Finance and Administration Assistant – UK Aid L4L Project Jobs – Farm Africa
Job Title: Finance and Administration Assistant – Livestock for Livelihoods
Organization: Farm Africa
Duty Station: Kotido, Uganda
Reports to: Senior Livestock Officer with technical support from Project Accountant and Administrator based in (Kotido) -L4L
About US:
Farm Africa is an international non-governmental organization working to end hunger and bring prosperity to rural Africa. We work to increase the incomes and improve food security of smallholder farmers, pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, and forest dwellers in East Africa. A core part of our strategy is to ensure that our interventions are both economically sustainable and scalable. The systematic integration of market linkages in implementing programmes is crucial to our ability to scale our interventions cost-effectively. Farm Africa has the ambition to be the leading European NGO specialising in Agriculture, Natural Resource Management and Market Engagement.
About L4L Project:
Farm Africa has the ambition to be the leading European NGO specialising in Agriculture, Natural Resource Management and Market Engagement. It is currently managing a £5m grant for a Livestock for Livelihoods (L4L) programme operating in Uganda’s Karamoja sub-region and Ethiopia’s South Omo zone funded by the UK government (UK Aid). The project is being implemented across four districts of Karamoja sub-region (Moroto, Napak, Kotido & Nakapiripirit). Under this programme, Farm Africa is working with local civil society, SMEs, cooperatives and farmer organisations to develop market systems that support livestock services and enterprises for 21,000 women, contributing to women’s economic empowerment, reduced poverty and improved nutrition of women and children. The project will address market failures in animal health and breeding services to improve livestock productivity, build capacity and assets of herders, establish trade and enterprise opportunities and improve household nutrition practices through behavioural change. It will demonstrate how nutrition interventions can build on women’s economic empowerment to contribute to both increased income and improved household nutrition.
Job Summary: The Finance and Administration Assistant will support the Project Accountant and Administrator in ensuring a high standard of financial management and reporting for Farm Africa’s £2.5m, four year, Livestock for Livelihoods project. In particular, he/she will be responsible for delivering a high level of financial and administrative support in the Kotido sub-office, where a team of four staff are based. He/she will also ensure the smooth running of the office and ensure that Farm Africa policies and procedures are understood and adhered to.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Financial Administration for Kotido Office
- Ensuring transactions are properly and promptly recorded in cashbook and SUN templates with accurate codes.
- Ensuring that proper accounting records are maintained including debtor and creditor listings and staff working advance records, carrying out monthly reconciliations
- Ensuring timely payment of all invoices and expenditures
- Supporting the Project Accountant and Administrator in preparation of monthly and quarterly cash requests for the office.
- Working with the Project Accountant & Administrator to ensure that sufficient cash is available in the office to meet project and office running costs
- Processing of SWA requests and ensuring they are retired in a timely manner with all records correctly filed
- Ensuring that all supporting documents are submitted and filed for every payment request and purchase
- Updating the petty cash book in a timely manner and ensuring that periodical cash counts are conducted
- Ensure that monthly cashbook is submitted to the Project Accountant and Administrator for review and approval
- Supporting the Project Accountant and Administrator with the month end reconciliation process
- Maintain financial files (both hard and soft copy) in an organised manner
- Ensuring that contracts are respected and paid for according to agreed terms of payments
Procurement
- Supporting the Project Accountant and Administrator in ensuring high level of compliance of procurement policies and procedures for the Kotido office
- Requesting for quotations from service providers and suppliers
- Reviewing purchase requests and quote evaluations against approved budgets, and ensure that the correct accounting codes are added
- Maintaining an accurate and up-to-date list of pre-qualified suppliers, and working with the Project Accountant & Administrator to pre-qualify new suppliers as appropriate
- Monitoring the service contracts and working with Project Accountant and Administrator to ensure that renewals takes place on time.
Logistics
- Ensuring that vehicle logbooks are completed by the driver & assistant after every trip
- Maintaining a record of insurance policies for vehicles and motorbikes, and ensuring that policies don’t lapse
- Working closely with the project driver and assistant in ensuring that all assets are well maintained by ensuring timely servicing and repairs
- Making arrangements for staff travel
- Working closely with project driver and assistant to ensure that accommodation and other logistical items for visitors are in place well in advance.
- Ensure that project reports are frequently compiled and submitted in line with Farm Africa guidelines and donor requirements
Human Resource Administration
- Keeping up to date physical and digital files for all members of the office
- Maintaining annual leave, sickness and other absence records for the team members in Kotido
- Supporting with recruitment, including calling candidates for interview
- Ensuring that Health Insurance and Workers Compensation Insurance policies are in place for all members of the team
Office Administration
- Responsible for efficient running of the office facilities, including managing the office supplies
- Ensuring that utility bills, including internet, are kept up to date
- Ensuring that the office is kept in a good condition, organising repairs as required
- Ensuring that the office compound is kept in a good condition
- Ensuring that the security staff are reporting duty as contracted
- Ensuring that a proper filling system is in place at the field office for all important documents
- Maintaining an accurate and up-to-date list of all office inventories
- Maintaining an accurate and up-to-date record of project fixed assets
- Ensuring that all Farm Africa assets are insured, and policies renewed as required
NB: These essential functions are not to be interpreted as a complete statement of all duties performed. Employees will be required to perform other job related duties as required. All work responsibilities are subject to having performance goals and/or targets established.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
- The ideal candidate for the Farm Africa job placement must hold a Degree in a relevant subject such as Accounting, Finance or Business Administration
- At least two years’ experience working in a busy finance and/or administration team
- Experience
- Experience of processing financial transactions and maintaining financial records
- Experience of leading or supporting procurement processes
- Experience of maintaining a fixed asset register or stock register
- Experience of maintaining staff records
- Experience of office/facilities management
- Experience of managing casual staff such as cleaners or guards
- Experience of information management and using Microsoft Excel or Access to manage and store data
- Outstanding organisational skills, and the ability to manage a busy and varied workload
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate with people from a broad range of backgrounds.
- Flexible and ‘can do’ attitude
- Honesty and Integrity
- Good team player
Desired
- Knowledge of SUN system
- Previous experience of setting up administrative systems or processes
- Experience of organising travel within Uganda
- Working for an INGO
How to Apply:
All candidates should send their updated CVs, salary histories, and a two-page supporting statement detailing how you meet the person specification to ugandarecruitment@farmafrica.org including ‘Finance & Administrative Assistant- L4L’ in the subject line.
Deadline: 26th May 2019 by 5:00pm
NB: Please DO NOT send additional documents such as certificates and references with your application. Successful candidates ONLY will be required to provide these documents during the referencing process. Interviews are expected to take place w/c 10th June 2019 at Farm Africa’s country office in Moroto. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
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