Tax Advisor, Accounting Compliance and Reporting at Ernst & Young

The opportunity

We are looking for a financial reporting and payroll accountant to join our robust ACR team.

Your key responsibilities

The work mainly involves working with the ACR team by carrying out the following tasks: -

Assistant Accountant – Roles and Responsibilities:

• Accurately record clients’ invoices, payments, payroll journals, and other financial transactions in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
• Ensure prepayments, such as rent and insurance, are appropriately amortised and expensed on a monthly/periodic basis.
• Maintain fixed asset accounting records, including updating fixed asset registers and schedules, calculating and posting depreciation, and monitoring fixed asset movements.
• Prepare, review, and post all required accruals and provisions in the accounting system, ensuring support schedules are updated monthly.
• Perform monthly vendor reconciliations and resolve reconciling differences on a timely basis.
• Create and maintain vendor and customer master data in the accounting system as required.
• Prepare periodic financial reports, including trial balances, statements of financial position, statements of financial performance, statements of changes in equity, and cash flow statements.
• Prepare and review monthly bank reconciliations within the accounting system, ensuring all reconciling items are appropriately addressed.
• Perform monthly vendor ageing analysis and support effective payables management.
• Support month-end close processes, including preparation of month-end journals and management reports for clients.
• Prepare statutory annual/interim financial statements in compliance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) and the Kenya Companies Act, 2015.
• Coordinate annual audit engagements for accounting and bookkeeping clients, including preparation of audit schedules and responding to audit queries.
• Liaise with clients to identify and prepare required accounting journals to ensure compliance with IFRSs.
• Support in business development activities, including preparation of proposals, client billings, and debtors’ collections.
• Keep clients informed of new and amended financial accounting and reporting standards and assess their impact on financial reporting.

Payroll Consultant – Roles and Responsibilities

• Obtain and review all required monthly payroll input data from clients in a timely manner.
• Capture roll‑forward payroll data accurately and maintain appropriate back‑up documentation from prior periods.
• Compute Pay As You Earn (PAYE) accurately and in compliance with prevailing tax legislation.
• Capture payroll inputs accurately and process payroll calculations and reports using PaySpace payroll software.
• Generate monthly payroll reports and submit them to seniors and managers for review and approval.
• Share reviewed payroll reports with designated client contacts within agreed timelines.
• Process net salary payments through clients’ online banking platforms accurately and on schedule.
• Prepare and issue employee payslips and annual P9 tax cards accurately and within prescribed timelines.
• Prepare and file all statutory payroll deductions, including PAYE, NSSF, SHIF, AHL, HELB, and NITA, on or before the prescribed due dates.
• Ensure statutory payroll payments are processed accurately and within statutory deadlines.
• Monitor changes in payroll‑related legislation, taxes, and statutory social security requirements and communicate relevant updates to clients.
• Assist in the preparation and issuance of clients’ fee invoices.

Skills and attributes for success

How your skills and experience will make an impact, followed by sub-headings:

To qualify for the role, you must have: -

• A Bachelor’s degree in either Economics/Business/Finance or a related field with a minimum of upper second-class honours or its equivalent
• A minimum overall grade of a B and B in both English & Mathematics at Secondary School level
• Professional qualification in accounting (ACCA, CPA or CA Finalist)
• SAP/Microsoft Business Central/Navision/Pastel/Quick books Knowledge or its equivalent
• Computerised accounting skills
• Proficiency in payroll software packages preferably PaySpace will be an added advantage.
• Advanced Excel knowledge and macros
• Hands on iTax knowledge
• Exemplary communication and interpersonal skills
• 2 years hands on experience in monthly management reports, payrolls, annual audit and preparation of statutory financial statements in accordance with IFRS accounting standards

Ideally, you’ll also have

Working experience in Accounting/Finance department for at least 2 years or more with hands-on experience with computerized Accounting Systems like ERPs such as, NAVISION, Microsoft Business Central, SAGE and payroll computerized payroll systems.

What we look for

A person who is:

• Able to prioritize, multi-task and work independently
• Proactive
• Attentive to detail
• Agile and curious to learn
• Discrete & Honest