Director Regulation, Licensing and Compliance at Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK)

JOB GRADE – 2: REF EHC/1640/2021

Job Profile:

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, the job holder is responsible for the provision of leadership, implementation of strategies, policies, and procedures in the licensing, registration and the regulation role of the Institute. He/ she will spearhead the implementation of rules and regulations governing member categories i.e., Associates, full members, practicing members, overseas members, retired members and accountant trainees as well as being in charge of the issuance and renewal of practicing certificates and quality review of practice firms and members.

The Director Regulation, Licensing & Compliance will also monitor the regulatory environment and bring to the attention of relevant standards, laws and regulations that may impact on the Institute and its members as well as support the Disciplinary Committee to carry out Investigation and disciplinary services in respect of cases involving members and auditing firms.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Facilitate the licensing of accountancy practicing firms and registration of members.
2. Ensuring the adoption and compliance to standards and other rules and regulations issued by ICPAK, the government and other regulatory institutions.
3. Monitor compliance to local and international accountancy standards
4. Undertaking review of audit firms and ensuring compliance with appropriate quality standards of firm practice.
5. Undertaking various strategies to strengthen the quality of audit firms and auditing practices in general including development of practice guides and tools among
6. others.
7. Development of licensing / registration requirements and regulations
8. Development and implementation of rules and regulations governing member categories i.e., Associates, full members, practicing members, overseas members, retired members etc.
9. Renewal of practicing certificates
10. Monitoring and ensuring compliance with any obligations arising from the IASB and PAFA.
11. Monitor the regulatory environment and bring to the attention of relevant standards, laws and regulations that may impact on the Institute and its members.
12. Investigation and disciplinary services in respect of cases involving members and auditing firms.
13. Monitoring the implementation of code of ethics and advising on training needs
14. required from the code of ethics
15. Any other tasks as may be assigned from time to time

Person Specifications:

For appointment as the Director – Regulation Licensing & Compliance, a person must

possess the following qualifications:

1. Be a citizen of Kenya;
2. Meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution;
3. Must be a holder of a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Audit or Business Administration from a recognized institution.
4. Must be a holder of a CPA (K) certificate and a member of ICPAK in good standing.
5. Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (K.C.S.E.) or its equivalent from a recognized institution;
6. Must be in possession of a Master’s degree in any of the following disciplines: Accounting, Finance, Economics, Audit, Business Administration, or an
7. equivalent qualification from a recognized institution;
8. Minimum relevant work experience of twelve (12) years, four (4) of which should have been at the level of a Senior Manager or a comparable position in a  reputable organization in audit, quality review, regulatory compliance and licensing;
9. Must demonstrate experience of supervising multiple streams of work and a department, team or unit of not less than 10 staff;
10. Thorough knowledge of all the subsets of the profession including pertinent emerging issues within the profession and other related areas;
11. Knowledge and demonstrable experience on key integrity and governance issues affecting the nation;
12. Leadership, Governance or Management Training lasting not less than six (6) weeks from a recognized institution attained within the last two (2) years

Key Attributes

The following key attributes will be required for the position of Director- Regulation,

1. Licensing & Compliance;
2. Be of high moral character, integrity and impartiality;
3. Proven high degree of professional competence, communication skills, fairness and good temperament;
4. Possess excellent leadership skills;
5. Be a visionary, transformative and results oriented leader;
6. Ability to work under pressure;
7. Strategic thinker;
8. Ability to effectively multitask and handle multiple concurrent assignments and teams;
9. Effective delegation skills;
10. Be self-driven, a team-player and mentor/ coach;
11. Ability to motivate teams to perform and deliver excellent results;
12. Possession of stakeholder and relationship management skills; and
13. Ability to cultivate partnerships and collaborations.

Terms of Service

The successful candidate will be appointed for a four (4) year term and will be eligible for renewal of term upon successful performance appraisal in line with the Institute’s HR Policy. A competitive remuneration package will be offered in line with the terms of service for ICPAK Staff.

Important Notice:

In addition to the qualifications set above applicants must further obtain clearancesn from the following Government agencies:

1. Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC);
2. Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA);
3. Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI);
4. Higher Education Loans Board (HELB);
5. Credit Reference Bureau (CRB); and
6. Registration and good standing from relevant Professional Bodies.