Project Overview

The USAID Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) Activity is designed to bolster the U.S. Government’s ability to boost trade and investment to, from, and within the African continent. The continent-wide program is USAID’s flagship effort in support of the Prosper Africa initiative and will expand and accelerate two-way trade and investment between African nations and the United States.

Driven by market demand, ATI embraces innovative approaches to achieve its goals. ATI is designed as a small, core set of centrally coordinated technical and institutional support activities, and a large, flexible performance-based subcontracting and grants under contract facility designed to support the needs and opportunities that USAID Missions and the private sector identify.

Position Description

The Senior Accountant will play a pivotal role in ensuring adherence to financial policies, project policies and procedures, regulations, controls, and reporting systems. The Senior Accountant will provide accounting and financial analysis support to the project office and will ensure submission of financial reports based on internal deadlines. This position will ensure compliance of all accounting and financial reporting functions. The Senior Accountant is responsible for recording costs and day to day general accounting, accounts receivable/payable, payroll, risk management, managing partner relationships, assuring all backup documentation is audit ready, and troubleshooting accounting issues. The individual is also responsible for cash flow analyses, and the overall financial well-being of the project.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

Financial Reporting

• Develops and maintains reports of status of financial management activities (i.e. monthly and quarterly reporting).
• Responsible for ensuring project assets/inventory report is balanced against the general ledger/VFER/SAP prior to submission to USAID.
• Responsible for ensuring that any/all contractual financial reporting requirements are identified and complied in a timely and accurate manner.
• Ensures that tax reporting procedures are well documented to facilitate preparation and submission in a timely manner.
• Monitors and submits advance, commitment, and grant reports as applicable.
• Develops and submits other project reports necessary and based on registration requirements to local authorities.
• Monitors and reports on partner/vendor payment schedules and obligations.
• Provides annual budgets of expenditure as well as quarterly forecasts against budget statements (accruals, pipelines, etc.) as applicable.
• Consolidates and reviews financial reports from Finance Officer before submitting to the Associate Finance Director for final review.
• Provides guidance of the accounting function under the direction of the Associate Finance Director

Audit

• Supports preparation of internal and external audits.
• Supports responses and actions to internal audit comments.
• Conducts daily reviews of backup documentation to ensure completeness, accuracy, and full compliance with all regulations and the Field Operations Manual (FOM).
• Performs regular spot audits on project’s files.
• Ensures adequate backup documentation is uploaded to relevant system according to set deadlines.

Policies & Procedures

• Ensures that accounting policies and practices are carried out in accordance with GAAP standards; project internal controls are established and implemented in accordance with DAI policies, USAID rules/regulations and the terms of the contract.

General Accounting

• Initiates wire requests for field project implementation ensuring compliance to DAI cashflow management policies.
• Verifies vendor invoices for accuracy.
• Verifies accuracy of expenses and project accounting codes.
• Conducts regular cash flow analyses to ensure availability of funds and the accurate maintaining of bank balances.
• Ensures accurate and timely processing of invoices, advances and reimbursements, checks, and wire transfer payments.
• Ensures request for payments have appropriate approvals.
• Ensures the timely deposit of cash receipts.
• Responsible for recording and assigning costs based on approved budget in field accounting system (VFER/SAP).
• Thoroughly reviewing payments to ensures costs are accurately charged to the correct billing codes.
• Performs monthly bank reconciliations and routinely monitors bank account balances.
• Verifies back up documentation for all project-related transactions and ensures completeness and appropriate review and approvals are documented.
• Responsible for ensuring petty cash is maintained according to maximum petty cash policy, and that all petty cash procedures are followed.
• Ensures the safeguard of bank checks, and cash receipts.
• Manages periodic payments to local authorities (Income Tax, Social Security, etc) ensuring they are completed on timely and accuracy manner.
• Serve and the local main point of contact for all Tax Authority queries and all communication regarding the Project.
• Ensures availability of bank check books and coordinates periodic updates for checking account signers.
• Prepares, reviews and submits project cost data prior to submitting Oracle data reports to DAI Washington.
• Maintains file management systems for soft and hard copy documentation.
• Conducts regular spot checks of financial vouchers to ensure completeness and proper filing.
• Maintains files on grant/ procurement /subcontractor documents and modifications as applicable.
• Directs the schedule of financial activities to ensure the timely preparation of budget related reports.
• Performs periodic cash counts.
• Records non-billable expenses as appropriate and ensures they are thoroughly reviewed and are kept to a minimum.
• Ensures that foreign taxes paid, if any, are tracked, recorded, and reported to USAID in accordance with ADS guidelines.
• Analyzes and reconciles project inventory on a regular basis ensuring that the value/purchase price of project assets reflected in the inventory register agrees with the total shown in the cumulative Non-Expendable account balance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or equivalent
• 9 years’ experience supporting international donor-funded projects.
• SAIPA professional qualification is an added advantage.
• Relevant experience and progressive responsibility in finance and accounting including experience leading and managing the financial aspects of USAID projects.
• Demonstrated understanding of applicable finance-related USG contracting regulations.
• Accuracy in working with large amounts of data.
• Experience with enterprise accounting software, and Microsoft office suite.
• Demonstrated ability to work in dynamic environments and achieve development outcomes.
• Excellent organizational skills with a willingness to take initiative and be proactive.
• Ability to perform high-level duties with minimum of supervision.
• Ability to respond effectively to time sensitive inquiries.
• An articulate individual who possesses excellent communications and personnel management skills and who can relate to people at all levels of an organization.
• A well organized and self-directed individual with sound technical skills, analytical ability, good judgement, and strong operational focus
• Excellent writing, speaking, and reading skills in English.

Reporting/Supervisor

The Senior Accountant reports to the Associate Finance Director or designee.

ABOUT DAI

DAI is a global development company with corporate offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, EU, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Palestine and project operations worldwide. We tackle fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. DAI works on the frontlines of global development. Transforming ideas into action—action into impact. We are committed to shaping a more livable world.

DAI and its employees are committed to confronting racism and holding ourselves accountable for positive change within the company and in the communities, cultures, and countries in which we live and work. DAI is committed to attracting and retaining the best employees from all races and backgrounds in our continued effort to become a better development partner.

DAI upholds the highest ethical standards. We are committed to the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment as well as other ethical breaches. All our positions are therefore subject to stringent vetting and reference checks.