Senior Financial Accountant

About the Role

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is seeking a Senior Financial Accountant to ensure the integrity and accuracy of accounting information for compliance, and quality control over financial transactions and financial reporting. This role will be offered on a permanent contract basis, subject to availability of funding and will be based in Nairobi, Kenya.

The position holder will assist the Financial Accounts Manager and work closely with other members of the Financial Accounts Team to prepare and provide financial accounts and statements. They will work closely with colleagues in other parts of Corporate Finance, based in London, Washington, and Nairobi.

In addition, the Senior Financial Accountant will provide guidance and support in the operation of GAIN’s financial processes and systems, to finance colleagues and managers from GAIN’s country and representative offices (15 in total), across a range of cultural and geographical backgrounds.

Key Responsibilities include

• In charge of the Accounts Receivable function which includes setting up new Awards in our financial systems; donor invoicing; recording funds received; calculating and reconciling Restricted Income balances and Funds recognition values; and posting resulting financial entries.
• In charge of the monthly staff timesheets function, including generating the timesheets; communicating with staff and following up to ensure submissions are received; reviewing submissions for accuracy; and preparing analyses of staff time variances vs actuals.
• Responsible for month-end closing processes, ensuring that these are completed on time and that required schedules and reconciliations are completed accurately and approved. This includes completing Balance Sheet reconciliations as assigned and in line with procedures and raising and posting any correcting entries required.
• Review and check the accounting transactions and control account reconciliations of other offices on a monthly basis, ensuring that these are in accordance with procedures and that any required correcting entries are raised and posted.
• Monitor the operation of GAIN's financial processes, ensuring that published procedures are followed, reporting any significant breaches and making recommendations for improvements.
• Contribute to the design of financial training workshops and material and participate in the provision of financial training sessions across the organisation.

About you

• The ideal candidate will be a fully qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA, CIMA, CPA or equivalent) with experience in accounts receivable function, donor invoicing, restricted income management among others as listed in the job criteria. You should have experience managing organisational timesheets with accuracy and preparation of staff time variances versus actuals.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills combined with ability to handle a wide range of internal and external clients such as staff, vendors, banks and consultants is required. The position holder should be able to take accountability and ownership of financial accounting processes while working cooperatively with the rest of the Financial Accounts team to ensure that processes are completed in line with timetable and that timely, accurate and meaningful accounts are produced.
• Ability to effectively partner with teams based in different time zones and cultural backgrounds is required.