Finance & Administrative Officer at International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)

PRIMARY FUNCTION/PURPOSE:   

• IFES is seeking a Finance and Administration Officer to support the USAID-funded Strengthening Kenya’s Electoral Integrity (SKEI) Activity in Kenya. The Finance and Administration Officer will be responsible for handling financial transactions, expense tracking and record keeping, day-to-day office administration, logistics and event planning, management of local contracts and purchase orders, and other general support to program activities. The Finance & Administrative Officer will also be responsible for ensuring the project’s compliance with both IFES and donor policies, procedures, rules and regulations as well as applicable Kenyan laws.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: 

FINANCE:

• Lead financial management, accounting, procurement, human resource management and administration. This includes systems implementation, budgeting, expenditure tracking, and financial reporting.
• Manage project finance and operations, including general administrative processes, accounting, and logistics.
• Establish and maintain sound and transparent accounting and fiscal control procedures.
• Ensure compliance of financial and operations systems with IFES policies and procedures, USAID rules and regulations, and Government of Kenya laws.
• Manage cash flows in petty cash and local bank accounts and ensure adequate cash levels are maintained every month.
• Prepare monthly financial reports with supporting documentation for all accounts, to be sent to IFES Headquarters as required.
• Prepare local procurement packages and ensure procurements and expenditures are in accordance with donor and IFES policies and regulations.
• Prepare vouchers and checks for all project expenditures into QuickBooks accounting system.
• Collect office bills and make payments for regular office expenditures via IFES’ payment processing system.
• Prepare end of month bank reconciliation and process monthly payroll including withholding and payment of the necessary taxes e.g., WHT, VAT to the Kenya authorities.
• Liaise between IFES’ headquarters and Kenya country office on matters of finance and procurement as well as administrative matters.
• Process VAT exemptions for applicable payments.
• Support preparation of annual and quarterly financial and accrual reports for donors.
• Liaise with internal and external auditors in the review of project financial management.
• Prepare monthly cash needs requests, including requests for activity forecasts from program team and others.
• Complete banking errands such as transfers and collecting bank statements and cash withdrawals.
• Serve as petty cashier.
• Provide administrative, financial, and logistical support to activity implementation such as events workshops and trainings.
• Tracking local employees’ vacation, severance calculations (when applicable) and sick leave accruals and usages.

ADMINSITRATION:

• Day-to-day management of general office administration duties; filing of office documents, ordering and maintaining office supplies/stationery, maintenance of office equipment e.g., photocopier, printer, etc.
• Maintain and ensure staff medical insurance is operational and help settle any disputes that may arise (when applicable).
• Ensure records management and tracking inventory of IFES’ property is up to date and in good order.
• Responsible for the day-to-day management of all suppliers/vendors and managing all local contracts/leases. 
• Maintain office lease, insurance, and ensuring renewals are done on time, while also ensuring losses are reported on time. 
• Other duties as assigned.

POSITION REQUIREMENT:

EDUCATION: Minimum of bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration or another relevant degree is required; master’s degree preferred.

EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of 4 years’ experience in providing financial, procurement, human resources management and administrative support with an international or a Kenyan Non-Government Organization, or similar.
• Experience with USAID financial policies and procedures is required; experience with other donor policies and procedures is preferable.
• High levels of proficiency with QuickBooks or other similar software, and the standard applications in MS Office.
• Knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), budgeting and fiscal control principles.

OTHER SKILLS:

• Ability to maintain and apply strong internal controls for finance and procurements.
• Ability to remain organized while handling multiple tasks under tight deadlines.
• Ability to complete tasks with limited supervision.
• Excellent reporting and document handling skills.
• Must value operating in a collaborative, cooperative, multicultural environment. 
• Ability to show initiative, good judgment, and resourcefulness. 
• Ability to handle sensitive issues and address inclusion matters with integrity.
• Good oral and written communication skills.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:  Proficiency in spoken and written English and Swahili are required.