Accounting Specialist at Heifer International

Job ID: 392

Function

• Accountable to provide substantive support for accounting aspects of the Heifer Regional Office.
• Accountable for the maintenance of accounting related systems.
• Accountable to implement accepted methods of accounting and assure proper internal controls and perform guided assessments of controls related to financial activities, reporting and compliance.
• Accountable to apply critical thinking to manage the business of the Regional Office, in a face-paced, ever-changing environment.
• Accountable to apply and reinforce general accounting standards and Heifer's policies and procedures.

Responsibilities & Deliverables

• Support the Regional team in accounting &management to ensure compliance ( 90%).
• Ensure regulatory and organizational compliance of accounting transactions within the Regional program offices and support global consolidation of financial statements.
• Maintain the general ledger accounts and reconcile balance sheet accounts, including staff travel advances reconciliations and cash/bank/credit card reconciliations. Reconcile all transactions in the accounting system to the general ledger and financial reports
• Record all transactions in the accounting system; coordinate with the Director to complete all accounting procedures to produce monthly financial statements in accordance with local GAAP or IFRS
• Produce accurate and timely transactions that will feed into reporting, dashboards and other key deliverables
• Perform payroll registration including related deductions, benefits, taxes and other payments to employees and statutory institutions, in accordance with existing government laws and regulations
• Register and maintain fixed assets in the accounting system.
• Manage the staff expenditure and reimbursement process.
• Maintain an efficient filing and retrieval system for financial and accounting records to ensure completeness, accuracy and compliance on a weekly basis that is in line with Nigeria laws, regulations and local GAAP.
• Partner with Headquarters in the periodic close, ensuring accurate and timely financial statements for global consolidation.
• Serve as custodian for the checkbooks.
• May perform other job-related duties as assigned (10%).

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, plus five (5) years of related experience.

Preferred Requirements:

• Experience in a donor-funded development environment with compliance requirements of institutional funders.

Essential Character Traits:

• Financial Acumen; Tech Savvy; Action oriented; Plans and aligns; Optimizes work processes; Ensures accountability; Drives results; Collaborates; Communicates effectively; Courage; Instills trust.

Most Critical Proficiencies:

• Knowledge of the NGO business sector; Knowledge of institutional funders for international development, a plus.
• Ability to navigate financial and non-financial data gathering and analytics; technically adept with ability to quickly learn and maximize usage of technology and software; effective use of Microsoft Office Suite with intermediate skill in MS Excel.
• Practical knowledge of the local Regional generally accepted accounting principles and fiscal statutes.
• Experience with accounting systems.

Essential Job Functions and Physical Demands:

• Ability to work under pressure, perform multiple tasks and manage consistently competing priorities; comfortable in rapidly changing environment. Must be flexible and able to improvise to handle a variety of situations.
• Ability to effectively train individuals and teams using participatory methodologies.
• Ability to work with delicate personnel situations and to maintain confidentiality.
• Ability to maintain close relationships and work with team members from a distance and with limited opportunity for personal interaction.
• Constant sitting and working at a computer for extended periods of time.
• Constant face-to-face, electronic and telephone communication with colleagues and the general public.
• Ability to prepare documents and other materials in a well-designed and attractive format, with attention to detail
• Willingness and ability to work outside of normal business hours.
• Ability and willingness to travel both domestically and internationally.
• Adequate physical condition necessary to travel to project sites in rural areas.