Background

The Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), an organization entrusted with the assessment, collection, and accounting for tax revenues for the Malawi Government is inviting applications from versatile and suitably qualified candidates to fill the above vacant position.

Overall Objective

Cordinating and supervising daily reconciliation activities, ensuring that all transactions from bank statements, cashbooks, and revenue systems are accurately matched and variances resolved promptly. The role supports team performance, maintains reconciliation records, and ensures adherence to approved procedures.

Responsibilities

• Supervising and coordinating the daily activities of the reconciliation officers.
• Allocating and monitoring workloads to ensure all accounts are reconciled accurately and on time.
• Providing guidance, mentoring, and on-the-job training to staff to improve competence and performance.
• Conducting regular performance reviews and report team progress to the Reconciliation Accountant.
• Overseeing the reconciliation of bank, revenue, and control accounts, ensuring all transactions are properly matched and verified.
• Ensuring that reconciling items are promptly investigated, documented, and resolved in line with internal procedures.
• Reviewing reconciliation reports prepared by officers before submission for further review.
• Maintaining an up-to-date schedule of outstanding reconciling items and follow up with relevant parties for clearance.
• Supporting preparation of audit schedules and provide documentation required during internal and external audits.
• Liaising with banks, internal revenue departments, treasury, and other stakeholders to resolve discrepancies.
• Escalating unresolved or complex issues to the Reconciliation Accountant with supporting evidence.
• Participating in meetings with banks and internal units to review reconciliation progress and outstanding issues.
• Preparing periodic (daily, weekly, and monthly) reconciliation status reports and summaries.
• Tracking key performance indicators such as aging of reconciling items, clearance rates, and timeliness of reconciliations
• Communicating issues identified during reconciliation promptly and propose corrective actions.
• Supporting audit requests by providing detailed schedules and documentation as required
• Adhering to accounting and reconciliation policies, internal controls, and standard operating procedures.
• Ensuring data accuracy and confidentiality in handling financial information.
• Participating in reviews and audits, implementing recommendations to strengthen controls.
• Collaborating with colleagues to ensure consistent reconciliation standards and knowledge sharing.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor of Accountancy Degree or equivalent from a recognized university/College plus some subjects towards completion of professional accountancy qualification such as ACCA or CIMA
• At least 3 years of experience in similar role or external auditing.

Attributes and Competencies

• Demonstrates sound understanding of accounting principles, reconciliation procedures to ensure financial data accuracy and integrity.
• Applies critical thinking and problem-solving techniques
• Effectively uses SAP (or other ERP systems) to extract, review, and reconcile financial data
• Proficient in using advanced Excel functions (e.g., VLOOKUP, PivotTables, Power Query)
• Clearly communicates findings, variances, and follow-ups to management, banks, and internal stakeholders
• Proactively identifies reconciliation issues, suggests process improvements with less supervision
• Provides effective leadership and guidance to team members
• Builds and maintains positive working relationships
• Plans and prioritizes workloads effectively

Successful candidates before being appointed will undergo an extensive background check of their integrity. Only when the vetting exercise is favourable shall the Authority make the appointment.

• Supervising and coordinating the daily activities of the reconciliation officers.
• Allocating and monitoring workloads to ensure all accounts are reconciled accurately and on time.
• Providing guidance, mentoring, and on-the-job training to staff to improve competence and performance.
• Conducting regular performance reviews and report team progress to the Reconciliation Accountant.
• Overseeing the reconciliation of bank, revenue, and control accounts, ensuring all transactions are properly matched and verified.
• Ensuring that reconciling items are promptly investigated, documented, and resolved in line with internal procedures.
• Reviewing reconciliation reports prepared by officers before submission for further review.
• Maintaining an up-to-date schedule of outstanding reconciling items and follow up with relevant parties for clearance.
• Supporting preparation of audit schedules and provide documentation required during internal and external audits.
• Liaising with banks, internal revenue departments, treasury, and other stakeholders to resolve discrepancies.
• Escalating unresolved or complex issues to the Reconciliation Accountant with supporting evidence.
• Participating in meetings with banks and internal units to review reconciliation progress and outstanding issues.
• Preparing periodic (daily, weekly, and monthly) reconciliation status reports and summaries.
• Tracking key performance indicators such as aging of reconciling items, clearance rates, and timeliness of reconciliations
• Communicating issues identified during reconciliation promptly and propose corrective actions.
• Supporting audit requests by providing detailed schedules and documentation as required
• Adhering to accounting and reconciliation policies, internal controls, and standard operating procedures.
• Ensuring data accuracy and confidentiality in handling financial information.
• Participating in reviews and audits, implementing recommendations to strengthen controls.
• Collaborating with colleagues to ensure consistent reconciliation standards and knowledge sharing.

• Demonstrates sound understanding of accounting principles, reconciliation procedures to ensure financial data accuracy and integrity.
• Applies critical thinking and problem-solving techniques
• Effectively uses SAP (or other ERP systems) to extract, review, and reconcile financial data
• Proficient in using advanced Excel functions (e.g., VLOOKUP, PivotTables, Power Query)
• Clearly communicates findings, variances, and follow-ups to management, banks, and internal stakeholders
• Proactively identifies reconciliation issues, suggests process improvements with less supervision
• Provides effective leadership and guidance to team members
• Builds and maintains positive working relationships
• Plans and prioritizes workloads effectively

• Bachelor of Accountancy Degree or equivalent from a recognized university/College plus some subjects towards completion of professional accountancy qualification such as ACCA or CIMA
• At least 3 years of experience in similar role or external auditing.