Job Title: Finance Associate – VAT
Program: Kenya Feed the Future Local Food Systems
Reports to: Accountant
Position location: Nairobi Kenya
Grade: 5.
TechnoServe Background:
TechnoServe works with enterprising people in the developing world to build competitive farms, businesses and industries. We are a nonprofit organization that develops business solutions to poverty by linking people to information, capital and markets. With more than four decades of proven results, we believe in the power of private enterprise to transform lives.
Program Overview
The Kenya Feed the Future Local Food Systems is a five-year USAID project designed to increase agricultural production and productivity, increase resilience capacities, and improve nutrition outcomes in 9 counties in Kenya – Bungoma, Busia, Garissa, Homa Bay, Isiolo, Kakamega, Makueni, Migori, and Siaya. The program will also support investments in other regions of Kenya to support the flow of food, goods, and services to the 9 focal counties and strategic corridors in the Northern ASALs.
Food systems are critical to Kenya’s economic development, as the agri-food sector contributes to more than half of the nation’s gross domestic product and employs over 70% of the rural population. Kenya’s agri-food sector has the potential to support inclusive and resilient economic growth and deliver nutritious diets to vulnerable populations. LFS will capitalize on Kenya’s economic growth and growing cities, the emergence of innovative and dynamic agri-food businesses, and the GOK’s investments in economic development to accelerate inclusive growth in the agri-food sector.
LFS supports four priority objectives, as well as a number of crosscutting objectives, to catalyze transformational changes in the food system. These include:
- Increased productivity, profitability, and diversity in the local food system
- Strengthened resilience capacity for HHs, communities, and institutions to mitigate risks and shocks in the local food system,
- Increased access to and consumption of adequate safe, nutritious food, especially by women and children
- Strengthened collaboration, iterative learning, and adaptive management for effective locally led development
LFS will use key leverage points to anchor its approach to implementation of five work streams:
- First and last mile service provision
- Entrepreneurship development
- Food and Feed Markets / Processing
- Policy Alignment and Influence
- Collaboration, learning, and adapting
The Role:
TechnoServe seeks a highly motivated and detail-oriented Finance Associate to support the Food Systems Activity (FSA) project funded by USAID. The primary responsibility of this role is to manage the VAT exemption application process using DA1 forms for TechnoServe and its sub-awardees and grantees.
Key Roles & Responsibilities:
- VAT Exemption Application Management:
- Collect DA1 forms from sub-awardees and grantees on a weekly basis.
- Review DA1 forms for completeness and accuracy.
- Prepare and submit DA1 forms to USAID weekly.
- Maintain a comprehensive VAT tracker, documenting the status of each application and refund.
- Follow up with USAID on the status of VAT exemption applications and refunds.
- Provide technical guidance and support to sub-awardees and grantees on the VAT exemption process.
- Lead in processing upfront VAT exemption for restricted items
- VAT Refund Processing:
- Coordinate with vendors to obtain VAT refunds upon approvals of exemptions.
- Update the VAT tracker with the status of refund claims.
- VAT Reporting:
- Prepare regular reports on the status of VAT exemption applications and refunds.
- Provide financial analysis and insights to inform decision-making.
- Assist sub-awardees and grantees in VAT reporting
- Perform VAT reconciliations
- Accounts Payables function
- Assist the program accountant in ensuring accuracy of accounting documents and accurate entries in the system
- Assist the accountant in performing end month procedures
- Any other responsibility as assigned by the assigned supervisor
Desired Qualifications And Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field.
- Strong understanding of Kenyan tax laws, particularly VAT regulations.
- Experience in handling VAT exemption applications and refund claims.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, especially Excel.
- Strong organizational and time management skills
- Attention to detail and accuracy.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Job Specific/Technical Competencies include:
- Financial & Resource Management: The ability to estimate, justify, and manage appropriate funding levels to support goal accomplishment. Managing Resources about understands human, financial, and operational resource issues to make decisions aimed at building and planning efficient project workflows, and at improving overall organizational performance.
- Computer Literacy: Demonstrates knowledge and ability to use specific computer programs or applications for their own functional area. Has the ability to improve performance by integrating new and existing technology into the workplace.
- Donor/Partnership Management: Identifying opportunities and taking action to build strategic relationships between one’s area and other areas, teams, departments, or organizations to help achieve business goals.
- Analysis, Research, Report Writing: Experience in business planning and analysis, modeling for feasibility and execution. Able to analyze and express oneself clearly in business writing.
- Innovative Mindset: Curious inquiries, asks questions and seeks out information from multiple sources, learns from mistakes, sees change as an opportunity.
