Senior Accountant African Initiatives For Relief And Development (Aird)

AIRD is non-governmental, non-political, non-religious and non-profit making organization with the main aim of protecting and seeking durable solutions for Refugees and IDP’s in Africa in partnership with UNHCR the UN refugee agency.

Job Description
Reporting to: Finance and Administration Manager (FAM) or OIC during his/her absence

The Senior Accountant (SA) will be responsible for:
The SPA will have the responsibility for assisting the FAM in the financial management of the Head office and financial administration support to the country program offices. General Duties
• Maintain the Head Office financial management systems and records in order to safeguard the assets and interest of the organization.
• Adopt adequate controls over cash and bank to minimize the risk of fraud or misappropriation.
• Closely monitor all financial activities, and keep the FAM informed of all situations which have the potential for a negative impact on internal controls or financial management performance
• Assist the FAM in the management of financial administration of the Head Office and country program support in compliance with AIRD Finance and Procurement SOPS and all applicable laws, rules and regulations

Primary Duties
• Record all financial transactions in QuickBooks in a timely manner
• Prepare and submit monthly financial statements (including income statement, balance sheet accounts receivable and accounts payable,) Prepare monthly financial reports (budgets vs. actuals)
• Ensure an assets register is maintained
• Ensure petty cash and cash books of all projects are promptly updated Verify all transactions, vouchers for approval by FAM/D
• Support the preparation of annual budget proposals
• Review expenditures against approved budgets for all projects
• Review monthly and annual expenditure reports BVA Reports for HQ
• Ensure adequate budgets or any expenditure before initial payments
• Monitor cash flow and budget utilization against future commitments and alert FAM of areas where budgets may be exceeded.
• Extract trial balance for both local and foreign currencies and review the same on an monthly and annual basis.
• Update the accounting system (QuickBooks) budget revisions from all projects on a timely basis.
• Ensure that staff statutory deductions are correctly computed and paid to the relevant Statutory Authorities timely as required by the law
• Prepare accurate /timely expatriate staff salaries and review National staff salaries • Manage expatriate staff salary saving scheme ensuring correct computations, proper recording and timely payment of contribution to bank as well as prompt administration of final benefits.
• Follow up on bills from service providers and ensure timely payments.
• Ensure bank statements are obtained and cheques written for AIRD reconciliations.
• Maintain cheque books and valued documents in safe custody to prevent access to unauthorized persons.
• Ensure that all procurements follow proper procedures as defined by procurement SOP
• Prepare for external audits and make available all records required by the auditions and assist them through the audit process so auditors can express their independent opinion on the status of AIRD operations
• Keep the accounts up to date and accurate at all times and Prepare end-of- month financial statements and bank reconciliations
• Follow up on accounts payable/receivable and ensure their prompt liquidation Verify payment vouchers and supporting documents before submission for approval
• Ensure all financial documents are on file and bear the correct references and budget coding.
• Ensure that expatriate /national staff Group Accident and medical insurance policies are paid for in accordance with the provisions of the budget. Any other duties as may be assigned by management.

Required Language
• Must be fluent in English (written and spoken)

Minimum Qualifications
• Minimum Bachelors Degree in a relevant field.
• A recognized professional designation in Accounting or Internal Auditing (ACCA, CPA, CFA, CMA, CGA, CIA or CISA) or Masters in relevant field is an added advantage.
• Minimum 5 years experience working in Finance and Accounting Proficiency in the use QuickBooks Accounting Software
• Excellent writing skills in English
• People oriented and results driven
• Demonstrated ability to prioritize tasks and work well under pressure and deadlines. Experience working with international development partners, international nongovernmental organizations (INGOS) and donors (in particular UNHCR experience) is an asset.

Personal characteristics
• The Senior Project Accountant should demonstrate competence in the following: Behave Ethically: Understand ethical behaviour and practices, and ensure that own behaviour and the behaviour of others is consistent with these standards and aligns with the values of the organization
• Build Relationships: Establish and maintain positive working relationships with others, both internally and externally, to achieve the goals of the organization Communicate
• Effectively: Speak, listen and write in a clear, thorough and timely manner using appropriate and effective communication tools and techniques Foster
• Teamwork: Work cooperatively and effectively with others to set goals, resolve problems, and make decisions that enhance organizational effectiveness
• Organize: Set priorities, develop a work schedule, monitor progress towards goals, and track details, data, information and activities
• Solve Problems: Assess problem situations to identify causes, gather and process relevant information, generate possible solutions, and make recommendations and/or resolve the problem.