Senior Accounts Assistant at African Development Bank - AfDB

Position Number: 50093564
Position Grade: GS8

The Complex

• The Vice Presidency for Finance (FIVP) oversees the financial Management of the Bank Group, encompassing the Bank Group’s treasury activities including borrowings from the capital markets and investment activities; financial control 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 and treasury risk management for the Bank Group.
• The Vice Presidency for Finance is also responsible for the development of and training on the financial products of the Bank Group.

The Hiring Department

• The Financial Control Department (FIFC) 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 dthe isbursement of funds to projects and programs financed by the Bank Group and the Trust or special Funds it manages. 
• 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 Senior Accounts Assistant is responsible for:

• Ensuring timely and accurate accounting for and reporting of transactions in financial statements.
• Continuously focus on identifying opportunities for improving the timeliness, completeness and accuracy of the financial statements process using existing or new technologies.
• Ensuring effective internal control around the accounting activities by ensuring that financial transactions reported on the accounts are complete and accurately recorded in the appropriate accounting period.
• Providing decision useful financial reports to Management, Board of Directors, and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities
Under the supervision and guidance of the Division Manager, the major responsibilities revolve around technical accounting. More specifically, the incumbent’s primary responsibilities will be as follows:

• Apply sound and generally accepted accounting principles and practices in the maintenance of records and financial transactions of the Bank Group and the Special and Trust Funds.
• Review and propose improvements to the Bank accounting and internal control.
• Perform completeness reviews and reconciliations of investment and borrowing transactions recorded in SUMMIT and Bank enterprise resource planning system ERP (SAP).
• Prepare, as appropriate, accounting entries relating to cash products, including bonds, swaps, futures, cash collateral, and other financial investments.
• Systematically examine all bank reconciliation reports to ensure that there is no investment or borrowing transactions that require adjustment.
• Work closely with the treasury back office to ensure the completeness and accuracy of investment and borrowing data / tables.
• Run and post income accruals and ensure the accuracy of monthly loan income, including the periodic analysis of loan income and explanation of variances.
• Reconcile loan data files received from the Loan accounting division with the accounting data.
• Prepare and control the monthly data for Expected Credit Loss entries postings.
• Maintain accounts of loan-related fees received by the Bank and perform periodic amortization of such fees.
• Ensure the periodic completion of the financial statement closing process in accordance with set deadlines.
• Support the financial reporting process.
• Prepare notes and disclosures for the financial statements.
• Work closely with external and internal auditors and implement any audit recommendations related to accounting area.
• Execute any functions as assigned by the Division Manager.

Competencies (skills, experience and knowledge)

• Hold a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or Audit.
• Have a minimum of five (5) years of experience in a similar position.
• Membership of a professional Accounting board of a member country would be an advantage.
• Hands-on experience in statutory and Management reporting for financial institutions.
• Familiarity with accounting, banking and capital market transactions.
• Ability to work in multi-cultural environments and build effective working relations with internal and external clients and colleagues
• Ability to communicate (write and speak) effectively in English and/or French, with a good working knowledge of the other language.
• Competence in the use of Bank standard software applications (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint). Good working knowledge of SAP FI module or similar software