Country Accountant Jobs Vacancy - Concern Worldwide Employment Opportunities

Concern Worldwide

Concern Worldwide is an Irish-based non-governmental, international, humanitarian organisation dedicated to the reduction of suffering and working towards the ultimate elimination of extreme poverty in the world's poorest countries.

Closing date: 10 Nov 2010

Location: Uganda - Kampala

Job Title: Country Accountant

Reports to: Country Director

Job Location: Kampala, Uganda

Contract Details: 2 years contract

Accompanied status

Grade B

Start date: Dec 2010 or earlier

Job Purpose: To maintain effective finance systems for the Uganda programme to Concern Worldwide standards and to ensure accountability within Concern's programmes and local partners. The post holder will be a member of the senior management team for Uganda and will participate in all major decisions relating to the country programme.

Main duties & Responsibilities:

To ensure that the financial systems are developed, implemented and monitored by:

* Developing and implementing the financial policies, procedures and systems in line with Concern Worldwide's global finance policy framework
* Contributing in developing various project proposals to submit to donors specifically budgeting parts in line with the Concern coding structure and donor requirements
* Ensuring that there are adequate controls over cash and bank
* Cooperating with field management and if applicable with internal and external advisors in the review and development of field systems
* Developing financial management skills of staff in the finance function and also for non-finance staff by formal training and ongoing mentoring
* Developing the procedures and systems in assessing the financial management capabilities and areas for improvement of partner organisations
* Developing skills, knowledge and competencies of partner organisations to have sound financial management systems in their organisations
* Updating and implementing the Concern Uganda coding structure in line with the Concern global coding structure
* Coordinating/facilitating and ensuring the proper maintenance of the accounting system (Microsoft Great Plains) in Concern Uganda

To ensure that the multi-annual, annual budgets are prepared, consolidated and revised as per the Concern Worldwide policy by:

* circulating the three year rolling budget guidelines to all projects and budget managers in a timely manner
* Reviewing, analysing and consolidating the annual budget, budget revisions and three year budgets
* Ensuring that the budgets are in line with the Country Strategic plan, project proposals, donor agreements, Dublin guidelines and pack.
* Submitting to CD for review and sending to Dublin

To ensure effective and efficient financial reporting systems are in place by:

* Producing detailed, accurate and user friendly management accounts for use of staff who have budget management roles and responsibilities
* Providing financial information to the Country Management team to understand and analyse the financial situation
* Preparing quarterly accounts (FRPs) and year end financial accounts on a timely basis, submitting them to CD for review and sending to Dublin
* Liaising with Project Managers and Emergency Managers and Country Management on donor reporting as required
* Ensuring the projects/emergency managers prepare and submit their financial reports for review on time, before onward submission to donors within the agreed deadlines

To ensure that there are adequate financial controls are in place by:

* Ensuring that managers prepare and obtain approval for their budgets, which should reflect as accurately as possible the financial impact of proposed activities
* Ensuring that there are adequate procedures for identifying the financial impact of changes in proposed activities and for revising the approved budget for the same
* Ensuring clear reports are provided to project and emergency managers which enable them to identify variances from approved budget and take necessary corrective action
* Ensuring that proper and effective internal audits of projects and partners are carried out on a timely basis
* Ensuring all projects are submitting their accurate cash flow and quarterly and monthly cash request
* Maintaining and managing the cash balance in the safe including control over petty cash box

To ensure that Concern Uganda is auditing by external auditors and internal auditor by:

* Developing and implementing the annual internal audit and capacity building plan in coordination with project/emergency managers and PSU members
* Cooperating and facilitating with projects and if applicable with internal and external auditors in the review and development of projects' financial management systems
* Following up the internal and external audit observations and recommendations regularly to overcome the issues raised by them

To ensure that the staff training and development plans are developed and implemented by:

* Mentoring of national finance staff to maximise their career and personal development. This may include coaching and mentoring on the job as well as supporting external training courses they may pursue
* Developing financial management skills, knowledge and competencies for finance staff and basic financial management capacity for non-finance managers
* Setting up of individual objectives, carry out performance development reviews (PDR), develop and implement training and development plans
* Participate in recruitment process for finance staff

Person specification:

Essential:

* Fully qualified accountant (ACCA /ACA / CIMA / CPA or equivalent)
* At least five years experience managing the finance function of an organisation including managing staff
* Experience with computerised accounting packages, ideally Great Plains
* Accounting and auditing knowledge
* Experience of delivering training and of providing on the job coaching
* Proactive
* Analytical thinker
* Personal integrity
* Rigour and attention to detail
* Flexibility and ability to manage and prioritise a complex and changing workload.
* Commitment to international development and an understanding of the role and responsibilities of INGOs in developing countries
* Disposition that suits taking a mentoring and coaching role
* Sensitive interpersonal and communication skills
* Problem solving and decision making
* Fluent English
* Ability to meet deadlines

Desirable:

* Training course and/or specific experience of dealing with major donors such as EU, ECHO, and Irish Aid.
* Previous experience with Concern Worldwide as Country Accountant
* Donor's financial policies and procedures
* Sense of humour, flexible and able to communicate easily with people
* Ability to work in a confined team environment

How to apply

All internal applications should be submitted in English via email to jobsinternal@concern.net by indicating the reference code JO/UG/CA

Application deadline is 10th November 2010

Reference Code: RW_8A9LU7-74