Project Accountant

Innovative UK charity enabling the world’s poorest people to have access to renewable power
Permanent and salaried £30-35k
In London with frequent international travel to Africa
Start: May/June

The project accountant will report directly to the finance manager. The mission is to work with the finance manager to build the finance capacity and accounting systems of both the Africa based programmes and UK head office. A number of areas of responsibility will fall under the project accountants remit, including developing the financial reporting of the programme teams, enhancing stock, debtors and sales recording and reconciliation, programme budgeting and forecasting, training and assisting in co-ordinating statutory compliance

Duties and responsibilities

1. Enhancing the accounting systems and financial reporting of our programmes:

• Alongside the UK finance manager, help develop accurate systems for the capturing of expenditure and income, aligning both with the organisation’s chart of accounts
• Develop enhanced stock controls for the international teams, ensuring each programme has an accurate system for managing stock, reconciling stock levels with movements in sales, purchases and returns and reporting results to head office
• With the UK finance manager, develop an improved accounts receivable function;

- Maintaining a rolling debtors ledger
- Reporting monthly on cash collected and bad debt levels
- Providing teams with the guidance to effective credit control

• Help the programme offices develop profit and loss accounts as part of their monthly financial report pack
• Work towards implementing the new accounting package (Sage AccPac) into each of our programme offices with the UK finance manager

2. Compliance of international programmes

• Working alongside the country managers and the UK finance manager, help co-ordinate the external statutory audits of each of the international programmes
• Working alongside the UK finance manager, develop an internal audit programme, which can be rolled out across the organisation
• Working alongside the country managers, ensure that each programme is up to date with all statutory and regulatory filings

3. Budgeting and forecasting

• Develop and train each international programme to prepare monthly cash flow forecasts, which can be reported back to head office

• Co-ordinate and monitor the preparation of rolling budgets for each of the international programmes (working with the UK finance manager as necessary) and provide monthly summaries of actual vs budget (financial position of each programme) to the country managers

• Help feed into the annual budgeting process, working with the UK management accountant and UK finance manager

4. Internal controls and financial policy development:

• Help develop global accounting policy documentation for the organisation, focussing on the policies and procedures required in the programmes
• Help instigate a robust internal control framework into each programme

5. Capacity building:

• Help build the finance capacity and financial knowledge of each of the international programmes, working with the UK finance manager

6. UK Head Office Finance Support

• Working alongside the UK finance manager and UK management accountant, provide financial and management accounting support and undertake discrete analytical projects within the Head Office, as agreed by the finance manager

Person Specification

Please refer to these points when you are completing the application form.

Experience

Essential

• Degree level education, 3-6 months overseas work experience
• A qualified accountant with experience of financial administration, charity accounting and audit
• Developing international financial systems and controls in a multi-currency situation.
• Cash flow management and forecasting abilities
• Knowledge of budget preparation and management

Desirable

• Accounting for multiple funding streams
• Experience of working in a commercial environment
• Experience of managing or accounting for externally funded projects
• Administration management
• Experience of working with finance and accounting systems in an African context

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

• Excellent analytical skills
• Willingness to travel frequently
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship management, communications and presentation skills
• Proven computer literacy
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Proven administrative skills and attention to detail
• Ability to work independently, in teams and a multicultural environment
• Knowledge and understanding of charity accounting and finance work

Desirable

• Knowledge of accounting policies and regulations of Tanzania, Malawi, Kenya or Zambia

Terms and conditions

• Full-time
• Probationary period: six months, after which there will be a review and confirmation in post or otherwise
• Notice period: one week within probationary period, one month thereafter.
• Annual leave: 25 days
• Opportunities for training and personal development will be made available.
• The employee will have a contract of employment containing more details of the terms and conditions relating to the post

For more information please send us your CV to info@afid.org.uk.