Management Accountant at Kenya Children's Homes (KCH)

Reporting to: Finance Manager

Supervise: Team of (3 to 5) Finance staff across the charity

Liaises with: All Heads of Department and Projects

For the purposes of this job description, KCH comprises the following principal operations.

• Thomas Barnardo House
• Soila Maasai Girls Refuge and School 
• Fund raising operations (including, for example, Café ,Bakery, Thrift shop)

REQUIREMENTS/ QUALIFICATIONS

• Demonstrable understanding , and  practical experience of, financial and management accounting principles, processes, systems and internal controls, preferably in a  not-for-profit organization
• Solid knowledge of basic and advanced accounting and financial principles and practices i.e. he/she should be very good in double entry
• Excellent knowledge of cost accounting and reporting
• Excellent knowledge or risk analysis, budgeting and forecasting
• Working knowledge of QuickBooks software
• Analytical mind
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• A problem-solver with attention to detail
• Organizational and leadership skills
• Degree holder in accounting, commerce or related field
• Full certification in professional accounting qualification - CPA or ACCA.
• At least five year’s progressive experience in accounting and financial management position of which 3 years must be in middle management position.
• Exposure to financial reporting at board level and a good understanding of the requirements thereof.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES:-

General

• Manage accounting personnel and systems to provide the highest level of integrity and accountability.
• Ensure that the daily routine and duties in respect of all accounting information is delivered accurately and reliably.
• Provide information to finance manager and the management that can be relied on without further enquiry.
• Ensure all internal and external finance deadlines are adhered to, including preparation and delivery of monthly and annual accounts, budgets and cash flow reports and forecasts.

Financial Accounting

• Maintain proper accounting records for KCH and ensure security and accessibility thereof (including electronic and physical archives).
• Ensure that all financial reconciliations including inventory are done properly and on time and maintain documentary evidence to this effect.
• Ensure payroll and salaries are delivered and paid on time with strict adherence to regulatory requirements including the timely remittance of all statutory deductions.
• With the support of our external accountants, deal with any taxation issues and advise finance manager on issues arising in an anticipatory manner.
• Ensure that all money and collections are banked intact.
• Ensure all suppliers are paid in accordance with agreed terms.
• Maintain an accurate and timely record of revenues collected and ensure a regular debt collection procedure.  This includes internal debts.
• Maintaining controls on all petty cash and doing random checks as laid down. (The petty cash is kept by the cashier)
• Offer any financial support to the Pension fund through the Trustees.
• Maintain the asset register for KCH.

Budgeting and Reporting 

• Assist the Finance Manager in coordinating the preparation and delivery of a comprehensive annual budget for all departments and projects and ensure the quality thereof.
• Report on budget variances and ensure that they are explained to managers and agree on action to be taken to avoid further divergence.
• Assist finance manager in preparation of periodic accounts and annual budgets for presentation to local and UK management and at the board.
• Ensure any internal and external reports that you deliver are complete, contain only meaningful and quality KPI’s and advice and are delivered on time and to the correct recipient.

Controls and Internal and External Audits

• Ensure compliance with KCH internal control systems and procedures thus safeguarding assets and review controls and recommend improvements to the Finance Manager
• Assist the Finance Manager in the coordination of internal and external audits and address issues raised by auditors in accordance with agreed timescales.
• Assist all project managers in the income generating projects to maintain appropriate accounting records, auditing these from time to time and making suggestions to aid the viability of such projects. 

Other duties

• Motivate direct reports to deliver better teamwork and improved efficiency and influence the team generally by your personal example.
• Conduct staff appraisals for of all your staff on a regular and systematic basis without bias or discrimination.
• Work with Finance Manager to identify training needs, and organize in-house training, of accounting personnel and other staff on accounting controls and procedures, budget monitoring, etc.
• Ensure that Key Performance Indicators for your area of responsibility are accurately compiled, monitored, documented and monthly reports produced.
• Participate in the home’s fund raising events as organized from time to time.
• Any other duties as allocated by management from time to time.

KEY COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

• Staff management experience and abilities that are conducive to a learning environment
• High level of proficiency working with MS Office (Excel and Word at advanced level), and accounting packages e.g. QuickBooks with Excel as a tool for data input, reporting, review, and analysis.
• Possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills, good judgment and a high level of integrity and respect for confidentiality.