UA48,563.42/USD 76,632.37

Under the supervision of the Head of Administration and Finance, the incumbent is responsible for all accounting and the supervision of accounting assistants. Ensures the appropriate use of funds and the complete entry of accounting documents. Establishes bank reconciliations, analyzes accounts and prepares financial statements.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

·       Assume responsibility for bookkeeping and directly supervises assistants to ensure adequate segregation of duties.

·       Establish and integrate the different Grant budgets into the SAP system.

·       Ensure budgetary monitoring and produce monitoring reports for the various projects.

·       Process all approved payments.

·       Exercise close supervision of the Accounts Assistant responsible for Treasury by performing surprise checks on books and funds held at a predetermined time to ensure appropriate and duly authorized use of funds.

·       Establish all bank reconciliations monthly.

·       Prepare financial reports/statements under the supervision of the Head of the Administration and Finance Division of the Lomé pool.

·       Be responsible for entries in the general ledger and personal registers.

·       Accounts for all funds received from donors and prepares report for donors, as applicable.

·       Supervise the submission of all reports received from program managers.

·       File all supporting documents.

·       Prepare the draft final account for each financial year.

·       Ensure the upgrading of accounting assistants in the performance of their tasks.

·       Verify transactions before data can be entered by accounting assistants and seeks authorization from the Head of Administration and Finance before making changes to accounts.

·       Ensure accounting of project funds provided by partners.

·       Carry out any other task entrusted to him by his supervisor.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

·       At least a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Business Management obtained from a recognized university or higher education institution.

·       Have a minimum of 5 years of relevant professional experience in accounting.

·        Have excellent computer skills.

·        Having a good command of the FICO, Grant Management, Fund Management, MM and TVM modules of the SAP accounting software will be an additional advantage.

·       Having proven knowledge of IPSAS standards will also be an additional asset.

·        Have worked on the management of funds from different international donors.

·       Have proven leadership skills, the ability to work in a team, create and maintain good interpersonal relationships.

·       Be able to work under pressure in a multidisciplinary and multicultural team.

·       Work in collaboration with colleagues on mission, assume responsibilities.

·       Keep abreast of new developments in own profession/profession.

·       Actively seek professional and personal development.

AGE LIMIT

Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.

ECOWAS KEY COMPETENCIES

·       Demonstrated ability to persuade/influence others to consider a certain point of view, adopt a new idea or implement new methods and practices.

·       Ability to lead a small team of trainees/junior staff and instill a spirit of teamwork to engage employees and achieve a well-defined set of activities.

·       Ability to resolve issues that occur with minimal direction and/or to recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval.

·       Ability to utilize the ECOWAS Code of Ethics to manage self, others, information, and resources.

·       Ability to mentor others and create feedback loops with supervisors, colleagues as well as temporary or contract employees to build strong working relationships and improve performance.

·       Superior interpersonal skills with ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to timeline, quality, and quantity.

·       Demonstrated ability to proactively interact with clients and build strong trusting relationships based on mutual respect and regular discussions.

·       Ability to establish and sustain professional credibility with clients/stakeholders in a manner that anticipates their need, mitigates issues and that carefully balances professional obligations with the need to be sensitive and responsive to their needs.

·       Ability to counsel, advise, consult, and guide others on matters pertaining to assigned client service responsibilities and established ECOWAS client service standards.

·       Contribute to maintaining organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.

·       Demonstrated respect, fairness, and ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, nationality, gender, ethnicity, race and religion.

·       Advanced understanding of diverse cultural views especially within west Africa, with sensitivity to group differences; ability to challenges bias and to practice tolerance and empathy.

·       Ability to listen actively, consider people’s concerns and apply sound judgement, tact and diplomacy.

·       Ability to work in a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths.

·       Ability to encourage, empower, and advocate for people in an unbias and transparent manner.

·       Knowledge of ECOWAS institutions and sectors (e.g. location, mandate, inter-relationships, programs, services, and occupations).

·       Knowledge of ECOWAS internal operational requirements of programs, projects, services and systems required to achieve work assignments and meet performance goals.

·       Excellent knowledge of rules and procedures of ECOWAS associated assigned responsibilities and ability to explain these clearly to others.

·       Knowledge of the ECOWAS culture, structures and performance issues and priorities impacting assigned responsibilities.

·       Ability to study data/information from a variety of sources, identify anomalies, trends and issues, present findings, and make recommendations.

·       Ability to break down problems or processes into key parts to identify and solve gaps in service, quality assurance, compliance, and performance targets.

·       Knowledge of and ability to apply techniques to generate creative ideas and new approaches to meeting goals.

·       Ability to use evidence and research to inform policies and programs and identify relevant and appropriate sources of information, including stakeholders, regional institutions and/or internal committees.

• Demonstrated operational proficiency in the use of computer in communicating using tools like email, word processing, excel, power point, and social media sites; ability to produce complex spreadsheets, graphics, and charts to communicate trends, conclusions, observations, etc.
• Ability to makes sound use of graphics and tables to effectively present numerical data to write semi-complex technical reports/proposals and edit/check templates, letters, etc.
• Ability to convey information clearly and concisely and in a succinct and organized manner through both writing and verbal means, either with electronic or print media.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills with the ability to develop rapport, to make presentations, express opinions, and debate ideas with others in a constructive manner.
• Fluency in one of the three ECOWAS official languages (English, French & Portuguese)
• Ability to develop and implement an individual action plan for achieving specific work goals and identify, organize, and monitor tasks throughout to facilitate execution.
• Demonstrated ability to contribute and/or lead on projects as per accepted project management standards and techniques, to co-ordinate contributions by others and to set and meet deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to organize work, set priorities, and work within timelines, giving attention to details, stakeholders, indicators, and risks.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, collect and assess indicators to monitor performance and to take proactive remedial action as required.