Accountant

Job Description

Accountant - Pharo Primary School, Hargeisa, Somaliland

Organisation Overview

The Pharo Foundation (the “Foundation”) is a privately funded entrepreneurial organisation that runs philanthropic programmes as well as the for-profit arm, Pharo Ventures. The vision of the Foundation is an economically vibrant and inclusive Africa. The mission is to achieve our vision by investing in Africa’s human and physical capital with a strong focus on job creation.

Established in 2011 as a UK based non-profit, the Foundation has since made a strategic shift to directly design and implement its own programmes to ensure greater engagement with communities, better results and increased accountability. The Foundation has carried out numerous projects in East Africa, with a focus on Ethiopia, Somaliland and Rwanda. The key themes for the philanthropic side of the Foundation are education, health, water and agriculture. At the end of 2019, the Foundation started its Pharo Ventures franchise to prioritise sectors where the Foundation believes a real impact can be made by establishing self-sustaining businesses that focus on job creation.

Headquartered in London, the Foundation has an operational Head Office in Nairobi, Kenya with country offices in Ethiopia (Addis Ababa and Assosa), Somaliland (Hargeisa) and Rwanda (Kigali) with further expansion plans in East Africa.

Position: Accountant

Location: Hargeisa, Somaliland

Reporting to: School Heads

Contract Type: Fixed Term - One year

Position Summary

The accountant role is a challenging role for a self-driven individual who seeks to leverage their knowledge and understanding of the local accounting principles and tax regulations and ensure compliance with the required regulatory standards. The incumbent will be accountable for maintaining financial processes within the school through effective implementation of policies, systems and robust internal controls as well as accurate and transparent record keeping.

The ideal candidate should be proficient in Excel, detail-oriented, adaptable, and have some school finance experience. Our organisation offers a positive, collaborative and mission-driven culture.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible for school fee collection.
• Prepares quarterly and yearly variance reports and seeks explanations with the help of the School Heads.
• Prepares monthly financial reports.
• Prepares fees reconciliations per month/term.
• Prepares and processes all financial expenses for the school and submits for further review approvals.
• Makes payment from the petty cash only when approved.
• Scans and archives financial supporting documents on daily basis
• Posts daily transactions in the accounting system on regular basis and with appropriate reviews and approvals.

• Ensures that all electronic and paper filing records for all accounting transactions and banking information are fully documented, well-structured, transparent and easily accessible.
• Manage the petty cash and sundry expenses process and ensure it is reconciled on a daily basis.
• While reviewing and processing financial transactions ensure that budget holders use the right project codes before it is approved.
• Ensure the documentation for all accounting transactions are complete, transparent and robust.
• Ensure controls and reconciliations are performed with petty cash and bank accounts.
• Support the review and development of financial policies and make sure implementation maintains integrity and transparency throughout the organisation.
• Reconcile cash/bank accounts within three working days after the end of the month.
• Other ad-hoc related tasks as required by the Line Manager.

Skills and Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years’ experience in working in NGO or school environment in a similar capacity.
• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Business Management or Equivalent
• Familiar with basic accounting and bookkeeping theory, e.g.debits/credits and assets/liabilities.
• Experience in using an accounting software package with Xero being the ideal but not mandatory.
• Experience in using Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook.
• Proactive and able to manage workload with guidance from the line manager.
• Methodical with an attention to detail.

Behavioural Competencies

• Able to effectively communicate with parents regarding school fees.
• Dedicated team player with demonstrable experience in setting up finance procedures and systems.
• Problem solver and creative thinker with the ability to get results in fast-paced environments.
• A self-assured, internally motivated and passionate individual driven to succeed and make a difference.
• An individual with high levels of integrity, professionalism, resilience, accountability and determination.
• An individual with strong work ethics and a mature, professional proactive attitude.
• Extremely organised and efficient individual with high attention to detail.

 

How to apply

This position is open to both female and male nationals from Somaliland.

The application deadline is June 25th, 2023.

Review of applications will begin as soon as they are received, and only complete applications will be considered. In the event that an outstanding applicant is identified early in the search process, we reserve the right to appoint before the deadline. For this reason, we encourage interested candidates to apply at the earliest possible time. Due to the high volume of applications, we regret that we will only be able to contact shortlisted candidates.

Application Requirements:

• A detailed CV.
• Cover letter - In your cover letter, please indicate your motivation for the role and state where you heard about this position or saw it advertised e.g. through our website, jobs board, etc.
• An updated list of at least (4) referees with their names, titles, current email addresses, and phone numbers.
• Essay of not more than 1,000 words outlining the experiences you have gained that makes you the most qualified candidate for the role.

Please click on the link to apply https://pharofoundation.bamboohr.com/careers/78