Principal Financial Accountant, FIFC.1 at African Development Bank - AfDB

Reference: ADB / 21 / 023
Location: Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire
Grade: PL4
Position N°: 50000719

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for Finance oversees the financial management of the Bank Group. This encompasses the Bank Group’s treasury activities including borrowings from the capital markets and investment activities; controllership functions including financial reporting and loan administration; strategic resource mobilization and the strengthening of the non-statutory financial resources and instruments; the overall asset/liability management for the Bank Group.

The Hiring Department:

• The Financial Control Department is responsible for accounting for the financial consequences of the Bank Group’s transactions and decisions, and for the preparation, fair presentation and overall integrity of the internal financial reports and published financial statements.
• The department is also responsible for loan administration and accounting and related fiduciary responsibilities, including disbursement of funds to projects and programs financed by the Bank Group. Lastly, the department provides decision support and expertise in the development and implementation of financial control policies, operational and financial strategies and related information systems.

The Position
The Principal Financial Accountant is responsible for:

• Preparing, timely and accurate accounts and reporting transactions in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and rules of the Bank Group
• Providing accurate financial reports to Management, Boards of Directors, bilateral donors and other stakeholders for useful decision making
• Maintaining the accounting procedures of the Bank Group and provide accounting and reporting guidance on various Bank Group initiatives

Duties and Responsibilities
Under the supervision and guidance of the Division Manager, the main responsibilities of the Principal Financial Accountant will be:

General Duties

• Coordinate financial reporting activities, including those of Special, Trust, and donor Funds
• Participate in the preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements.
• Ensure accuracy and proper reconciliation of the inter-institution accounts
• Provide technical accounting guidance to other Departments and Units of the Bank as may be needed.
• Review and provide input on the financial aspects of agreements to be signed by the Bank  with the donors
• Represent the Division/Department on technical committees and special initiatives and provide input  on the financial aspects of proposals
• Provide technical accounting and policy guidance on system implementation projects in the area of financial accounting reporting
• Maintain the Chart of Accounts and provide business process support for SAP (FI) applications.
• Maintain system configuration related to Financial Accounting in SAP
• Continuously review of the staff SAP profile in the Division to ensure adequate Segregation of Duties
• Supervise support staff in their daily financial accounting responsibilities.

Other Duties:

• Represent the Division/Department in the various working groups, including those of the Asset and Liability Management Committee (ALCO).
• Participate in the evaluation of internal control within the Division.
• Participate in the provision of information requested by internal and external auditors.
• Execute and review the monthly revaluation for the Bank Group
• Other functions that may be assigned by the Division Manager that impact the work of the Division

Selection Criteria

• Hold at least a Master’s degree or its equivalent in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or applied Economics.
• Membership with a professional Accounting board.
• Have a minimum of six (06) years of practical experience related to financial reporting, accounting procedures, IFRS compliance, etc.…
• Ability to effectively interpret and apply new and revised IFRS standards to ensure compliance
• Ability to deal with sensitive issues in a multi-cultural environment and to build effective working relations with colleagues
• Ability to work independently with minimum supervision
• Ability to drive change
• Ability to be flexible, open-minded with integrity
• Problem Solving
• Communication
• Client Orientation
• Ability to communicate effectively (written and oral) in French.
• Competence in the use of standard software (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint)
• Knowledge of SAP Finance and related modules is an added advantage