Accountant at Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF)

Main Purpose

Control the daily cash/check management, by checking the data reliability, tracking invoices and submitting monthly accounts in accordance with the Finance Manager’s instructions and MSF protocols to provide accurate, updated financial information. Accountants have the responsibility of supporting the project accounting staff and overseeing the books of the projects. They prepare the project books to be integrated in the master by the Accounting Manager.

Accountabilities

• Directly Responsible for the quality of the accounting (daily / monthly basis), ensures a good system of internal control. Ensures strict compliance with MSF standard standards (e.g., Chart of Accounts) & Finance Minimum Standards
• Controlling the daily cash and check management and ensuring that all receipts and documentation meet MSF requirements (procedures, deadlines, information, signatures ...). Tracking bills/vouchers, invoices and other running costs and analysing the related information (costs, service contracts ...) in order to give reliable and updated information.
• Controlling cash advances and cashbook movements for each petty cash box, recording all IN and Out transactions, ensuring that cashbox balances always reflect the actual amount of money kept in the cashboxes and investigating any discrepancy. Ensuring strict compliance with cash control procedures for each cashbox / currency (daily cash control, weekly cash inventory and reconciliations).
• Keep track of bills/vouchers and other running costs and analyse the related information (costs, service contracts ...) to give reliable information about the mission functioning.
• Ensure a mid-monthly and monthly accounts report in accordance with MSF procedures, checking individual entries and preparing the necessary administrative documents (originals) as a basis for justification and explanation of payments and receipts made. Prepare and send weekly bank update to Finco and Dfinco.
• Check the quality of the receipts for payments; prepare cheque payments according to the procedure, transfer requests and bank reconciliations for all bank accounts in capital. Ensure copies of checks / proof of transfer are always attached to voucher, for payments from bank register. Performing bank payments (paper and electronic accounting) and follow-up the payments of regular bills and invoices (such as insurance, phone and internet, utilities, etc.).
• Preparing and performing the payments of taxes (VAT, WHT, PAYE, etc.) within legal deadlines
• Inform supervisors of any issues / problems that may arise in their job performance.
• Being responsible for filing accounting documents and their annexes, preparing documents for audits, organizing the scanning of documents and archiving mission financial documents
• Is the responsible for the processing of UF peripheral accounting (project and capital):
• checks and validates the accounting of all UF peripheral accounts (spot check);
• checks the quality of the accounting allocations; check the conformity of all the invoices and other vouchers and ensures they are approved;
• under the responsibility of the Accounting manager, analyses the problems of cashbox discrepancies and gives technical help to find solutions
• Responsible for filing accounting documents:
  • Organizes Financial documents and their annexes (PO/PU/PL)
  • Prepares documents for audits
  • Organizes the scanning of documents
• Archives mission financial documents.
• Management of monthly payroll importation and encoding from HOMERE to Unifield.
• Manages VAT refunds and maintains a weekly & monthly follow-up, based on the RPO tool, and is the interlocutor with the RPO on VAT issues. The accountant is fully responsible for the process of blanket VAT applications at year-end (and in collaboration with the RPO), or as-and-when blanket VAT is to be initiated.
• Liaison with suppliers about payments, settlement of discrepancies if any.
• The accountant is fully responsible for the process of Blanket VAT Application at year-end (and in collaboration with the RPO), or as-and-when blanket VAT is to be initiated
• Assist and technically support the Cashier in his/her treasury functions. In the absence of Cashier, maintain and update cashbook movements for each petty cash box, record all IN and Out transactions, ensure that cashbox balances always reflect the actual amount of money kept in the cashboxes and investigate any discrepancy.
• Perform currency exchange operations in accordance with the country's exchange rate policy.
• Provides the necessary technical training for staff of other departments.
• Upon request from the ACMA, assist in the yearly audit, and archiving, according to MSF rules and standards.
• May need to ensure field replacements and gap fill Accountant positions

Requirements

Education 

• Essential: Diploma or professional qualification in accounting / finance / business administration

Experience

• Essential: Administration and Accountancy (minimum 2 years)
• Knowledge of MSF finance rules and processes preferred

Languages

• Essential :English & Swahili Knowledge
• Essential : Computer proficiency in MS Excel and Word
• Good analytical skills, at ease with figures and economics data
• Excellent communication and diplomatic skills, including writing skills

Competencies

• Results and quality orientation teamwork and cooperation

If you meet the above requirements, Please submit your application  by 11thOctober 2023