Accounting Manager at Engie Africa

Job Purpose/Mission

• We are seeking to employ an experienced, highly motivated and disciplined Accounting Manager with a passion for entrepreneurship, renewable energy, and financial inclusion to join our team.
• This position is a key role within the Finance Department of a fast-paced start up at the front lines of renewable energy and mobile payment technology.
• The Accounting Manager will report directly to the Head of Finance & Administration, collaborating her to provide timely and accurate financial information to management by researching and analyzing accounting data and preparing financial reports as well as implementing processes and controls to ensure best practices and adherence to global accounting standards.
• The role will be an important aspect of helping Management create strategic growth plans, assess and improve portfolio health and raise the equity and working capital needed to achieve the Company's ambitious goals.

Responsibilities
Reporting:

• Oversee and coordinate the monthly, quarterly and annual closing process, following closing checklist and booking revenues, COGS, reviewing inventories and completing/overseeing the completion of all monthly reconciliations.
• Create and implement accounting practices, purchasing guidelines, financial controls and reporting processes and ensure that accounting practices adopted by the company are consistently updated.
• Oversee revenue, expenses booking according to globally compliant practices.
• Maintain banking relationships and monitor bank accounts.
• Prepare, examine, and analyze accounting records, financial statements, and other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards
• Oversee revenue, expenses booking according to globally compliant practices.
• Maintain banking relationships and monitor bank accounts.
• Prepare, examine, and analyze accounting records, financial statements, and other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards
• Oversee revenue, expenses booking according to globally compliant practices.
• Maintain banking relationships and monitor bank accounts.
• Prepare, examine, and analyze accounting records, financial statements, and other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards
• Maintain and improve EEA Chart of Accounts for the country.
• Implement operational best practices
• Establish and maintain effective relationships across all departments within the organization and ensure all issues raised are resolved timely and sufficient support given.
• Provide useful financial insights to help make better decisions about formulating and executing strategy and provide guidance and analysis to executive and operational management to improve results
• Support Head of Finance & Administration with strategic improvements to ENGIE Energy Access's country operations, including country-specific tax-efficient structures, transactions between parent and subsidiary, and maintenance of country inventory and control environment.

Tax:

• Oversee all tax and audit filings
• Compute Statutory deductions owed and ensure compliance with payment, reporting and other Governance requirements.
• Collaborate with the Head of Finance and Administration and Tax partners on ongoing tax compliance and capital structuring and manage relationship with external auditors and consultants.

Training:

• Coach the accounting staff and ensure that all staff are cross trained and growth needs are identified and development plans are put in place and executed.

Budgeting:

• Support the Head of Finance and Administration in annual budgeting and periodic forecasting, BvA reporting and Engie reporting as necessary, owning the Nigeria BvA and financial reporting process

Cost planning and Management:

• Work closely with Nigeria department heads to understand monthly expenses (BvA), monitor spending and drive efficiencies in cost centres
• Produce accounts receivable and payable repots at the end of each month and ensure reconciliation of accounts on monthly basis.

Cashflow Management:

• Overseeing the flow of cash and all the company's financial resources, ensure that all the cash needs are properly planned for.

Inventory Management and Reconciliation:

• Oversee all intercompany inventory and builds in SAP, working closely with Operations team and Global Fin Ops team.
• Work together with the Accounts Team lead and the Global finance team to ensure we have a functional inventory management system.
• Support Head of Finance and Administration to work with Accounts team lead/Head of Operations to conduct inventory audits, coordinating with external auditors for annual audits and maintain reconcile inventory accounting systems with other CMS

Audit & Internal Control:

• Maintain internal controls by preparing and recommending policies and procedures, substantiate financial transactions by auditing documents
• Protect operations by keeping financial information confidential and maintain organized set of records and files to document financial transactions.
• Coordinate External /Internal audits, liaise with the auditors and ensure that all issues are timely resolved during the audit process

Required Skills & Experience

• 7 years of broad-based accounting/reporting experience, including minimum 3 years supervisory or management experience
• ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified or equivalent accounting qualification i.e. degree in Finance or Accounting
• Working knowledge of Nigerian tax laws
• Experience working with and producing management and statutory accounts
• Experience in supervising, evaluating, training and motivating employees
• Excellent communication skills
• Exceptional attention to detail
• Experience working at multinational organisations will be advantageous
• Awareness and ability to demonstrate the importance of ethics & appropriate codes of conduct in the workplace
• Ability to achieve daily targets while attending to impromptu activities that may occur

Highly Desired Skills:

• Good people skills
• Ability to organize, multi-task and prioritize tasks
• Good influencing and negotiation skills
• Ability to make recommendations to effectively resolve problems or issues

Language(s):

• English 
• French is a plus 

Technology:

• Knowledge of SAP software
• Excellent computer skills in the Microsoft Office environment with advanced Excel skills

Additional Information

• At EEA, we have high expectations for our managers. Each manager plays a key role in creating an exceptional experience not only for our customers but for every person on our team.
• Our managers help EEA realize our ambitious goals while developing their own leadership skills and facilitating growth for their direct reports.

We believe that great managers: 

• Deliver ambitious results: As a high-performing and accountable leader, you create an enabling environment for effective action and bold decision which contribute to successful delivery of results. 
• Act with integrity: As an ethical leader you are honest, respectful, objective, and transparent. You create and build upon a foundation of trust and openness. 
• Inspire and mentor the team: As an inspirational leader you walk the talk. You empower and coach your team with trust and humility. 
• Are accessible: as an accessible leader, you develop and maintain deep connections with stakeholders through approachability and active listening. 
• Ensure diversity and inclusion: as an inclusive leader, you ensure diversity and foster a sense of belonging.