Project Accountant & Administrator (Lira & Soroti) European NGO Jobs – Farm Africa
Job Title: Project Accountant & Administrator (Lira & Soroti)
Organization: Farm Africa
Duty Station: Lira and Soroti, Uganda
Reports to: Project Coordinator – CCP
About US:
Farm Africa, founded in 1985, is an international non-governmental organization working in Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania. We drive agricultural and environmental change to improve lives. Our strategy has three pillars: agricultural expertise, management and preservation of ecosystems, and the power of business to drive prosperity. We believe Africa has the power to feed itself and are helping make this happen by establishing and spreading the best farming and forestry techniques so that poor farmers and herders have more food to feed their families and to sell. We help smallholders manage their natural resources sustainably so that they can withstand climate change challenges and shocks and ensure their families have enough food in the future as well as now. Farm Africa works in partnership with communities, government, local and international organizations, and the private sector to innovate, learn and share best practices for maximum impact of our projects. In Uganda, we currently have offices in Lira, Soroti, Motoro, Kotido, Kanungu and Kampala.
About Commercialising Chilli Production Project:
aBi Trust recently awarded Farm Africa and the North East Chilli Producers Association (NECPA) funding for a three-year project focussed on creating a more competitive and profitable chilli value chain within Lira, northern Uganda to capitalise on growing international demand for varieties of Ugandan African Birds Eye (ABE) dried chillies. The project will strengthen the technical capacity of NECPA and their extension team to support market- orientated chilli production across their entire area of operation.
Background to the Sweet Potatoes for Prosperity project
For the duration of 2019, Farm Africa will be implementing the final phase of the Sweet Potatoes for Prosperity project which focuses on improving the livelihoods and incomes of 1,000 farmers in Teso sub-region through developing the production and marketing of orange-flesh sweet potatoes (OFSP).
Job Summary: The Project Accountant & Administrator (Lira & Soroti) will ensure a high standard of financial management and reporting for Farm Africa’s three year, Commercialising Chilli Production project. Level of Effort (LOE) 90% until December 2019, LOE 100% January 2020 onwards To ensure a high standard of financial management and reporting for the final year of Farm Africa’s Sweet Potatoes for Prosperity project. LOE 10% until December 2019.
Key Duties and Responsibilities:
Accounting and Finance – managing income and expenditure processing, and maintaining accurate financial records – in particular:
- Ensuring prompt and accurate accounting for all project income and expenditure using SUN templates in Excel format.
- Ensuring that proper accounting records are maintained across at the field site including debtor and creditor listings and staff working advance records, carrying out monthly reconciliations
- Coding and gaining authorisation for all expenditure according to Farm Africa and where applicable, aBi procedures
- Maintaining full, accurate and detailed hard copy records for each and every transaction funded by aBi for quarterly donor verification
- Ensuring timely payment of all invoices and expenditures
- Reviewing the quarterly transactions for NECPA and uploading them to QuickBooks/SUN.
- Conducting quarterly visits to NECPA offices to carry out internal auditing on processes and documentation
- Ensuring enough cash available for smooth implementation of the projects by preparing and submitting monthly cash forecasts to the Uganda Country Office.
- Undertaking regular banking duties including checking of balances, prompt cash and cheque deposits, collecting bank statements periodically as may be required. And acting as a bank agent for Farm Africa
- Performing monthly general ledger accounting reconciliations and analysis ensuring accuracy of ledger and month end reporting in accordance with GAAP, organisational policy and donor regulations. This includes reconciliations of bank, cash, SWA, Prepayments and creditors/Inter-project accounts
Financial reporting including:
- Supplying accurate and complete monthly project accounts to the Country Office team.
- Producing financial reports in line with donor reporting requirements
- Reviewing and feeding back on monthly Budget Monitoring Reports
- Monthly submission of detailed transaction reports to Kampala as required for monthly donor reporting
- Collating and submitting all accountabilities on a quarterly basis to the donor for physical verification
- Working with the Finance & Administration Manager (based in Kampala) to ensure that all donor reporting requirements are met
- Working with the NECPA finance team to ensure they are conversant with and operating within the donor financial reporting requirements
- In particular review NECPAs monthly transaction reports and verifications and share with Kampala team for onward reporting
Budgeting and budget management tasks including:
- Assisting the Project Coordinator with preparing and checking of budgets during the annual planning process
- Assisting the Project Coordinator with preparing and checking budget revisions during the year as required
- Weekly upload of all FA transactions to SUN templates
- Maintaining accurate and up to date expenditure records that allow real time monitoring of expenditure against budget for each and every budget line
Ensuring compliance with standards contained in the Farm Africa Finance Procedures Manual and aBi Finance Manual and in particular:
- Advising the Project Coordinator, Program Manager and/or Country Director on relevant budgetary control measures to address any identified weakness in policy and/or practice.
- Feeding back any pertinent financial management issues to the Finance Administrative Manager, Program Manager and/or Country Director
- Ensuring all procurement is carried out in adherence to Farm Africa’s and aBi’s procurement policies
- Ensuring that all expenditures are fully documented in line with aBi Financial Management guidelines
- Ensuring time sheets are completed where necessary (any staff member who is not 100% dedicated to the project)
- Ensuring driver and vehicle log books in place, that fuel records for vehicles are analysed on a monthly basis, and that cars and motorcycles are comprehensively insured are being maintained and serviced according to supplier guidelines.
Line management:
- Assisting the Project Driver & Assistant with managing their workload in accordance with the requirements of the Farm Africa and NECPA delivery teams
- Holding supervision sessions with the Driver & Assistant at least once per quarter (to discuss progress against work plans and targets and resolve any outstanding issues)
- Ensuring all direct reports have objectives in place and their performance regularly appraised in line with Farm Africa’s systems and policies.
Playing a key role in delivering the wider objectives of Farm Africa’s aBi Chillies project including:
- Facilities management for Lira Office,
- Assisting with facilitating monitoring and communications visits from Donors and/or the wider Farm Africa team
- Maintaining proper personnel files for the aBi chillies project team such as leave records, annual appraisals and general personal records M Undertaking any other duties as reasonably requested by the project coordinator
Play an active role as a member of the Farm Africa Country team:
- Contribute to the development and implementation of Farm Africa’s strategy
- Identify and explore opportunities to grow and expand the country project pipeline, both in relation to the current project or related to new project opportunities
- Work with the PM, CD and the UK Programme Funding Unit to prepare funding proposals where requested, ensuring that any lessons learned during implementation are documented and built into future project design M Participate in country-level or Pan-Farm Africa programme meetings with other project coordinators, as reasonably requested
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 Project Accountant & Administrator (Lira & Soroti) job placement must hold a Degree in Accounting or Finance
- At least three years of experience working in an accounting position
- Demonstrable experience of producing project budgets and monitoring activities against them
- Experience of producing content for donor reports
- Experience of managing procurement processes
- Experience of managing other staff
- Experience of facilities and/or fleet management
- Experience of working with local CSOs and building their financial management capacity
- Experience of establishing financial record keeping systems (online and offline) and supporting partner organisations to do the same.
- Excellent Excel Skills
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate with people from a broad range of backgrounds
Desirable
- CPA (III) Qualification
- Working for an INGO
- Familiarity with SUN accounting systems
- Experience of working on aBi-funded projects
- Experience of managing non-finance staff.
- Experience of maintaining HR and personnel records
- Experience of managing project-level audits
- Negotiating & managing partner relationships
- Experience in leading teams in problem solving
How to Apply:
Please submit your CV, salary history and a two page supporting statement demonstrating how your skills and experience meet the requirements outlined in the person specification, Download Here to ugandarecruitment@farmafrica.org
NB: Please DO NOT send additional documents such as certificates and references with your application. Shortlisted candidates ONLY will be required to provide these documents during the interview process. Interviews are expected to take place w/c 22nd July 2019 at Farm Africa’s office either in Lira or Kampala. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
Deadline: Sunday 14th July 2019 by 5.00pm EAT
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