Programme Accountant - Amboseli at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Kenya

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

Financial Strategy and Planning

• Participates in financial strategy discussions and reviews and pro-actively supports all areas of operations;

Project Budgeting and Management

• Prepares accurate project budgets and sufficiently detailed budget justifications incorporating all relevant cost components while ensuring consistency with the proposed activities
• Ensures that project budgets are in conformance with organisational and donor requirements/formats and that these are timely prepared for necessary reviews/checks prior to submission 
• Undertakes rigorous budget management and monitoring over the period of project implementation by ensuring proper tracking of expenditures against approved budgets.
• Ensures that all project cost expenditures are supported by adequate documentation in line with statutory, organisational and donor requirements. 
• Maintains safe custody of project related expenditure – receipts, vouchers, contracts and all project records in a neatly filed and easily retrievable manner.
• Takes responsibility for training relevant staff on specific donor rules and regulations for necessary adherence
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• Ensures real time updates  of al cost expenditures in the Financial system in order for the purposes of generating accurate budget versus actual reports for use in decision-making on a monthly basis;
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• Provides sufficiently detailed analysis of projects’ budget versus expenditure variances incorporating budget holders input to aid in decision making
• Jointly with the budget holders prepares forecasts and projections for internal and donor monitoring
• Manages the treasury/cash call process with donors to ensure that projects have sufficient liquidity
• Institutes risk mitigating measures particularly to counter the effect of real and potential forex losses during the life of the project
• Ensures timely and accurate preparation and submission of financial reports related to programmes/projects to donor based on the contractual expectations;
• Manages any specific donor reporting requirements such as match-funding/co-financing in order to meet the donor expectations without adverse effect to the organisation
• Prepares and maintains updated ledgers and inventories of supplies and non-expendable property for programmes;
• Manages the close-out process for projects ensuring that all financial records are up-to-date upon project completion;
•  Compiles information for internal and external auditors, as required;

 Procurement, Sub-grants and Payments

• Ensures efficient preparation and management of outgoing grants and contracts, including review of sub-grantee financial reports and timely posting into the financial system
• Undertakes assessments of existing and potential partnerships to identify and determine the mitigating measures that should be put in place
• Jointly with the supervisor, develops a supportive supervision plan to address noted areas of concern in the sub-grantee control environment
• Closely monitors the performance of sub-grantees and provides training as and when required
• Undertakes field monitoring visits to sub-grant offices for training or physical review of documents vis-à-vis reports 
• Compiles and verifies requests for direct payment and/or advance relating to programme activities;
• Verifies and approves payment vouchers, petty cash vouchers and suppliers’ invoices related to various projects under designated programmes including per diems;

Financial Operations and Controls

• Ensures timely and accurate preparation of reconciliations relating bank accounts, partners accounts or other accounts as assigned;
• Performs accurate and timely financial performance reviews, risk management and ensures action plans and corrective measures are implemented across programme areas;
• Ensures programme compliance with regulatory requirements; and manages relationship with external stakeholders for strategic advantages;
• Ensures prompt cash calls to the donor and disbursements of funds to ensure the smooth flow of project activities

Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in a Business field such as accounting, finance, strategic management, business, economics etc.;
• CPA (K) / ACCA and a member of a professional body in good standing; 

Key Skills/ Competencies

• Strong planning and financial management skills
• Sound knowledge and experience with donor rules and regulations (EU, USAID, DANIDA etc);
• Knowledge of Accounting software (knowledge of an ERP systems is an added advantage);
• Ability to optimize operations, reduce costs, improve service quality, and develop partnerships
• Budgeting skills and Budget management skills;
• Effective skills in sub-grant management
• Interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively at all levels (written and verbal);
• Self-starter with strong organizational skills 
• Leadership and people management skills.
• Capacity Building & Training skills
• Has an affinity with the vision of WWF-Kenya and adheres to WWF Kenya’s values