Job Name: Accountant

YOUNG AFRICAN LEADERS’ INITIATIVE LEGACY AND LOCALIZATION

SUMMARY

The Young African Leadership Initiative Legacy and Localization (YALI L&L) project, led by Arizona State University, seeks qualified candidates to serve as the Accountant on a USAID project supporting the next generation expression of the Regional Leadership Centers (RLC) component of the Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI), the United States’ premier investment in young African leaders. As the on continent component of the YALI program, in 2015 USAID launched four YALI RLCs at higher education institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa. The RLCs have provided access to leadership and functional training to 22,000 young leaders aged 18–35 from 49 sub-Saharan countries in three tracks: business and entrepreneurship, public management, and civic leadership. YALI 2030 will build on the RLC foundation to create an expanded pan-African youth development model that will harmonize training curriculum, serve underrepresented/underserved youth, build alumni network capacity and professional development opportunities, and develop new program -related partnerships with the private sector and other stakeholders, and donors. ASU has hosted YALI Mandela Washington Fellows annually since 2014, led public management cohorts at the East Africa Regional Leadership Center, collaborates with the Mastercard Foundation on an eLearning Initiative with African universities, implemented higher education projects for USAID with multiple universities on the continent, and maintains an African hub and a network of alumni through ASU-Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Position location: This is a full- time position will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.

Main Purpose of Job

Working in the Finance Department under the direction of the Senior Finance and Administration Director, the Accountant will support all accounting procedures of the YALI L&L Initiatives including the recording and retrieval of financial details of the project, maintaining financial records and processing payments transactions in timely and accurate manner. S/He will also support the program team with other accounting roles.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare payment vouchers for approval ensuring that the payments are within credit period and maintain good supplier relationships.
• Verify all payment vouchers and ensure that all transactions are fully and properly documented.
• Monitor disbursement and receipt schedules, update project staff of due payments and liquidations and make follow-ups
• Share remittance advice for all processed vendor payments.
• Accurately input and post finance data into QuickBooks
• Scan and file Finance documents and ensure proper records.
• Responsible for timely submission all statutory payments.
• Petty cash management and analysis.
• Audit support-timely documents retrieval, filing after audit completion, proving additional assistance as necessary.
• Ensure all finance documents are properly labelled, filed, and stored in a clear and easily accessible manner following organization policies and guidelines
• Submission of all original vatable invoices to USAID with fully processed DA1 forms for VAT claim on timely basis
• Responsible for cash and bank vouchers filing, statutory audit reports and other financial documents filing and maintenance of filing system (hard copy and electronic) according to organization procedures.
• Ensure returns for NSSF, NHIF and PAYE are done on timely manner.
• Performing any other duties assigned by the supervisor.

Key Competencies

• Demonstrated leadership and management skills.
• Expertise delivering performance excellence.
• Analytical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent strategic planning skills, Strong judgment and decision-making skills.
• Excellent verbal communication skills and excellent report writing skills.
• Experience with the use of the internet, including social media for fundraising purposes.
• Ability to work in a team and be a self-starter.

Required Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business field such as Accounting, Finance and Strategic management.
• CPA II and at least 3 years of experience working with International Organizations.
• Previous experience working on USAID-funded programs will be an added advantage.
• Good understanding of Book Keeping
• Advanced computer skills including knowledge of Microsoft Office and QuickBooks;
• Excellent oral and written English skills
• Demonstrable planning and organizational skills and ability to meet tight deadlines.
• Flexibility and initiative, as well as the ability to work independently, combined with the skills for thriving in a team environment to achieve institutional goals.
• High professional and ethical standards for handling confidential information.
• Willingness to be flexible in working hours and adapt to changing priorities and deadlines.
• Experience of working within a busy finance department. Good communication and listening skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet targets and deadlines.
• Problem solving ability