Finance Officer II at Population Council

The Finance Officer II will support the day to day running of the Finance department through overseeing payment processing as per proper documentation and in-line with the organization's financial and procurement policies and procedures; implementation of internal controls, policies and procedures, best practices, computerized accounting and banking systems and monitoring project budgets to ensure that they are implemented within budget and as per donor guidelines and support field operations and training staff.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Financial Accounting and Reporting

• Oversee the payment documentation and processing to ensure necessary approvals and documentation have been obtained.
• Review posting of processed payments into the ERP while ensuring accuracy in coding, correct allocation of project and office expenditures. And ensure all prepayments are accurately allocated and accruals are made appropriately.
• Preparation of Journal entries into ERP software and generation of basic financial reports e.g. bank reconciliation, staff advances, receivables and payables schedules.
• Oversee the management and reconciliation of accounts payable monthly and ensure that payment periods are adhered to, the Council is in good standing and does not hold large amounts of unpaid liabilities.
• Process staff travel and work advances ensuring accuracy, completeness and adherence to travel & other related policies. Additionally ensure timely liquidation of staff advances in line with organizational policy, by regularly tracking outstanding balances, following up with concerned staff, and coordinating with the finance team to enforce compliance and support accurate financial reporting.
• Manage and reconcile accounts receivable monthly including donor’s receivables. Ensure that all receivables are tracked, invoiced, paid and correctly accounted for in a timely manner.

Treasury Management

• Manage office liquidity in order to ensure adequate funds are available for smooth office operations.
• Act as a liaison person with banking and financial services providers.

Compliance and Asset Management

• Oversee the preparation and timely submission of monthly and annual statutory returns i.e. PAYE, withholding tax, Withholding VAT, NSSF, NHIF, NITA and HELB.
• Assist in coordination of office and project audits in consultation with the DFA and local audit firms and implementation of audit recommendations.
• Work across programs to ensure Council policies and procedures and donor requirements are met in execution of project activities and allocation of project expenses.
• Maintenance of inventory register – Work with the Network Administrator and Administrative Officer II to ensure all new purchases and disposals are updated in the register and inventory lists and insurance for all assets is up to date.

Budget Preparation and Project Management

• Assist in the proposal budget development and revision of donor budgets.
• Monitor approved budgets and work with program staff to ensure spending is on target. Generate monthly monitoring reports.
• Assist in managing grants close out by liaising with the Finance and Operations Manager, and Principal Investigators to ensure that all grants are fully spent out and avoid over-expenditure.
• Reviews “burn rate” on projects; ensure appropriate explanations for variances on budget versus expenditure reports and notifies the Program Manager/Officer of any financial issues.
• Works closely with project staff to resolve any financial-related issues and follows up on open points to ensure they are resolved.
• Prepares and maintains accurate internal documents and financial records to support financial reports, grants and contracts.
• Supports the PIs on project budget management throughout the life of the projects.
• Maintains up-to-date grant and contract files and assures appropriate documents are available e.g. pre-approvals, agreements, sub-agreements, modifications, correspondences with the donors, etc.
• Assists in the financial monitoring of sub-awards to sub-recipients.

Systems and Capacity Building

• Optimize the usage of financial and operations systems in collaboration with the System Administrator and provide staff training as appropriate.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree with a major in accounting or finance
• Professional accounting qualification, CPA or ACCA.
• 3 years’ post-qualification experience in finance or accounting.
• Good knowledge of accounting software and spreadsheets
• ERP knowledge is an added advantage.
• Demonstrated knowledge of online banking systems and 5 years' experience in a busy accounting office in a not-for-profit will be an added advantage.
• Knowledge of grants rules and regulations and prior experience optimizing the usage of financial and operations systems preferred.
• Demonstrated flexibility, ability to multitask, setting priorities, sense of urgency, positivity and honesty.
• Ability to respond appropriately to unexpected requests and shifting priorities.
• Ability to work well independently within established guidelines, as well as part of a team.
• Communicate effectively both verbally and in writing