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Financial Accountant

FSD Ethiopia
Apply by 23 April 2020

Job description

About FSD Africa

Established in 2012 and supported by UK aid, FSD Africa is a specialist development agency working to build and strengthen financial markets across sub-Saharan Africa. They work to reduce poverty through a ‘market systems development’ approach, which means they aim to address the structural, underlying causes of poverty by improving how financial market systems function.

FSD Africa believes that investing in building a financial system that is transparent, stable and accessible creates the conditions for a fair and sustainable future. This is one where inequality is reduced, corruption is tackled, and where individuals, businesses and governments alike are able to prepare for future challenges, from climate change to political instability.

From their headquarters in Nairobi, the team of financial sector experts work alongside governments, business leaders, regulators and policymakers to design and build ambitious programmes that make financial markets work better for everyone.  Depending on the project, FSD Africa can provide a combination of grants, investment capital, market insights or technical assistance to ensure they achieve their objectives.

They focus their work where the need is greatest, and where they believe the potential for impact is the most significant. They have a specific mandate to invest in breakthrough, innovative ideas that they believe can have a transformative impact. By sharing risk with their partners, they’re able to address more difficult, persistent, or higher-risk challenges, in more unstable or fragile geographies, than traditional development finance organisations.

About the role

The Financial Accountant is responsible for ensuring that FSD Africa's financial information is complete and financially sound; that they are managed through a robust and proactive reporting system and provide accurate, financial reporting insights to enable comprehensive financial decision making.

Key Responsibilities:

Accounting and Financial Reporting
    Prepare accurate, timely, and prudent financial and management information reports to support effective financial decisions:
    • Prepare and or extract periodic financial statements to inform on current status and projected performance to the different stakeholders e.g. senior management, BOD and the public (Statutory accounts)
    • Review, maintain, and reconcile general ledgers and sub ledgers in the financial information system
    • Review payment vouchers to ensure timeliness, completeness, and accuracy of supporting information in the processing of payments
    • Keep abreast of changes in financial regulations and legislation, and ensure compliance with statutory obligations to minimise risk of litigation, financial and reputational loss, etc.
    • Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting of both FSDA and FSDA(I)
    Analysis & Advisory
      Ensure that all expenditures are aligned to FSD Africa budgets and prepare regular analysis of status highlighting any areas of concern:
      • Advise on appropriate technology to meet the organisation’s financial data processing, controls, and reporting requirements
      • Contribute to the development of the annual budget by providing guidance to departments/budget holders during department budget planning
      • Support the Financial Analyst in preparation of monthly performance/variance analyses and forecast reports, carrying out cash flow analysis and management (financial projections) to inform management decisions
      • Review monthly expenditure and recommend areas where savings can be made.
      • Participate in identifying financial risks, and threats pertaining to financial processes and systems of the organisation
      • Coordinate, prepare and submit external audit materials
      Disbursement of Payments
        Ensure accurate and timely disbursement of funds; ensuring that payments are made to vendors, implementing partners, service providers and other stakeholders:
        • Disburse all payments and funds in an accurate and timely manner and ensure the update of the general ledger and sub ledgers
        • Prepare and process payroll and other allowances, ensuring correct calculation of statutory deductions
        • Always ensure compliance with FSD Africa’s financial policies and standards when making payments
        • Ensure that taxes are payed, and reporting made timely and accurately; ensure collection of tax payment certificates for purposes of claiming any tax credits. 
        • Reconcile account payables and prepare monthly cost centre and operations performance reports
        • Prepare end of period adjustments; accruals for provisions for unbilled monthly expenses and amortization of prepayments
        Financial Administration
          Support the Finance Manager in ensuring that routine financial administration is carried out in accordance with good accounting practice:
          • Manage inventory at all time (consumables and fixed assets), and ensure that all FSD Africa’s fixed assets are on the register 
          • Maintain financial records (both system and physical)
          • Actively participate in the sensitisation of staff and suppliers and provide guidance on improved payment processes, accountability and practices
          Supervision of Staff
            Lead the unit effectively and efficiently to ensure the provision of high levels of (internal & external) customer service:
            • Plan and organise the work of the unit to achieve team and functional objectives in the most cost-effective manner possible; ensuring that team members are given appropriate workloads and are working efficiently
            • Monitor and review performance; hold subordinates accountable for achieving results, meeting standards of excellence, and delivering any improvement goals which have been identified; taking decisive action in the case of poor performance
            • Provide leadership to the unit, managing performance and providing an engaging leadership style to ensure motivation; carry out their performance appraisals and identify training and development needs 
            Carry out any other duties or special assignments as assigned by the Finance Manager and the CFO.

            Does this sound like you?
            • You have a degree Commerce, Business Administration or related
            • You have a professional qualification in ACCA and or CPA
            • You have excellent written and spoken English
            • At least 3 years of experience in a similar role with a reputable medium to large organization 
            • Good knowledge of IFRS and Tax Management
            Nice to have:
            • You have experience of working in a multi-cultural environment
            • You possess advanced analytical and mathematical skills
            • You are well versed in in budgeting, forecasting and management reporting Languages
            • Languages: French, local African languages

            Persons of all gender, race, sex, orientation, age, and identity are encouraged to apply. 

            About FSD Ethiopia

            Established in 2021, FSD Ethiopia is a development agency that aims to support the development of accessible, inclusive, and sustainable financial markets for economic growth.

            Their role is to identify the underlying causes of financial system failures, facilitate market actors to address these constraints, and help build a functional and effective financial sector that generates economic gains for Ethiopians from all walks of life. Their vision is to contribute to a thriving financial system that delivers real value to the broader economy and the people of Ethiopia. They provide technical assistance, grants, and research insights to policymakers, regulators, and market actors to drive large-scale change in financial markets and support sustainable economic development.

            Supported by their funding partners, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), they work with public, private, and development partners in the financial sector to address critical system constraints and facilitate sustainable change. They provide tailored services to help diverse stakeholders achieve their goals and design interventions to make Ethiopia’s financial sector function transparently, effectively, and inclusively.

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