Finance and Administrative Associate At Americares

About Americares
Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster. Each year, Americares reaches 90 countries on average, including the United States, with life-changing health programs, medicine, medical supplies and emergency aid. Americares is the world’s leading nonprofit provider of donated medicine and medical supplies. For more information, visit americares.org.

Program Background
Good health changes everything. With good health, children can learn, parents can provide, and neighbors can work together to build, and rebuild, their communities. For millions of people around the world, however, poverty and disaster put health at risk. At Americares, we strive to make good health possible – and with it, a chance at a full, productive life. A critical way to make good health possible, confirmed through decades of work around the world, is to make smart investments in local health centers – health posts, hospitals and clinics anchored in communities.
Our strategy is built on this singular idea: when local health centers thrive, so do people in their communities; they have better health, more opportunity, and increasingly productive lives.

In Malawi, Americares is partnering with African Parks to measurably improve the health of people who live in and around Majete and Liwonde National Parks. This will be accomplished by partnering with existing local health centers to strengthen their capacity to deliver quality health services and health education utilizing Americares “thriving local health center” model.

Position Summary
Americares is seeking a Finance and Administrative Associate to support program work and staff in both Majete and Liwonde catchment areas. The Finance and Administrative Associate will oversee financial, administrative, and operational aspects of Americares work in Malawi, including financial management, reporting, and equipment maintenance, engagement of local vendors, and gift-in-kind clearance and warehousing.

The responsibilities of the Finance and Administrative Associate include, but are not limited to, the following:
Accounting and Auditing
-Development of monthly financial statements, including statement of activities and balances sheet, as well as forecasts and monthly reporting package submitted to headquarters
-Initiate monthly funding wire request for field project implementation
-Reconcile and maintain accurate ledgers and subledgers
-Prepares and submits monthly balance sheet reconciliation reports, as well as grant, advance, and other financial reporting obligations
-Verify accuracy of expenses, project accounting codes, vendor invoices, and timely deposit of cash receipts
-Ability to work with QuickBooks, and SharePoint
-Conducts daily reviews of backup documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy, and full compliance with Americares policies and procedures

Accounts Payable and Receivable
-Code and enter Accounts Payable invoices for processing
-Post monthly accounts payable entries and complete corresponding paperwork
-Manage Accounts Receivable, including preparations of weekly invoices, monthly statements, posting transactions and payments

Travel Advances and Reimbursements
-Audits travel requests and expense reports for accuracy and compliance
-Follows procedures to ensure accurate and timely payment and reconciliation of travel advances, reimbursements for staff and partner travel
-Reviews and monitors outstanding advances report by paying close attention to advances that have not been settled after 30 days of issuance

Vendor Management
-Responsible for vetting vendors, regularly updating vendor lists, and following Americares procurement policies in Malawi and at HQ

Compliance
-Ensures that local staff adheres to all Americares financial policies and procedures
-Supports the preparation of internal and external audits
-Ensures compliance with local tax laws and regulations
-Performs regular spot reviews on project files and ensures backup documentation is uploaded to relevant system according to set deadlines

Administration
-Submit final version of monthly narrative report
-Ensure that Malawi documentation and reporting is organized and up to date in SharePoint and/or Teams
-Organizing all administrative paperwork, which may include staff personnel files, benefits, contracts, insurance documents and any other documents related to the program.
-Provide suggestions on how to improve the effectiveness and efficiency for financial reporting processes

Team Coordination
-Attending weekly and monthly program calls to discuss ongoing procurements, activities, policies, and other updates.
-Ensure that all financial and administrative aspects of program activities are done in a timely manner to ensure that monthly and annual workplan deliverables are achieved.
-Regular communication with Malawi field office to ensure that all procurements, cash advances, and budgets align with existing policies and are within the budgets mentioned in the Project Design Workbooks (PDWs)
-Regular communication with HQ staff, including but not limited to the Program Manager – African Parks Partnership, HQ Finance Manager, Field Operations – Africa, and Global Operations teams.
-Assist Project Managers and Consultants with organizing and implementing training and events when applicable

Qualifications Requirements
-Bachelor’s degree in Accounting
-At least 2 years’ experience working in a multinational non-for-profit entity or corporation.
-At least 5 years of work experience in accounting or a similar field
-Experience with preparing and proposing journal entries on their own based on analysis performed
-Experience working with intercompany and multi-currency transactions, is a plus.
-A positive, detail-oriented attitude and ability to analyze data and provide detail explanations
-Excellent written and oral communications skills in English
-Proven ability to communicate effectively with all levels of staff
-Self-starter with the ability to multi-task effectively
-Expert skills in Excel, including processing and analyzing data from different sources using advanced Excel functionality such as Advanced Formulas, Macros and Pivot Tables.
-Proficiency in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
-Experience with QuickBooks and other accounting platforms
-Experience working with international teams across multiple geographies and time zones
-Currently based in Blantyre, Malawi, or nearby location
-Genuine interest in helping to improve the lives and health of people affected by poverty and disaster so that they can reach their full potential
-Must have work authorization in Malawi