Budget Officer at The West African Power Pool (WAPP)

Location: Cotonou, Benin
Department: Finance & Administration
Reports to: Director, Administration & Finance
Subordinates: Accounting Assistant, Accounting Clerk / Bookkeeper

Job Summary

• Lead the drafting of annual budgets, coordinating the inputs of other Departments; and work with Director, A & F to secure approval, and monitor the implementation of, WAPP’s annual budget

Essential Duties

• Examine budget estimates or proposals from across WAPP for completeness and accuracy, as well as conformance with established procedures, regulations, and organizational objectives
• Employ cost-benefit analysis to review financial requests, assess program tradeoffs, and explore alternative funding methods
• Examine past and current budgets and research economic and financial developments that affect the organization’s spending
• Transcribe departmental work programmes into budget estimates  
• Consolidate individual departmental budgets into operating and capital budget summaries, containing comments and statements that support or argue against funding requests
• Submit budget summaries to Director of A & F for approval, and provide assistance in analyzing the proposed plan and devise possible alternatives if projected results are unsatisfactory
• Monitor the budget periodically throughout the year by reviewing reports and accounting records to determine if allocated funds have been spent as specified
• Draft reports as needed if deviations appear between the approved budget and actual performance, providing reasons for variations along with recommendations for new or revised budget procedures
• Recommend program cuts or reallocation of excess funds to avoid or alleviate deficits
• Inform Director of A & F and program managers of the status and availability of funds in different budget accounts, and assess programs’ efficiency and effectiveness.
• Participate in long-range planning activities such as projecting future budget needs
• Participate in developing guidelines and policies governing the formulation and maintenance of the budget

Minimum Qualifications / Skills and Knowledge Required
Education: 

• A professional qualification in accounting (ACCA, CIMA, CA) with a minimum of 5 years working experience, or a Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business, public administration, economics, or statistics with minimum of seven years’ experience. (A post graduate qualification such as MBA, MSc in the relevant field would be an added advantage prefer masters or MBA)

Years Experience: 

• Minimum of 5-7 years (or an equivalent combination of related education, training, and experience may be considered)
• Demonstrated statistical, quantitative and analytical skills
• Several years’ relevant experience in a small or medium-sized organization (up-to 100 employees); at least one year budget-related or finance-related work experience desired
• Experience with word-processing programs and financial software packages used in budget analysis. Knowledge of Sunsystems accounting software is highly desirable.
• Strong oral and written communications skills with a proven ability to convey information clearly and concisely, and to defend budget proposals to decision makers
• Ability to coordinate cross-departmental efforts to achieve common goals on time
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize work load, handle multiple tasks simultaneously and attend to detail
• Demonstrated integrity, objectivity, and confidentiality

Language: 

• Fluent in English or French with good working knowledge of the other