Burkina Faso Accountant

Job purpose

Work with the project managers on supporting the internal forecasting process s plan to produce a financial plan linked to their work plan. To maintain and control the completeness and accuracy of the financial system for Burkina Faso office and provide a full accounting service to all projects in reporting all transactions to the Burkina Faso Country Finances Manager accurately on a timely basis. The Accountant is responsible for overseeing the internal control and compliance functions of MC Burkina Faso programme portfolio; including audit, financial review and compliance. The Accountant, while reporting to the Country Finance Manager, will interact with the Senior Program Manager, the Local government and communities, the mobile payment operator, the District Administrative Officers, the Project Officers and the Field health districts managers. The post holder will also work closely with the Finance Officer The Accountant is a member of the finance team in the country office and the Accountant will work closely with other finance staff in all programmes in MC Burkina Faso portfolio.

Responsibilities

Accounting and Management (60%)

• Ensure that the budget design for partners is in line with activities that drive cost
• Ensure that expenses (online payments) are prepared and executed to partners, including ensuring compliance and completeness of the file for each expense (approver 2)
• Support the implementation of the electronic payment processes in all districts
• Effectively manage the complaint mechanism procedure to ensure that complaints are collected, categorized, and solved in a proper manner. Work with the mobile operator to respond to all complaints.
• Effectively provide feedback to the program and districts managers on the outcome of the complaints
• Ensure strict compliance with internal controls put in place in relation to budget accounting and financial reporting (end-to-end verification to ensure a clear audit trail is kept).
• Track the state of partners' expenses and their advances according to budget lines
• If necessary, plan and conduct sessions to strengthen partner Admin Officer’s capacity on site or through a workshop
• Based on market knowledge, ensure partners are compliant with the procurement policy put in place and that value for money is achieved in all procurement processes
• Implement audit recommendations for partners related findings
• Prepare and track advances, made to partners within the funding agreements
• Check the correctness of coding, completeness of financial documents and review the batches of invoices and payments prior to posting to the accounting system
• Make sure that all collections are made using MC receipt voucher and deposited to the appropriate MC account on time
• Make adjustments as necessary using a Journal Voucher (JV) and keep the JV form sequentially in file, after approval by the Finance Manager/CFM.
• Issue monthly project management accounts to project managers and meet with each monthly to discuss the results, amend mis‐posting and other errors.
• Prepare a country variance report of the major variances of each project and share with the Project Manager, to review and approved the agreed actions for improving financial performance.
• Assist project managers to plan future expenditure and cash needs and to take remedial action where there are overspend
• Work with Country Finance Manager in preparing all mapped and phased budgets from the financial plans for inclusion in the internal forecast.
• Analyse project expenditure to ensure value‐for‐money.
• Maintain a database of costing to enable cross‐project comparisons to be made and to assist and speed up the preparation of new project budgets by technical staff.
• Lead Mobile Money Payment Process ( produce SOP for each cycle, monitor advance payment of partners, Review of advance documents justifications & Reconciliation of Orange Money Account : Work with the Two Finance assistants ( Recruited for every SMC CPS cycle) / Lead finance spot-checks for the cycles ( twice a year)
• First approver of orange Money payments initiated by Finances Assistant hence
  • Ensure monthly reconciliation of the mobile payment account
  • Effectively manage and coordinate the Project Finance Assistants to ensure, they carry out their tasks in an efficient and an effective way
  • Ensure strict compliance with internal controls put in place in relation to budget accounting and financial reporting (end to end verification to ensure a clear audit trail is kept)
  • Track the state of partners' expenses and their advances according to budget lines and raise any concern with CFM
  • If necessary, plan and conduct sessions to strengthen partners Administration Officer’s capacity on site or through a workshop.

Reporting , Compliance & Internal Control (35%)

• Internal reporting:
  • Prepare monthly reports to the CFM (as applicable) to a set monthly finance timetable which comprises the following
  • Bank and Orange Money account reconciliations including copy of statements
  • Aged list of outstanding Advances and Other ledger balances
  • Fixed asset register update and Spot Check reports
  • Authorised Petty Cash Count Certificate and reconciliations
  • Monthly timesheet update
• External reporting: Donor Reports
  • Prepare donor financial reports in conjunction with project managers to the CFM on a timely basis and with the frequency required by the donor
  • Respond and take corrective action to any review comments from both the project managers and the CFM on the donor reports
  • Assist project managers in the revision and realignment of their donor budgets
  • Monitors the validity and the relevance of contracts between MC and partners and escalates abnormalities
  • Monitor the compliance from partners to the national administrative and financial procedures
  • Conduct periodic internal Control review and compliance visit to the field offices to ensure all procedures are adhered to
  • Identify compliance and internal control weaknesses and make recommendation on the way to correct lapses and forestall reoccurrence
  • Produce monthly review report and field visit report including monthly trackers on all internal control and related issues and follow up for prompt resolution.

Finance Support to Additional Assigned Programme Activities (5%)

• In consultation with the Country Finance Manager, take the lead in planning, implementing and review the finance aspect of the additional assigned programme activities
• Assess and mitigate any financial risk to MC in carrying out these programme activities
• Ensure all individual involved in these additional assigned programme activities are abreast and comply with finance, procurement and other relevant procedures of MC
• Ensure all advances are fully retired, budget / expenditure analysis prepared for all the additional assigned programme activitie