The Senior Accountant will manage and oversee the accounting operations of ActionAid Zambia. Main duties will include, but are not limited to maintaining accurate financial records, preparing and analysing financial reports, ensuring compliance with Zambia regulatory standards. This role will play a critical role in overseeing the financial aspects of grant-funded projects, ensuring compliance with funding requirements.

1.2  SPECIFIC DUTIES

Financial Management and Reporting

• Prepare financial reports and interpret financial information to the senior management team while recommending further courses of action.
• Review all reconciliations to ensure that un-reconciled items are properly investigated and corrected on a timely basis
• Review legal documents and advise management on the financial viability or otherwise of such documents as well as the compliance of provisions of such documents to the LFPPM
• Ensure that procurement processes are in line with the LFPPM provisions and that items procured provide value for money for the organisation
• Provide monthly/quarterly organisational performance updates to Senior Management on a timely basis.
• Provide customised reports to budget holders in line with their requests and support them to reconcile their budgets with actual expenditure
• Maintain and keep up to date the AAZ assets register.

Treasury Functions

• Ensure timely acquisition of funds from AAI and other sources as shall be determined by the Finance Manager
• Ensure optimum value for foreign exchange deals and prompt transfer of funds to avoid exposing the AAZ to cash crises
• Ensure timely transfer of funds to the regional offices
• Ensure prompt update of banking details and signatories to ensure prompt update of signatories to all accounts in line with the LFPPM provisions
• Conduct monthly cash count and reconcile cash at hand with cash book balance.

Budgets and Budgetary Control

• Support budget holders to prepare their plans and budgets and complete activity templates in line with guidelines submitted by the Finance Manager.
• Review budgets and activity costing submitted for approval and recommend appropriate actions to management
• Consolidate the Associate’s programme budgets and reconcile with the income allocation as approved by SMT
• Upload the budget into SUN system after approval by the AAZ management
• Review requests for transfers and ensure that such requests comply with the LFPPM provisions and recommend appropriate action to SMT

Payroll Supervision

• Support monthly preparation of staff salaries to ensure that staff salaries are paid on time in line with statutory requirements
• Review all payroll documents and recommend appropriate action to SMT
• Prepare payroll entry compared with previous payroll information on a monthly basis, and reconcile any difference thereon
• Conduct a monthly review of the payroll related control accounts and ensure that the accounts have nil balances and investigate any outstanding balances
• Ensure that all statutory deductions and staff benefits are properly computed and paid on a timely basis

Financial Management of Partners

• Actively participate into due diligence of subgrantees
• Review partners’ work plan, budgets and financial reports and recommend appropriate action to SMT
• Conduct quarterly expenditure verification of partners and recommend appropriate action for addressing capacity gaps identified
• Support capacity building of partners and non-finance staff on financial management

Contract/Grant Management

• Support in the development of project proposals especially project proposal budget preparation.
• Support development of codes for project activities to support automation of project reports
• Create unique codes for all donor projects and donors in SUN
• Support development of automated reports for all donor projects
• Provide appropriate donor reports and analysis on a timely basis for all projects and answer all queries thereon.

1.3 MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• Having a bachelor’s degree in finance/ accounting or management
• Having Completed ACCA, CPA, ZICA or CIMA.
• 3 to 6 years of relevant experience in a Finance department preferably in an NGO setting
• Having worked with ActionAid within the AA Federation is a Plus.

1.4   ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE & SKILL

• Must have good knowledge of the use of accounting software (knowledge of SUN Accounting and Info Q&A will be an added advantage).
• Must have strong knowledge of internal controls and budget/cash flow monitoring.
• Must have a good knowledge of regional and international accounting standards.

1.5  OTHER REQUISITE COMPETENCES

• Must be able to work with less supervision.
• Must be able to use Microsoft Office applications efficiently
• Must have proven experience in training, coaching, mentoring and developing others.
• Must have experience of working effectively and comfortably in a cross-cultural environment and with multi- and interdisciplinary teams in a large organisation.