Accountant – African Wildlife Foundation

Job Category: Finance and Administration

Requisition Number: ACCOU001238

Posting Details
Posted: July 25, 2024
Full-Time
Hybrid
Location: AWF Nairobi, Nairobi, NB 00502, KEN

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Job Summary

The Accountant at the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) is a pivotal member of the Finance team, responsible for maintaining accurate general ledger reconciliations and ensuring the smooth and timely closure of monthly books of accounts. This role encompasses various general accounting functions, including accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll accounting, and expense entries for Kenya and other AWF offices without dedicated finance staff. Additionally, the Accountant supports annual organizational and country statutory audits, donor-related audits, and internal controls. This position requires occasional international and domestic travel.

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Responsibilities

1. Accounting

• Month-End Closure: Support finance teams to ensure timely month-end closure in compliance with GAAP and AWF procedures.
• Reconciliation Schedules: Participate in the monthly close process; prepare reconciliation schedules per the monthly close checklist.
• Balance Sheet Maintenance: Maintain all balance sheet accounting, producing consistent and accurate supporting schedules and reconciliations.
• Credit Card Management: Manage the organization’s credit cards issued to staff by ensuring timely reporting of expenses and preparation of reconciliations in the system.
• Audit Preparation: Produce audit-ready monthly general ledger schedules and subsidiary financial statements.
• General Ledger Account Reconciliations: Prepare various general ledger account reconciliations, prepayments, accruals, fixed asset schedules, payroll, and bank reconciliations.
• Transaction Review: Review and validate general ledger transactions, timely identification, and corrections of errors of transactions posted in the general ledger both in AWF company and its subsidiaries.
• Month-End and Year-End Processes: Support in month-end and year-end processes with the HQ and Field finance staff to ensure all activities are completed within the agreed timelines and support documents are uploaded on the organization’s SharePoint.
• Bank and Petty Cash Reconciliations: Prepare monthly bank and petty cash tally sheets and follow up with finance staff to share missing documents.
• Salary Posting: Post all salaries in the correct month using the correct employee codes, fund codes, and restriction codes.
• Salary and Benefits Allocation: Run and process timely salary and benefits allocation by the 12th of the month and ensure all unallocated salaries are followed up.
• Exchange Rate Adjustments: Run, post exchange rate adjustments, and ensure all expense G/Ls have correct dimensions.
• Risk Identification: Identify potential risks related to the financial management of the organization and suggest solutions to the Finance & Operations Manager for implementation.
• Exchange Rate Updates: Update monthly exchange rates in the accounting system.
• Reporting: Share reports with key stakeholders in a timely and consistent manner.
• Travel Advances: Review and follow up on travel advances promptly.

2. Accounts Payable/Receivables

• Invoice Posting: Post supplier invoices accurately and on a timely basis.
• Invoice Review: Review supplier invoices and ensure they are properly supported before posting them in the system.
• Vendor Account Reconciliation: Support in reconciling vendor accounts with the statements monthly.
• Payment Processing: Timely processing of payments to vendors, consultants, staff, and partners.
• Data Integrity: Check the integrity and accuracy of financial data, vendor, payroll, etc., and timely identification and correction of errors in transactions.
• Vendor Verification: Verify the accuracy of vendor details in AWF systems.

3. Internal Controls

• Control Enforcement: Work with the finance teams to enforce internal controls throughout the organization to ensure the protection of the AWF finance and non-finance assets.
• Policy Development: Contribute to the development and enhancement of accounting policies and procedures and enforcement of the same.
• Training: Train staff on internal control procedures and accounting tools, such as accounting and timesheet portals.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify ways of improving internal controls and efficient ways of processing accounting-related activities.
• System Maintenance: In conjunction with other finance staff, maintain/update financial systems.
• Regulation Compliance: Keep abreast of changes in regulations, which may affect the accounting functions of the organization.
• Credit Card Program: Follow up and ensure timely accounting and compliance of the AWF corporate credit card program.
• Reconciliation Review: Coordinate and review, sign and file all AWF Cash & Bank Reconciliations by the 10th of every month and maintain a filing log of dully approved reconciliations, cash counts, and bank statements.
• Audit Support: Provide support to organizational audit, internal audits, statutory audits, donor-specific audits, and any other reviews by external audit firms as required.

4. Cash Flow Planning and Management

• Bank Reconciliation: Reconcile AWF bank balances with donor cash receipts.
• Cash Projections: Prepare the monthly/quarterly cash projections for the HQ AWF operations and review cash requests from other countries.
• Payment Tracking: Process payments on time and track overdue payments.

5. Payroll Facilitation

• Payroll Review: Review Kenya and Expat payrolls and ensure they are posted on time. This role also includes timely Reviewing of Switzerland and UK payroll along with the related payroll liabilities.
• Salary Allocation: Prepare salary allocation monthly and follow up with timely submission and approval of timesheets.
• Payroll Compliance: Support compliance with all country tax obligations where AWF operates.
• Payroll Reporting: Extract salary remittance and file as per established system.
• System Development: Participate in AWF system development and system implementation sessions.

6. Other Duties

• Additional Responsibilities: Any other relevant duties as assigned by the Supervisor.

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Requirements and Skills

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, accounting, or related field.
• Certification: Qualified Accountant and Member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya.
• Experience: At least 5 years of relevant working experience, at least 3 years as an accountant in at least a medium-sized organization. A mix of profit and nonprofit experience is desired.
• Software Knowledge: Advanced knowledge and experience of the NetSuite-Oracle accounting package is preferred.
• Audit Experience: Audit experience will be an added advantage.
• Communication Skills: Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Donor Guidelines: Familiarity with institutional and other donor guidelines is a strong advantage.
• Professionalism: Ability to manage sensitive and confidential matters with the highest level of professionalism.
• Judgment and Problem Solving: Ability to manage competing priorities, exercise good judgment, identify, and resolve problems.
• Self-Motivation: A self-starter with a keen eye for detail.
• Financial Communication: Ability to communicate financial information to a non-financial audience.
• Deadline Management: Ability to meet strict deadlines.
• Conservation Interest: Strong interest in and or understanding of conservation.

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Benefits

• Competitive Salary: Transparent salary range provided upon application.
• Health Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance plans.
• Retirement Plans: Retirement savings plans with company contributions.
• Professional Development: Opportunities for professional growth and development.
• Work-Life Balance: Paid time off (PTO) and flexible work arrangements.
• Remote Work: Opportunities for remote work arrangements.

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Company Culture

At the African Wildlife Foundation, we pride ourselves on fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment. Our team is dedicated to conserving wildlife and wildlands through innovative solutions. We believe in empowering our employees to make impactful contributions and support their professional growth.

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Application Process

To apply for the Accountant position, please visit our application page: APPLICATION LINK. Ensure all relevant documents are uploaded, and all sections of the application form are completed.

CLOSING DATE:  August 8, 2024

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Accessibility Note

If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you will find the contact information to request the appropriate accommodation by visiting the following page: Accessibility Accommodation for Applicants.

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Equal Opportunity Employer

We wish you the best in your application. Our website is committed to attracting and retaining the best employees from all races and backgrounds in our continued effort to become a better development partner. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not charge any application/recruitment fee, whether refundable or not.

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