated with notaries for corporate requests. Additionally, I handled the filing of loan documents, both digitally and physically, while liaising with legal counsels in Asia, LAC, and the Amersfoort office.

I coordinated global appointments, managed correspondence and logistics, took meeting minutes, and maintained the project database (eFront). I also contributed to streamlining administrative processes for greater efficiency.

In support of the General Counsel, I organized and scheduled appointments, and managed administrative tasks related to document inflow and outflow.

At the European Patent Office in The Hague, I was involved in the digitization of text and image sources, as well as the indexing, scanning, and printing of documents. The European Patent Office is an intergovernmental organization responsible for searching, examining, and granting European patents. Before examiners can review a patent application, the documents must undergo a formal procedure that includes indexing, scanning, and printing. My role was to ensure that these processes were completed efficiently and accurately, allowing examiners to access the necessary documents for their evaluation of patent applications.

At Be Data Driven, I was responsible for processing customer invoices, ensuring proper documentation and authorization for payments. I managed contract renewals, ensuring timely updates, and handled customer inquiries by forwarding them to the relevant departments for prompt responses. I scheduled conference calls between Be Data Driven consultants and customers across four continents—Asia, Europe, Africa, and the USA. Additionally, I acted as a liaison between customers and internal teams, including the support team and Lead Consultant. My role also involved archiving important documents such as contracts and invoices in the company’s cloud-based storage system. I maintained customer relationships by tracking leads in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, following up on potential clients through Mailchimp automation, and identifying users exceeding their plan to suggest upgrades or adjustments. I proactively contacted new users who signed up through the website to assess their interest and searched for new prospects using LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Furthermore, I forecasted and tracked key accounts, maintained a master list of all active contracts and contact persons, and ensured continuous engagement with users to retain their activity in the system. Additionally, I monitored time spent on technical support, relayed bug reports to the development team through the Be Data Driven issue tracker, and contributed to overall customer satisfaction and operational efficiency.

At ECHO, I contributed to managing the flow of information between country offices and the headquarters. My responsibilities included collating, compiling, and consolidating reports, and responding to ad-hoc requests from HQ. I facilitated and organized field missions, including mission and leave requests, claims, visas, and travel arrangements. In the absence of Program Officers, I acted as the focal point for obtaining the latest security updates from INSO and UNDSS, and shared these with the Regional Security Officer to secure security clearance for field missions. I also maintained and set up personal files for expatriate and national staff, provided support to the human resources department by screening job applications, analyzing them, preparing follow-up reports, and checking job references. Additionally, I registered and created orders in the Office Management Tools (OMT) application, wrote minutes for weekly operations and management meetings, and organized meetings, conferences, and workshops for ECHO partners, including INGOs, embassies, and other humanitarian agencies. I ensured that the ECHO contact database and the electronic filing system were kept up to date, registered and archived emails, faxes, and authorization letters, and managed the local area network (LAN), including routers, switches, and firewalls. I also prepared field mission equipment, such as laptops, satellite phones, and digital cameras, in case of emergencies, and acted as the focal point for procurement of ICT equipment and technical issues. In addition, I assisted program staff with project maps, served as a backup for the Admin Finance Officer, and acted as an official translator (English-Dari-English).

At Quicklink Communication, I was responsible for installing TDMA (Time Division/Domain Multiple Access) systems to provide reliable internet services to our clients, including UN agencies, embassies, government offices, and private companies. As the primary point of contact, I acted as a liaison between Quicklink Communication and its clients, ensuring effective communication and timely support. I closely monitored all connection activities, addressing any issues promptly to maintain seamless service. Additionally, I trained and supervised three new staff members, providing guidance and support. I was also in charge of providing ICT support to the European Union Delegation and the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO). Lastly, I prepared invoices for Quicklink Communication clients, ensuring accurate billing for the services rendered.