Financial Controls & Governance Manager at Equity Bank Kenya

Job Purpose:

This role is responsible for ensuring the integrity and accuracy of general ledger (GL) balances, supporting financial controls and reconciliation policies across the bank, implementing standardized reconciliation processes, monitoring suspense accounts and managing aging items through follow-up and escalation. It involves performing trend analysis to maintain accurate balance-sheet substantiation. Through financial controls, policies and procedures, the role contributes to financial risk management, ensuring the integrity of financial data through analysis and the implementation of risk controls and policies.

 Key Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain effective internal controls over the financial reporting process.
• Monitoring of all Balance sheet and Income Statement account movements and ensuring that they reflect the correct balances and all relevant account reconciliations are performed and corrective actions taken timeously
• Regular monitoring and review of all GLs for accuracy and appropriateness of business transactions recorded.
• Review of bank wide GL reconciliations and ensure outstanding items are investigated and cleared promptly.
• Establish and maintain key financial controls over the monitoring and reporting of trial balance accounts.
• Substantiation of all general ledger balances.
• Manage proper reconciliation of suspense accounts, driving strict adherence to reconciliation SLAs with respective departments.
• Engage with business owners and escalate items outstanding in the suspense accounts beyond the established business rules as per escalation matrix provided for in the reconciliation guidelines.
• Reporting on monthly reconciliation status of items not reconciled and items at risk
• Perform interventions to minimize operational losses through application of sound analytical judgment to identify trends, suggesting and implementing improvements to the existing controls, procedures and systems to bolster fraud prevention
• Monthly review of idle ledgers and general ledgers system for prompt action such as closure.

Qualifications

Academic, Professional Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree majoring in accounting or its equivalent.
• Relevant Professional Qualifications e.g., CPA (K) or ACCA.
• MBA is an added advantage.
• Experience in data analysis
• At least 6 years’ experience in Auditing, Banking or Finance
• Big 4 experience will be an added advantage

Key Technical & Leadership Competencies

• Financial Reporting & Analysis: Proficiency in preparing and analyzing financial statements, balance sheets, and income statements to ensure accuracy and compliance with accounting standards.
• General Ledger (GL) Management: Expertise in managing GL entries, reconciling accounts, and ensuring the integrity of financial data across all ledgers.
• Internal Controls & Compliance: Strong understanding of internal control frameworks, risk management practices, and regulatory compliance to ensure financial processes are secure and compliant.
• Reconciliation & Variance Analysis: Experience in reconciling accounts, identifying discrepancies, and performing variance analysis to ensure financial data accuracy and identify potential risks.
• ERP and Financial Systems Proficiency: Advanced knowledge of financial software and ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle) to streamline financial processes, manage data, and ensure efficient reporting and control.
• The ability to manage multiple simultaneous projects that require frequent communication, organization, time management, and problem-solving skills.
• Good presentation skills with ability to break down complex concepts to be easily understood across all levels.