About Self Help Africa :

Established in 1984, Self Help Africa is an international development organisation that works through agriculture and agri-enterprise development to address hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impacts of climate change. We believe that equitable economic development is key to lifting communities out of long-term poverty, empowering them to take control of their futures and improving their quality of life.

In early 2023 we launched a new five-year organisation strategy, which defines shared mission as the alleviation of hunger, poverty, social inequality and the impact of climate change through community-led, market-based and enterprise-focused approaches, so that people can have access to nutritious food, clean water, decent employment and incomes, while sustaining natural resources.

Our wider organisation also includes social enterprise subsidiaries Partner Africa, which provides ethical auditing and consultancy services, and CUMO, Malawi’s largest micro-finance provider.

Our three core values are:

• Impact: We are accountable, ambitious and committed to systemic change.
• Innovation: We are agile, creative and enterprising in an ever-changing World.
• Community: We are inclusive, honest and have integrity in our relationships.

Job Purpose:

Reporting to the Finance Manager and working closely with relevant Project Managers, the Senior Accountant is responsible for the maintenance of timely, accurate, up to date and easily accessible financial information and the provision of training and mentoring to project staff (non-finance staff) on finance and related matters for relevant Projects.

In addition, the jobholder has line management responsibility over specific Project Accountants and oversight of the shared costs allocation.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial data management and reporting.

• Read, understand and keep abreast of donor contracts and guidelines to ably guide Project team in interpretation and compliance of donor policies and procedures on budgeting, expenditures and reporting
• Review financial data for accuracy, completeness, and integrity to ensure its in line with SHA and donor policies and procedures.
• Prepare timely and accurate internal and donor financial reports in line with narrative reports, generally accepted accounting practices but also donor requirements to ensure effective project financial management.
• Prepare monthly management accounts for Project managers and SMT’s review
• Take initiative to investigate all project variances on budget variance reports (for assigned projects) and liaise with project managers on timely remedial action to ensure acceptable maximum budget utilization.
• Assist in the uploading and posting of transactions in the Accounting System on daily basis
• Ensure manual and electronic files are maintained for project payment vouchers, liquidations, journals, invoices, receipts and other support documentation.
• In conjunction with project managers update the Financial Controller and HRA Manager with any information regarding staff grade, funding percentages and salary changes.
• Support project managers with project narratives in relation to expenditure, financial risks and overall project’s risk management.
• Review, reconcile and update project asset listing, stock listing and verify to physical assets and stocks respectively.
• Implementation and provide oversight of all system, policies and procedures to ensure efficient project implementation, compliance to SHA and donor policies and procedures, reporting to management on any findings and areas of improvement.
• Monitor the cash and bank balances to avoid projects bank accounts running out of resources.
• Periodically conduct field visits to project sites to familiarize oneself with project activities but also confirm expenditure and provide finance induction, on- site support to staff, partners where necessary in all aspects related to accounting, finance and budget.

Month end procedures:

• Monthly prepare timely and accurate bank reconciliations of the assigned bank accounts, monthly Project Financial Monitoring Reports; posting accounting transactions; preparing source documents and ensuring that all invoices are accurate and relevant documents for audit are in place; checking and following up liquidations.
• Monthly review and reconciles all assigned balance sheet accounts and their items, investigate to clear all long outstanding items, raise the necessary journals, and ensure amounts in balance sheet accounts are correct and well supported.
• Assist the Financial Controller with all other month end procedures in relation to projects.
• Monthly, equitably allocate shared costs to projects in line with the SHA Cost Allocation policy, annual Malawi budget and individual project budgets. Keep updated on the CORE budget and provide reports to the Country Director.

Cash flow management:

• Facilitate sale of forex to replenish operating accounts; ensuring the sales are at a competitive rate.
• In accordance with SHA’s Finance Policy, calculate monthly conversion rate of all foreign currency transactions to facilitate smooth reconciliations for all projects.
• Prepare and consolidate where necessary the cash forecasts for Projects.

Staff capacity building:

• Manage the performance of Project Accountants as assigned, ensuring that they have set KPIs and manage the PDR process in consultation with the financial controller.
• Provide finance induction to staff in all aspects related to SHA’s accounting policies and procedures as well as donors’ requirements.
• Supervise the activities of the projects including stores Officer and office Assistant.
• Work with project staff to prepare project close out and participate in project close out meetings

Other:

• Support Project Managers in developing and consolidating donor and SHA annual budgets.
• Facilitate internal and external audit processes in relation to the project and ensure audit requirements are monitored throughout the project; work with the Project Managers to ensure that audit recommendations are implemented.
• Uphold and Promote SHA’s Safeguarding Policy

Key Relationships :

Internal: Project accountants, Project managers, procurement and logistics, Management Team

External: Banks, Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), Suppliers, Service Providers

Qualification :

• Minimum of Degree in the field of accounting
• 5 years’ experience working with a development or humanitarian organization.

Knowledge, Experience and Other Requirements:

• High levels of integrity, honesty, but also a quick learner
• Good computer skills with ability to work with spreadsheets, accounting software packages
• Attention to detail and problem- solving skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated capacity and willingness to learn – open to learning new ways of doing things
• Professional attitude towards work
• Friendly, customer service orientation
• Pro-active self-starter with ability to lead across teams.

• Read, understand and keep abreast of donor contracts and guidelines to ably guide Project team in interpretation and compliance of donor policies and procedures on budgeting, expenditures and reporting
• Review financial data for accuracy, completeness, and integrity to ensure its in line with SHA and donor policies and procedures.
• Prepare timely and accurate internal and donor financial reports in line with narrative reports, generally accepted accounting practices but also donor requirements to ensure effective project financial management.
• Prepare monthly management accounts for Project managers and SMT’s review
• Take initiative to investigate all project variances on budget variance reports (for assigned projects) and liaise with project managers on timely remedial action to ensure acceptable maximum budget utilization.
• Assist in the uploading and posting of transactions in the Accounting System on daily basis
• Ensure manual and electronic files are maintained for project payment vouchers, liquidations, journals, invoices, receipts and other support documentation.
• In conjunction with project managers update the Financial Controller and HRA Manager with any information regarding staff grade, funding percentages and salary changes.
• Support project managers with project narratives in relation to expenditure, financial risks and overall project’s risk management.
• Review, reconcile and update project asset listing, stock listing and verify to physical assets and stocks respectively.
• Implementation and provide oversight of all system, policies and procedures to ensure efficient project implementation, compliance to SHA and donor policies and procedures, reporting to management on any findings and areas of improvement.
• Monitor the cash and bank balances to avoid projects bank accounts running out of resources.
• Periodically conduct field visits to project sites to familiarize oneself with project activities but also confirm expenditure and provide finance induction, on- site support to staff, partners where necessary in all aspects related to accounting, finance and budget.
• Monthly prepare timely and accurate bank reconciliations of the assigned bank accounts, monthly Project Financial Monitoring Reports; posting accounting transactions; preparing source documents and ensuring that all invoices are accurate and relevant documents for audit are in place; checking and following up liquidations.
• Monthly review and reconciles all assigned balance sheet accounts and their items, investigate to clear all long outstanding items, raise the necessary journals, and ensure amounts in balance sheet accounts are correct and well supported.
• Assist the Financial Controller with all other month end procedures in relation to projects.
• Monthly, equitably allocate shared costs to projects in line with the SHA Cost Allocation policy, annual Malawi budget and individual project budgets. Keep updated on the CORE budget and provide reports to the Country Director.
• Facilitate sale of forex to replenish operating accounts; ensuring the sales are at a competitive rate.
• In accordance with SHA’s Finance Policy, calculate monthly conversion rate of all foreign currency transactions to facilitate smooth reconciliations for all projects.
• Prepare and consolidate where necessary the cash forecasts for Projects.
• Manage the performance of Project Accountants as assigned, ensuring that they have set KPIs and manage the PDR process in consultation with the financial controller.
• Provide finance induction to staff in all aspects related to SHA’s accounting policies and procedures as well as donors’ requirements.
• Supervise the activities of the projects including stores Officer and office Assistant.
• Work with project staff to prepare project close out and participate in project close out meetings
• Support Project Managers in developing and consolidating donor and SHA annual budgets.
• Facilitate internal and external audit processes in relation to the project and ensure audit requirements are monitored throughout the project; work with the Project Managers to ensure that audit recommendations are implemented.
• Uphold and Promote SHA’s Safeguarding Policy

• High levels of integrity, honesty, but also a quick learner
• Good computer skills with ability to work with spreadsheets, accounting software packages
• Attention to detail and problem- solving skills
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Demonstrated capacity and willingness to learn – open to learning new ways of doing things
• Professional attitude towards work
• Friendly, customer service orientation
• Pro-active self-starter with ability to lead across teams.

• Minimum of Degree in the field of accounting
• 5 years’ experience working with a development or humanitarian organization.