Accountant - Exams at British Council

Department: Finance
Pay Band: Pay Band 4

Role Purpose

• To ensure and provide assurance to the Country Exams Manager and Senior Accountant that transactions have been completely, accurately and appropriately recognised on SAP.
• To ensure claims due to or due from British Council are processed timely and accurately.
• Ensure operational efficiency in cost and revenue recognition.
• To assist product managers and owners to meet finance deadlines and transaction processing efficiency.
• Partner product managers on operational transaction finance providing guidance, direction and education

Main Opportunities/Challenges for this Role:

• The Finance function is structured along functional lines with the aim of embedding the ‘three lines of defence’ model at its heart, clearly separating the financial control (first line) and risk and assurance (second line) functions, ensuring the integrity of our results and the strength of our controls. 
• The exams business is critical in delivering the corporate cum country’s business plan. An assurance that the first line of defence is optimal is critical both from the country and functional perspectives.
• The post holder will have to balance expectations and demand from two functions ensuring that both are happy and excited about the delivery. Efficiency, personal confidence and resourcefulness are important traits that will ensure the post holder is in good stead to deliver on this role.

Main Accountabilities
Income Recognition:

• To ensure Customer Service Officers (CSO) capture revenue with the correct WBS on SAP.
• Review daily Virtual Accounts (VA) reports received from CSOs and treat same on SAP.
• Ensure corrective journals are initiated to correct wrong posting of revenues by CSOs.
• Ensure that due obligations from exam boards to British Council are processed completely, timely and accurately.
• Closely monitor Aged Debt Report and ensure corporate policies and guidelines are adhered to.

Procurement & Payables:

• To carry due diligence on all non-permanent  staff claim prior to engaging Global Service Desk (GSD)
• Completely, timely and accurately process British Council obligations to offshore exam boards.

 Income Reconciliation:

• Provide information and clarification to operations team during income reconciliation
• Provide first level assurance on income reconciliation after conclusion by operations team
• Treat adjusting entries arising from income reconciliation
• Escalate any issue impacting timely income reconciliation.

Financial Management:

• Contribute to accurate financial information by ensuring that all Exams journals including corrective/adjustment journals are parked and posted before month end.
• Participate in the preparation for internal audit and tax audit exercises; ensuring that all relevant files and documents are in place for smooth running of these audits.
• Maintain financial records in agreed areas of responsibility and update relevant financial documents on a monthly basis.
• Support Exams product managers in the preparation of monthly and annual cash flow forecast before submission.
• Provide Monthly Volumes of all exams products for posting before month-end
• Actively participate in monthly and annual period closures

Customer Service:

• Timely provision of financial advice and support to Exams colleagues to enable them manage their delegated finances and comply with BC audit standards.
• Facilitating Finance workshops for new and existing Exams colleagues on the best practices on SAP and finance processes.

Key Relationships
Internal:

• Exams teams
• All Finance/resources team members
• All British Council Nigeria staff

External:

• British Council Exams Vendors and Customers

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in any numerate course of study.
• At least would have passed Skills level in an on-going certification with a recognised accounting board.
• Fully qualified with a recognised accounting board e.g ACCA, ACA

Role Specific Knowledge & Experience:

• Minimum of two years’ experience in an active and challenging accounting environment with proven and demonstrable technical accounting skills.
• Practical exposure to SAP or similar accounting solution

British Council Core Skills

• Managing Finance And Resources (Level 2):Uses financial systems and processes.Use corporate financial system and processes appropriately as part of the job and on behalf of the team
• Using technology (Level 2): Operates as an advanced user.Works as an advanced practitioner in the use of office software and/or British Council standard and social media platforms and trains or coaches others in their use.
• Analysing data & problems (Level 2) Uses data:Reviews available data and identifies cause and effect, and then chooses the best solution from a range of known alternatives.
• Planning & Organising (Level 2) Plans ahead: Organizes own work over weeks and months, or plans ahead for others, taking account of priorities and the impact on other people.
• Communicating & Influencing (Level 2): Relates communications to circumstances. Displays good listening, writing and speaking skills, setting out logical arguments clearly and adapting language and form of communication to meet the needs of different people/audiences.

British Council Behaviours

• Working together (more demanding): Ensuring that others benefit as well as me.
• Connecting with others  (more demanding): Actively appreciating the needs and concerns of myself and others
• Being Accountable (more demanding): Putting the needs of the team or British Council ahead of my own.
• Making it Happen (more demanding): Challenging myself and others to deliver and measure better results.
• Creating Shared Purpose (More demanding). Creating energy and clarity so that people want to work purposefully together

Click here to download BC Behaviour (pdf)

Click here to download BC Core skills (MS Word)