Accountant at Act Change Transform

REF: ACT/RCO/15/2018

Position Purpose

Under general direction of the Board Committee on Finance and Audit, and in close collaboration with the Chief Executive Officer and the Senior Management Team of Act!, the Risk and Compliance Officer will be the primary staff in the risk and compliance management unit. Other organizational governance duties may include but not limited to Internal Audit, Enterprise Risk Management, and Ethics Program, as well as monitoring registrations for compliance.

Primary Responsibilities

Specifically, the Officer will be responsible for but not limited to:

• Review and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of operations, adequacy of internal controls, reliability of financial reporting, compliance and applicable laws and the safeguard of assets within Act!.
• Plan, perform and report back on internal audits to ensure that financial controls of Act! financial guidelines of donor organizations and other institutional control procedures in place are properly implemented and managed.
• Advise and monitor quality standards and value for money and make recommendations for improvement.
• Test internal controls, targeting particular high risk areas, document any weaknesses and their impact, and make recommendations to address these weaknesses.
• Develop and periodically review and update Standards of Conduct to ensure continuing currency and relevance in providing guidance to management and employees.
• Carry out necessary training of finance and non-finance staff to ensure that donor requirements are met.
• Follow up on the implementation of external audit recommendations and management actions.
• Where necessary, carry out investigations of alleged fraud, mismanagement, loss of assets or any other investigations; generate appropriate reports with findings and recommendations for action by management and board.
• Respond to management queries in relation to Act! Internal control environment.
• Review and investigate whistleblower reports or other suspicions of fraud as they arise and conduct fraud investigations.
• For each incident, identify total loss exposure, recommend corrective actions and liaise with Act! Finance and Operations and the Act! Chief Executive Offices on reporting to donors and other parties.
• Implement and manage Act!’s anti-fraud and “Whistleblower” programs and other incident results analysis applications as needed.
• Perform other related duties as assigned and agreed upon with the board committee on Finance & Audit, and the Chief Executive Officer.

Qualification, Experience and Skills

Academic Qualifications:

• BS/BA degree in Accounting, Finance and Business Administration or its recognized equivalent, and 5 years’ relevant experience working with or in a development organization may be an added advantage.
• Candidates with postgraduate academic qualifications i.e. MS/MA degree in Accounting, Finance and Business Administration or its recognized equivalent, and a minimum of 3 years’ relevant experience will also be considered.

Professional Qualifications:

Must possess full CPA, ACCA, CIMA or CA (SA) professional certifications and have valid membership to the relevant professional accountants’ association.

Relevant Experience:

• Must have a minimum of 3 years' experience in internal control functions.
• Familiarity with Donor (USAID, EU, DANIDA etc.) rules and regulations or other client funded programs, contracting and auditing standards as they apply to effective management of multi-year funds is a must.

Essential Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent analytical skills to successfully perform reviews and other quantitative analyses.
• Familiarity with major donors’ auditing requirements.
• Ability to independently prioritize and successfully perform assigned tasks.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills.
• Highly proficient in MS Office, spreadsheets and database skills.
• Demonstrated personal initiative and integrity by adhering to the organizational values and code of conduct.