Financial Controller – Kenya at Avenews

Role purpose

• To independently manage Avenews KE’s day-to-day financial operations, maintain accurate books of account, monitor liquidity, and prepare timely financial and management reports. The role will also coordinate the annual statutory audit.

Key responsibilities

• Process and reconcile customer disbursements and repayments.
• Maintain accurate books of account and general ledger.
• Prepare monthly management accounts and financial reports, including the income statement, balance sheet and cash-flow statement.
• Prepare portfolio, liquidity, cost and budget-variance reports.
• Process payroll and statutory deductions.
• Manage supplier invoices and payments.
• Prepare daily cash-position reports and rolling cash-flow forecasts.
• Lead the annual budgeting and periodic forecasting processes.
• Complete bank, portfolio and balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Manage tax and statutory filings.
• Coordinate the annual statutory audit, including audit schedules, financial statements and auditor queries.
• Maintain strong payment, disbursement and accounting controls.
• Provide financial information for management and regulatory reporting.
• Month-end and year-end close ownership – including cut-off, accruals, prepayments, journal entries and review of the GL.
• Loan portfolio accounting and reconciliation – reconciliation of disbursements, repayments, principal, interest and fees between the portfolio records and the GL, including investigation of unidentified transactions and prevention of duplicate booking.
• Customer repayment allocation – identifying and correctly allocating customer repayments and resolving any unmatched or incorrectly booked transactions.
• Balance sheet ownership – including AP, receivables, fixed assets, statutory accounts and other balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Journal entries and accounting adjustments – ensuring all entries and adjustments are properly supported, reviewed and maintain a clear audit trail.
• Statutory compliance – ensuring timely filing, payment and reconciliation of PAYE, NSSF, SHIF, AHL and other applicable taxes and statutory obligations.
• eTIMS and supporting documentation – ensuring supplier invoices and expenses have the required tax documentation and comply with eTIMS requirements.
• Finance controls – maintaining proper supporting documentation, approval trails and controls over payments, disbursements and accounting entries.

Qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting or a related discipline.
• Fully qualified CPA(K), ACCA or equivalent.
• At least five years’ relevant finance and accounting experience.
• Demonstrated ability to prepare complete financial and management reports.
• Experience coordinating a statutory audit through to signed financial statements.
• Strong experience in bookkeeping, reconciliations, payroll, payments, budgeting and cash-flow management.
• Experience in lending, fintech, banking or microfinance is preferred.
• Advanced Excel and accounting-system skills