SUPERVISING

DUTY STATION

ABUJA, NIGERIA

Role Overview

Under the supervision of the Administrative & Finance Officer, the incumbent shall assist with the accounting activities of the Office.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

•      Assist in the year end closing of accounts and preparation of the ECOWAS Commission financial statements.

•      Assist with monthly exports and review of the trial balance of the year in review and note areas with issues.

•      Assist in analyzing of all general ledger accounts (Payables, receivables, Income & expenses) and adjust/propose corrections where necessary.

•      Preparation of journal vouchers and post into accounting system.

•      Amortization/expensing of utilized prepaid accounts.

•      Clearing of GL open items.

•      Respond and provide requested information/documents to external auditors on issues raised during the year-end audit and recommend/ propose ways to correct them.

•      Assist the Accountant in liaising with external auditors in closing of accounts and preparation of reports.

•      Assist other divisions (accounts payables, bank reconciliation, receivables and grants) with issues/proposed adjustments raised during the financial year audit.

•      Receive vendor invoices, scan/import the images, verify data extraction is accurate, and route the documents into electronic workflow for processing.

•      Verify and post scanned invoices using appropriate transaction codes in SAP.

•      Identify and prevent duplicate invoice processing.

•      Identify missing vendor workflow and initiate the vendor create process.

•      Process invoices in accordance with SAP requirements and ECOWAS financial policies and procedures.

•      Obtain and attach additional documentation as required for special expenditures including capital expenses.

•      Monitor opportunities to optimize timing of payments, based on payment term.

•      Process disbursements in accordance with schedule.

•      Reconcile supplier statements and monitor vendor account balances.

•      Enter and post cash receipts into accounting software system (SAP) using the appropriate transaction codes.

•      Post all payments made or received by wire transfer timely and accurately.

•      Prepare accurate bank reconciliation statements on a monthly and timely basis.

•      Respond to internal and external (vendor) inquiries in a timely and in a professional manner.

•      Assist in resolving invoice discrepancies with the vendor.

•      Process payable documents for donations in accordance with their legal and compliance policies.

•      Process and release cheques for related invoices and claims promptly.

•      Verify outgoing checks for accuracy.

•      Assist in the archiving of department documentation.

•      Process staff expense claim and travel return forms in a timely manner.

•      Provide general filing and administrative support to the finance department.

•      Assist in maintaining detailed records of budget estimates, obligations and available balances, producing forecasts of expenditure; reconcile divisional accounts with central accounts.

•      Other assigned duties.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

•      Brevet de Technicien Superior (BTS)/ Ordinary National Diploma (OND) or equivalent certificate in finance specialty or a related field from a recognized University.

•      Six (6) years of progressively more responsible work experience in finance, budget, accounting, or related area.

•      Demonstrated professional competence to extract, interpret, and analyze a wide variety of accounting data and to resolve data discrepancies and other problems.

•      Knowledge of transactional based accounting activities such as budgeting, payroll, vendor claims processing, reconciliation and financial reporting as related to assigned responsibilities.

•      Ability to identify and resolve accounting data discrepancies and operational problems.

AGE LIMIT

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

ECOWAS KEY COMPETENCIES

•        Ability to provide suggestions based on own observations that will improve the way work is accomplished and confidently lead on their implementation as requested.

•        Demonstrated experience working effectively as a team member, mentoring teams and occasionally leading on discussions and/or replacing other leading roles as required.

•        Ability to support the team by keeping abreast of the team’s initiatives, events and needs, assisting team leaders as required.

•        Ability work under pressure and be dependable for results.

•        Ability to take responsibility for own career and performance and to engage in self-assessment activities regularly and independently.

•        Ability to develop and maintain skills and expertise required to perform in the role effectively.

•        Excellent work ethics, positivity, motivation, flexibility, and problem-solving skills to carry out tasks associated with position.

•         Ability to take initiative to resolve semi-routine problems and make recommendations to improve the quality/quantity of services to clients.

•        Ardent desire to help others in a variety of circumstances of relevance to own work area and to refer to appropriate person for further assistance as required.

•        Ability to work as part of a team in articulating the needs of clients.

•        Ability to manage own time effectively and meet service standards and objectives related to assigned responsibilities.

•        Understands how to access internal resources or services to enhance cultural awareness and actively seeks to improve multicultural skills when interacting with others with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, especially within west Africa.

•        Ability to listen attentively to people’s ideas, requests and concerns and to understand, internalize and develop diversity management skills in accordance with ECOWAS rules/policies.

•        Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

•        Ability to recognize preconceived notions and stereotypical views of certain groups and individuals and to successfully adopt inclusive and culturally appropriate behaviors.

•        Basic understanding of the ECOWAS organizations mandates and its functions, particularly those of own institution/agency.

•        Knowledge of ECOWAS routine procedures and practices as it relates to assigned responsibilities and work tools.

•        Ability to apply ECOWAS standards for emailing and other routine tasks and to keep records, and information pertaining to assigned work in accordance with rules and regulations.

•        Ability to apply ECOWAS procedures relevant to tasks and demonstrate understanding of associated systems, processes, rules and/or standards sufficiently to explain their necessity and to identify errors and consequences.

•        Numeracy skills with the ability to collect, collate, classify and summarize data following clear and simple instructions.

•        Ability to be innovative with established procedures with a view of improving performance and/or outputs.

•        Ability to detect and correct errors and to keep accurate records of simple indicators/information.

•        Ability to gather and arrange information and data in a simple and understandable manner.

•        Ability to provide accurate and complete information to supervisor/co-workers/clients as requested, using good judgment, tact and diplomacy.

•         Ability to use computers with advanced word-processing skills including a working knowledge of spreadsheets, database, inter/intranet, email and social media.

•        Ability to read/listen and understand routine instructions and carry them out with limited supervision.

•        Ability to produce clear, concise, logical, and grammatically correct written material in the three ECOWAS official languages and to have equal verbal language proficiency.

•        Ability to address issues with others in a candid, polite, timely and straightforward manner.

•        Proficiency in information communication technologies (ICT).

•        Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages of the Community (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage.

•        Ability to organize routine work tasks, to identify solutions to address conflicting priorities or Uncertainty in carrying out new or changing tasks.

•        Ability to develop work goals and identify the steps needed to achieve these goals.

•        Ability to understand and contribute to team or work unit goals as directed by supervisor.

•        Ability to work within well-established office practices and balance multiple tasks within set deadlines.