MAIN PURPOSE OF JOB:
The GSU Regional Accountant will coordinate and oversee financial management and country office operations, ensuring compliance with accounting standards and organizational policies across multiple countries (5-6 on average) in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The responsibilities include contributing to the development of manuals and standards of operations globally, reviewing financial statements, and managing reporting procedures. He/she will contribute to the enhancement of business systems, manage banking and treasury functions, strengthen capacity within country office finance teams, conduct financial analysis, and contribute to recruitment and proposal development. The Regional Accountant will serve as a liaison between headquarters and country offices, ensuring effective coordination and adherence to organizational priorities.
MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Financial Management and Country office oversight
Perform monthly reviews of multiple country offices’ financial statements and transactions to ensure compliance with accounting standards and MSH policies, maintaining the integrity of accounting information and financial reporting
Prepare summaries of the monthly reviews for management, identify and communicate financial reporting errors/gaps to country office finance leads, and provide guidance for the resolution of identified gaps
Review and facilitate the timely transition of country offices’ financial data from QuickBooks to CostPoint monthly
Oversee the implementation of accurate reporting procedures and the timely submission of month-end and year-end financial reports from multiple country offices
Perform (countries without accounting staff) or review (all other supported countries) monthly and annual reconciliations of balance sheet accounts in QuickBooks and CostPoint for all supported countries
Contribute to the development, update, and management of MSH global financial processes and manuals, including the Country Office Finance Manual, Chart of Accounts Manual, specific training manuals (QuickBooks, Costpoint etc.), Inventory Management manual, among others.
Oversee the implementation of and adherence to MSH’s internal controls by country offices
Partner with country office teams to imbibe MSH’s values in all finance and accounting responsibilities
Provide guidance and support external reporting requirements, including the review and preparation of annual and special purpose financial statements in supported countries
Oversee country office finance and accounting functions (people, system/structure, and processes) through frequent engagements including country visits
Interpret and offer advice on MSH and donor policies and procedures and cost principles to country office finance teams
Business continuity and shared services
Backstop for the country office finance leads in their absence and as needed
Provide compensating controls for multiple countries/projects with inadequate finance structures to manage segregation (1-2 countries on average)
Act as the finance team in countries/projects with no finance staff (1-2 countries on average) or provide specialized support when required
Provide robust surge support to country finance teams during periods of increased demand or special projects
Maintain business continuity by serving as bank signatories to MSH bank accounts (except when prohibited by local regulations) in all supported countries
Setup the accounting function at country/project start-up by conducting robust onboarding sessions for finance and accounting staff, equipping new hires with required knowledge and skills to perform effectively, reviewing system requirements and delivering a fully operational accounting system (QBO, Transaction Pro, Inventory Management Systems etc.)
Manage the close-out of finance and accounting functions in countries/projects in collaboration with the country office finance leads, ensuring that all expenses are recognized, assets and liabilities are reconciled and accurate, and bank accounts are closed/transitioned as appropriate
Manage both cash accounts and accounts payable of projects/countries in start-up and close-out where local capacity is absent
MSH business systems enhancement and maintenance
Serve as the administrator for MSH’s financial management systems (QuickBooks, Costpoint, Inventory Management): Manage access and controls, provide training, and troubleshoot errors for all country office and HQ users
Create QuickBooks company files for all new countries and projects
Process Costpoint timesheet expense allocation and leave accruals, generate reports for country office use and troubleshoot issues for supported countries
Coordinate the deployment and rollout of key global finance and accounting initiatives in line with MSH’s strategic plans
Banking and Treasury Management
Coordinate the identification, assessment, and selection of preferred bankers in country offices
Coordinate the opening and closing of country offices’ bank accounts, including changing of signatories (removal and additions), ensuring compliance with MSH’s banking guidelines
Coordinate the annual independent verification of current bank signatories, thresholds approved and account mandates in country offices
Develop and maintain relationships with MSH’s key banking institutions while remaining current on new services MSH can exploit in the banking sector.
Review, consolidate, and submit all MSH country offices’ monthly fund requests to HQ treasury, ensuring that bank balances are within the established KPIs and are properly managed to mitigate financial risk (loss, exchange rate fluctuations, etc.)
Serve as a liaison between HQ treasury and country offices – troubleshooting and proposing innovative cash management approaches.
Perform reviews and oversight of country offices’ bank and mobile money accounts, ensuring the risk of loss is mitigated
Capacity Strengthening
Assess the capacity of country office finance teams and make recommendations about training needs and team structure
Plan, direct, and coordinate the development and training required to build skills and competencies and increase the long-term independence and effectiveness of the country office finance teams
Develop and implement capacity-strengthening programs by developing tools and training materials and organizing training or mentorship sessions for finance and accounting staff in country offices
Provide capacity building and onboarding support for country office finance leads around systems, policies and procedures, and for country leadership around financial management oversight
Provide orientation and training on accounting-related concepts and requirements, and changes to applicable accounting standards to finance and accounting staff in supported countries
Strengthen engagement with Key stakeholders in country offices (CPDs and DFAs) and work closely with them to address their support requirements.
Financial Analysis, KPIs, and compliance
Interpret country offices’ balance sheets results based on financial analysis reports from QBO and Cost Point, support HQ and country office accounting teams in troubleshooting accounting exceptions and providing timely resolution.
Conduct regular knowledge sharing sessions with country office teams to reinforce fraud awareness and policies
Participate in/coordinate internal and external audits across countries as required. Lead efforts to close audit financial management findings timely
Ensure that systems are in place in country offices to ensure that operations are managed and staff act in full compliance with local laws, adhere to contract/award and donor requirements, and comply with MSH policies and standard operating procedures
Maintain a centralized repository of country government regulations and standards of all supported countries
Recruitment and Proposal Development
Contribute to the proposal development process by recommending suitable finance team structure for effective program implementation and designing/reviewing job descriptions for new projects/countries
Participate in the interviews and selection of mid-level country office finance positions
Internal Liaison and Coordination
Act as a strategic link and focal point connecting corporate departments with country offices.
Coordinate and ensure country offices’ execution of organizational priorities and timelines set by corporate finance
People Management
Provide technical direction to finance staff in assigned countries.
Mentor and coach Country Offices finance professionals.
QUALIFICATIONS
REQUIRED MINIMUM EDUCATION:
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or a related field
PREFERRED:
Professional Accountancy Qualification (e.g. ACCA, CPA, ICAN)
Master’s degree in Accounting or a related field
REQUIRED MINIMUM EXPERIENCE:
7 years of progressively responsible experience in finance/accounting in a similar organization
Prior work experience with U. S. Government and non-USG, foundations, or other donors.
KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
Experience in the use of accounting software (QuickBooks preferred).
Experience in solving complex issues through analysis
Experience in developing and building the capacity of finance and accounting staff
Demonstrated ability to independently analyze balance sheet and expense account transactions
Proficiency in Microsoft Office
Understanding of the tenets of cash control and asset management and must be able to complete timely and accurate account reconciliations.
COMPETENCIES:
Excellent written and oral communication skills in English and French.
Excellent interpersonal skills; demonstrated ability to interact professionally with culturally diverse staff.
Demonstrated ability to thrive in a matrix management environment.
Strong results orientation, with the ability to challenge existing mind-sets/status-quo
Excellent strategic, analytical, problem-solving, and systems-thinking skills with the ability to make sound judgments and decisions
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