Accountant, USAID/Madagascar HARENA

JOB DESCRIPTION

The Accountant will play a key role in ensuring adherence to financial policies, project policies and procedures, regulations, controls and financial management systems. The Accountant will provide accounting and financial analysis support to the project office and ensure the submission of financial reports according to internal deadlines. This position will ensure compliance of all accounting and financial reporting functions. The Accountant is responsible for recording costs and daily general accounting, accounts receivable/creditable, payroll, financial risk management, managing relationships with partners, ensuring that all Backup documentation is ready for auditing, and troubleshooting accounting issues. The Accountant is also responsible for cash flow analyzes and the overall financial well-being of the project.

MAIN TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Financial report

• Develops and maintains reports on the status of financial management activities (e.g. monthly and quarterly reporting).
• Responsible for ensuring the project inventory/assets report is balanced with the general ledger/FAS/vFER prior to submission to USAID.
• Responsible for ensuring that all contractual financial reporting requirements are identified and met in a timely and accurate manner.
• Ensures tax reporting procedures are well documented to facilitate timely preparation and submission.
• Monitors and submits advance, commitment and grant reports as applicable.
• Develops and submits other necessary project reports based on registration requirements with local authorities.
• Monitors and reports on partner/vendor payment schedules and obligations.
• Provides annual expenditure budgets as well as quarterly forecasts against budget statements (accruals, financial pipelines, etc.), where applicable.

Audit

• Supports the preparation of internal and external audits.
• Supports responses and actions to internal audit comments.
• Conducts daily reviews of supporting documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy and full compliance with all regulations and the Field Operations Manual (FOM).
• Performs regular spot audits on project files.
• Ensures that appropriate support documentation is uploaded to the relevant system within established deadlines.

Policies and Procedures

• Ensures that accounting policies and practices are implemented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) standards; Project internal controls are established and implemented in accordance with DAI policies, USAID rules/regulations, and contract terms.

General Compatibility

• Initiates transfer requests for the implementation of the project in the field.
• Verifies the accuracy of supplier invoices.
• Verifies the accuracy of project expenses and accounting codes.
• Conducts regular cash flow analyzes to ensure funds are available and bank balances are accurately maintained.
• Ensures accurate and timely processing of invoices, advances and reimbursements, checks and transfer payments.
• Ensures payment requests have appropriate approvals.
• Ensures timely deposit of cash receipts.
• Responsible for recording and allocating costs based on the approved budget in the field accounting system (FAS/vFER).
• Performs monthly bank reconciliations and regularly monitors bank account balances.
• Verifies supporting documentation for all project-related transactions and ensures completeness and appropriate review and approvals are documented.
• Responsible for ensuring that petty cash is maintained according to the maximum petty cash policy, and that all petty cash procedures are followed.
• Ensures the protection of bank checks and cash receipts.
• Manages periodic payments to local authorities (Income Tax, Social Security, etc.) ensuring they are made in a timely and accurate manner.
• Ensures the availability of bank check books and coordinates periodic updates for bank account signatories.
• Prepares, reviews, and submits project cost data before submitting Oracle data reports to DAI Washington.
• Maintaining file management systems for soft and hard copy documentation.
• Maintains records of grant/purchase/subcontract documents and modifications, as applicable.
• Directs the schedule of financial activities to ensure timely preparation of budget-related reports.
• Performs periodic cash counts.
• Records non-billable expenses as appropriate and ensures they are carefully reviewed and kept to a minimum.
• Ensures that foreign taxes paid, if applicable, are tracked, recorded and reported to USAID in accordance with USAID Automated Directives System (ADS) guidelines.
• Regularly analyzes and reconciles project inventory to ensure that the value/purchase price of project assets reflected in the inventory register is in agreement with the total shown in the cumulative balance of the non-consumable assets account .

Travel Advances and Reimbursements

• Reviews travel requests and expense reports for accuracy and compliance.
• Follows procedures to ensure accurate and timely payment and reconciliation of travel advances, reimbursements for project staff and partner travel.
• Develops and monitors the exceptional advances report with particular attention to advances outstanding after 30 days of issuance.

Pay

• Processes payroll payments on time and accurately for the office and ensures leave balances and payroll taxes and deductions are accurate.
• Tracks and monitors leave balances and liability payments.
• Ensures staff compliance with time management and record keeping policy.

Financial Systems

• Regularly uses Field Accounting System (FAS/vFER), cloud software for supporting documentation, DAI Project Management System (TAMIS), etc.
• Communicates with headquarters system support teams to troubleshoot technical system or operational issues.
• Ensures voucher files are scanned and uploaded to DAI’s System for Electronic Archiving of Financial Documentation – SharePoint.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration or equivalent and 7 years of experience supporting projects funded by international donors. The professional qualification of Chartered Accountant and Finance (CPA in English) is preferred.
• Relevant experience and progressive responsibility in finance and accounting, including experience leading and managing the financial aspects of USAID projects, including a demonstrated understanding of U.S. Government contracting regulations related to finance.
• Accuracy in working with large amounts of data
• Experience with business accounting software and Microsoft Office suite.
• Ability to respond effectively to time-sensitive requests
• An articulate individual who has excellent communication and people management skills and who can relate to people at all levels of an organization.
• A well-organized, self-starter with strong technical skills, analytical ability, good judgment and strong operational focus
• Professional oral and written proficiency in English and French; professional oral and written proficiency in Malagasy is also strongly preferred.