Company: Self Help Africa
Location: Kampala
Contract type: Fixed term contract, full-time
Hours: 40
Reports to: Head of Finance and Administration
About Self Help Africa & United Purpose
In 2021, Self Help Africa merged with United Purpose, an international organization that aims to alleviate hunger, poverty, social inequality, and the impact of climate change through community-led, market-based, and enterprise-focused approaches, so people have access to nutritious food, clean water, decent employment, and incomes while sustaining natural resources. Self Help Africa is an international development organisation that works through agriculture and Agri-enterprise development to end hunger and extreme poverty.
The organisation has programmes in 15 countries in sub-Saharan Africa and implements projects in Brazil and Bangladesh.
In early 2023 we launched a new five-year organisation strategy, which defines shared mission as the alleviation of hunger, poverty, social inequality, and the impact of climate change through community-led, market-based, and enterprise- focused approaches so that people can have access to nutritious food, clean water, decent employment, and incomes while sustaining natural resources. Our wider organisation also includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, which provides ethical auditing and consultancy services, TruTrade, an innovative trading platform in East Africa, and CUMO, Malawi’s largest micro-finance provider.
Our three core values are:
▪ Impact: We are accountable, ambitious, and committed to systemic change.
▪ Innovation: We are agile, creative, and enterprising in an ever-changing world.
▪ Community: We are inclusive, honest, and have integrity in our relationships.
Job Purpose
Reporting directly to the Head of Finance and Administration, the Finance Officer is responsible for day to day accounting transactions including bookkeeping, cash accounts, monthly financial reports and bank reconciliations. The Finance Officer establishes and maintains efficient financial systems and control mechanisms to support the smooth running of the operations and ensure compliance with financial rules and procedures.
Key Responsibilities
Finance and Accounting:
- Oversee and guide integrated financial management and reporting.
- Assess, review, and ensure application of finance-related policies, instructions, procedures, etc.
- Provide advice to management regarding the application of financial policies and procedures and, when necessary, coordinate with the Head of Finance and Administration, as applicable, regarding the interpretation of such policies and procedures.
- Ensure accounting records are correct and reliable, including and not limited to timely bank reconciliations, maintenance of open items, timely processing of travel financial transactions, clearance of residual requisitions and purchase order balance.
- In close coordination with the Head of Finance and Administration, support the preparation and review of donor financial reports, and endorse such reports before submission to donors.
- Post in PSF Payment vouchers for both Mobile Money and Bank Accounts, Intercompany payments, fuel reconciliation & expenditure, staff accountabilities, Partner accountabilities, petty cash, prepayments schedule allocating costs to budget
- Ensure monthly and yearly closing and other periodic accounting-related processes within his/her scope of responsibilities are executed in a timely and accurate manner.
- Ensure the maintenance and on-going validity of the Delegation of Authority Plan.
- Process of payments, ensuring that all relevant documents are attached and duly approved, e.g. invoices, delivery notes, goods received notes, credit notes, purchase order/ contracts, quotation analysis, quotations, demand forms etc.
- Ensure that payments made are timely and accurate, and applicable month-end and year-end cut-off processes are implemented in line with relevant guidance.
- Supervise the preparation of financial performance reports, monitoring expenditures with respect to approved budgets and work plans.
- Ensure that local bank account administration and associated cash management functions are performed in adherence to financial guidelines.
- Perform financial management and control related to Cash-Based Interventions in adherence to financial guidelines.
- Review and certify vouchers and project disbursements.
- Perform project control functions for the implemented activities.
- Perform physical verification of Assets at least once per year to ensure that all assets are accurately recorded.
- Oversee achieving of financial documents to safeguard financial records and audit trials.
- Review monthly payroll and all the related statutory returns; compute staff separation benefits and ensure periodic Statutory returns are done to ensure adherence to the approved SHA policies, Employment and Tax Laws.
- File all relevant statutory deductions before the deadline WHT, PAYE, NSSF, etc.
- Liaise with respective program and project to assess the financial management of specific partners.
- Assist HoFA in conducting financial training programs for partners involved in the implementation of SHA projects.
- Support Audit processes
- Coordinate, review and endorse responses to audit queries from internal and external audits and work with the Head of Finance and Administration to ensure the implementation of accounting audit recommendations.
- Support implementation of strategies and initiatives relating to financial management, internal controls and strengthening of financial management capacity at SHA.
Assist with other finance and accounting related projects / tasks as assigned.
Knowledge, Qualification/Other Requirements
Essential
- A Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
- A professional certification (e.g., CPA, ACCA) or related certification is preferred.
- At least 5+ years of experience in a finance or accounting role.
- Strong technical abilities and up to date knowledge of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.
- Excellent communication abilities to explain financial data.
- Fluency in spoken and written English.
- Ability to bring accounts to at least Trial Balance stage.
Desirable
- Experience in the preparation and review of management accounts and the critical analysis of a Trial Balance.
- Experience in the preparation of annual financial statements for audit.
- Willingness to travel nationally and internationally.
- Experience of working with partner organisations.
- Experience of working with donor funds.
- Experience of and supporting staff.
Critical Proficiencies:
- Excellent verbal, analytical, organisational and written skills
- People management skills
- Proactive and motivated with a strong commitment to Self Help Africa’s vision, mission and values
- Excellent ICT skills including a good knowledge of MS Office and accounting software
- Attention to detail and the ability to produce timely and accurate financial reports
Key relationships
Internal
- Country management team
- Senior Finance Accountant, Finance and Administration Officer and the Country Office staff team
- Project Managers
External Partners, Banks, external auditors and other service providers
A full copy of the job description can be found here.
To apply please upload a CV, completed Application form and cover letter to the portal here.
Please submit your application before COB 3rd July 2024.
All candidates offered a job with Self Help Africa/United Purpose will be expected to sign our Safeguarding Policies and Code of Conduct as an appendix to their contract of employment and agree to conduct themselves in accordance with the provisions of these documents. Specific roles may require Police/DBS/relevant police authority vetting.
Self Help Africa/United Purpose strive to be an equal opportunities employer.
