Job Advert: Country Accountant (27628)

Plan International is an independent non-profit development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.

We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it is girls who are most affected.

Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.

We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 75 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

Plan International Cameroon is seeking to recruit interested candidate to fulfill the position of Country Accountant – Country Office, Yaounde that will deliver the tasks outline below;

Please to note that this is a local contract.

role PURPOSE

[A concise statement, capturing the primary reasons that this role exists and a clear articulation of the context of the role. How will this role contribute to creating lasting change for children?]Responsible for financial operations support function. She/he ensures conformity with Plan International reporting requirements and the stringent compliance standards established by the Donors in agreement with Plan for the implementation of projects.   In addition, she/he will also ensure that all other financial entries in the CO are captured in SAP.

The position is not directly linked to any project; s/he will be based at Country office level providing financial support to finance and non-finance staff to deliver projects that will contribute to affect the life of children in the various communities Plan International intervenes.

Dimensions of the Role

[This section provides a summary of the size and authority of the post. It covers the size of the budget held, the numbers of direct reports, other key stakeholders who may depend on it, the type of communication required, the external representation involved and the reach of the role.]

• Business planning processes
• Accounting and treasury.
• Financial reporting and analysis.
• Capacity building.

Accountabilities

[This section is critical for clarifying expectations of the role, providing the framework for its relationship with colleagues and providing areas of accountability against which performance can be managed.This should include a series of brief statements that define the end results required. E.g. drive, contribute, identify, manage, responsible for, advise/coach, build, develop, provide, conduct, oversee, establish, participate etc.Statements should ideally be worded so that they will lead to thoughts of measurement.  For example, it is better to state something like "achieve maintenance standards" than "undertake maintenance".  The former leads to a measure against the maintenance standards.]

• Review purchase requisitions and payment requests at the Country Office.
• Oversee the accounting system (SAP) of Plan International Cameroon and give the necessary support to finance and non-finance staff in their day-to-day assignments.
• Ensure appropriate financial control processes, procedures and systems are in place and adhered to in the Country Office.
• Ensure effective treasury management with enough and not excess cash available for the day to day activities of the Country Office.
• Run the cost apportionment process at the close of every period (or month).
• Review and update delegation of authority matrix & Bank Signatories
• Participate in the preparation of year-end reports.
• Participate in the annual budgeting process and monitor expenditures on cost centers and alert department head/advisors on budget overrun.
• Oversee the activities of the CO accounts assistant and CO finance assistant.
• Follow up of countrywide inter-company recharges ( incomes; expenditures)
• Clearing of balance sheet accounts ( Good received/Invoice received; bank account..) in a monthly basis and work with all the Program Units finance on the subject
• Follow up of countrywide commitments in SAP by ensuring there is no long outstanding commitments (more than three months) in the system with no explanation.
• Follow up of partners and country office staff advances and inform the Country Finance Manager on long unjustified advances.
• Ensure that Country Office bank reconciliation are performed and inform the Country Finance Manager on outstanding item for more than three months with no explanation.
• Undertake the monthly depreciation process and  book result into the accounting system (SAP)
• Ensure the balance sheet accounts reports (accruals; prepayments; receivables…) are prepared monthly and submit to the Business Analyst for review and consolidation.
• Support the Country Finance Manager in the capacity building of finance and non-finance staff on Plan Finance procedures ( Operations Manual)
• Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Child Protection (CPP) and Gender Equality and Inclusion (GEI) are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.

Key relationships

 [This section refers to people inside and/or outside of the organisation that the post-holder needs to have contact with, and why. This should include virtual presence.]

• Grants Project/Program Coordinators and manager – Medium
• Country Finance Manager – High
• Grants Accountant – Medium
• Grants Support Manager - Medium
• Country Accountant – High
• PUMs- medium
• Program Coordinators - Low

Technical expertise, skills and knowledge

[This section details the skills, knowledge and expertise the post holder will be required to demonstrate in doing the job well.This should include clear levels of technical expertise and skills that support our work at national, international, and global level.]

Essential

• University degree in Accounting/Finance/Management
• At least 2 years’ experience in a similar role or in grants management
• Fair knowledge of project management
• Good experience and knowledge of accounting and grant funds management regulations and procedures;
• Good experience and knowledge on internal financial controls and procedures.
• Good experience in project reporting requirements and knowledge of Plan’s financial systems and procedures.

Desirable

• Good team player (ability to work in a team)
• Proficient in Microsoft applications especially spread sheets (e.g. excel )
• Good communication skills both oral and written
• Ability to work under pressure and deliver to tight deadlines
• Self-starter and innovative
• Good English and French is an asset

Plan International’s Values in Practice

We are open and accountable

• Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
• Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
• Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
• Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
• Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people

We strive for lasting impact

• Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
• Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
• Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
• Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.

We work well together

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

We are inclusive and empowering

• Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
• Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
• Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
• Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.

Physical Environment

[In this section, state “typical office environment”, or conditions such as “must work outside in an extremely hot and humid climate”. Also note if any protective equipment is required.]

• Typical office environment

• Office work and very little field visit

Level of contact with children

[Please delete as applicable]Low contact: No contact or very low frequency of interaction

NEXT STEP: To apply for this job, kindly click on "Apply". 

Location: Country Office –Yaounde Cameroon

Closing date: April 4th, 2018

Plan International Cameroon operates in an equal opportunity environment and actively encourages diversity.  Only applications received in French or English will be treated and only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Plan international has a child protection and gender equality policies that are integral part of the recruitment process.