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Job Title:   Financial Accountant  

Organisation: WaterAid

Duty Station:  Kampala, Uganda

About Organisation:

WaterAid is an international non-governmental organisation, focused on water, sanitation and hygiene. WaterAid’s vision is of a world where everyone has access to safe water and sanitation. WaterAid transforms lives by improving access to safe water, hygiene and sanitation in the world’s poorest communities.

Job Summary:   The Financial Accountant leads the routine financial accounting functions which include ensuring proper maintenance of accounting records, administration of financial controls, production of financial reports, compliance with relevant statutory bodies, and other functions that result in flawless internal and external audits. The roles support non-finance staff in planning, budget management, and forecasting processes. The role supervises the Finance Officer and Finance Assistant and supports the Director of Finance to implement effective and efficient financial controls within the context of the country’s strategy and objectives.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Financial Management:

• Procurement Policies: Support the development of procurement policies and procedures to enhance procurement effectiveness and compliance.
• Procurement Committee: Represent the finance unit in the procurement committee and ensure compliance to procurement policies and support the committee in procurement planning, undertaking due diligence for new suppliers, prequalifying suppliers, etc.
• Finance Induction and Training: Develop training modules and hold finance training sessions to train staff and raise awareness of finance procedures and processes that enhance compliance with statutory, donor, and organisational rules and regulations.
• Financial Accounting: Monitor that the day-to-day financial accounting functions are implemented in line with Organisational processes and accounting standards.
• People Management: Provide direct line management and supervision to the Finance Officer and Finance Assistant

Internal controls

• Relationship Management: Develop and maintain an effective professional relationship with the organisation’s local bank and monitor regulatory changes for compliance with banking regulations.
• Assets Management: Provide oversight of asset records and safeguard organisational assets including monitoring asset utilisation and asset disposal processes.
• Compliance Management: Provide oversight and ensure compliance with relevant statutory and regulatory bodies by maintaining up-to-date knowledge of compliance risks and their mitigation.
• Audits and Assurance: Facilitate and coordinate both internal and external audits or assessment processes and lead the development and implementation of action plans based on audit recommendations.
• Develop SOPs: Develop SOPs such as 1-pager brief, relevant requisitions, templates, forms, etc that operationalises the finance manual and policies and standardise documents to minimise the risk of fraud or errors. Design and write reports in SUN and other related software to address the information requirements of stakeholders.

Financial Reporting:

• Reconciliations: Ensure that all Cash, Bank, and Mobile Money reconciliations are all completed timely and duly signed
• Financial Reviews: Review all payments, transfers, and settlements ensuring that they are arithmetically accurate, and have the right support documentation and necessary approvals.
• Month-end Processes: Lead the month-end financial accounting processes ensuring that the key processes such as bank reconciliations, balance sheet movements, statutory deductions and payments, reallocation routines, intra-company transactions, etc. are all done timely and accurately.
• Year-end reporting: Lead the year-end processes are completed timely including producing yearend financial statements, managing the yearend checklists including the global legality checklist, year-end pack submissions, assurance statements, etc.
• Cost Recovery: Complete month-end cost recovery adjustments from timesheets, vehicle usage, general reallocation routines, etc. timely and monitor low recoveries for corrective actions.

Partner Management:

• Partnership Frameworks: Develop long-term partnership framework for partners and contractors to manage the ease of doing business and reduce the time in prolonged procurement processes of contractors and sub-award processes for partners.
• Partner Assessments: Conduct financial management assessments of new partners and contractors identified for project implementation identifying financial risks for management information and decision-making.
• Partner Training: Undertake capacity-building trainings for partners and contractors to mitigate identified financial risk, support partners in addressing existing financial management gaps, and nurture partner financial health.
• Monitoring and Support: Conduct regular joint and independent partner monitoring visits to nurture partner financial health through financial management support, finance verifications, and capacity development.
• Partner Reporting: Review partner financial reports timely, provide feedback and post approve partner financial reports in SUN.
• The above is given as a broad range of duties and is not intended to be a complete description of all tasks. It is important to note that the responsibilities may change to meet the evolving needs of the way WaterAid works.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in a Finance field plus a professional qualification such as CA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA or other equivalent finance and accounting certification. A Master’s degree in a Finance or Accounting qualification will be an added advantage.
• Significant experience in finance and accountancy in a senior position in large organisation, preferably international NGO.
• Supervisory and line management experience
• Highly computer literate and excellent knowledge and skills in using computer-based accounting systems and Microsoft Excel and Word packages.
• Working experience in using SUN systems and Vision excel.
• Prior working experience in preparing and monitoring budgets & developing monitoring and reporting systems.
• Ability to provide financial analysis and interpretation to Country Management Team for decision-making.
• Knowledge of international donor reporting requirements.
• Strong knowledge of fund accounting regulations for non-profit organisations. Excellent risk analysis and risk management skills.
• Experience of designing, coordinating and delivering training programmes.
• Competency in Adaptation Fund Project common approaches to work including partnerships, convening, inclusion, systems strengthening, creating behavioral change, and mainstreaming gender and inclusion of youth.
• Desirable
• Excellent (proven) interpersonal; both oral and written communication skills. Commitment and modelling WaterAid’s values, on Accountability, Integrity,
• Respect Collaboration, Courage, and Innovation
• Ability to think strategically with excellent planning and prioritisation skills. Strong analytical /problem solving skills.
• High numeracy skills.
• Interpersonal skills, team player with ability to work effectively in a diverse team environment, respect for gender, diversity and organizational culture.
• High degree of personal integrity, flexible attitude, transparency
• Proactive and highly self-motivated, ability work without close supervision; and willingness to work additional hours at crucial times.

Personal Competencies:

• Self-motivated with good interpersonal skills and capacity to understand and walk with people from all walks of life.
• Personal integrity, flexible attitude, sense of transparency, proactive and has respect for gender, diversity and organizational cultural.
• Commitment to WaterAid’s values and a working style that reflects these.

How to Apply:

If you are interested in the position above and have the right skills and attributes, please access the link attached to the position for more details on the job application pack (Job Description and job application form).

Fill in the job application form, Click Here and send together with a cover letter to waurecruitments@wateraid.org in the subject line

Deadline: 16th October 2024

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