Accountant

Job Description

The Accountant is responsible for assisting the Finance and Administration Manager with safeguarding the assets (financial and physical) of MSH and, ultimately, Global Fund against fraud, loss, or misuse. S/He is responsible for ensuring that any money expended in the field is done in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, MSH policy, and any cost principles imposed by the donor agency. The Accountant is aware of, and adheres to, MSH’s procurement integrity standards in all activities.

Under the overall guidance and direct supervision of the Finance and Administration Manager, the Accountant is responsible for helping ensure the provision and execution of financial services, and the effective and transparent utilization of financial resources, including the integrity of financial and administrative services to the MSH-led, USAID-funded Medicines, Technologies, and Pharmaceutical Services (MTaPS) Program in the Philippines. The incumbent promotes a client-oriented approach consistent with MSH rules and regulations. The Accountant works in close collaboration with the Finance & Administration Manager and with theFinance and Operations team in the Regional Office and HQ for resolving financial-related issues and to ensure consistent service delivery.

Accounting Activities (40%)

• Prepare payment vouchers with correct General Ledger code, attach complete and accurate payment documentation to voucher.
• Upload electronic banking payments into bank portal, where applicable, for review and release by F&A Manager/Fiduciary.
• Monitor staff advances, claims, and settlements through monitoring of travel claim monitoring sheet. Ensure that Travel Expense Claims include all necessary documentation to clear.
• Work with country program staff to resolve accounting related issues, as per MSH policy and procedures for request for advances and reimbursement (TEF) procedures.
• Maintain the internal expenditures control system which ensures that vouchers processed are matched with supporting documentations and completed transactions are correctly recorded and posted in QBO.
• Update accrual details for Paid Time Off and similar employee benefits. Remit to Home Office per schedule and protocols provided.
• Ensure proper documentation is filed with vouchers and maintained as per MSH and donor policy.
• Prepare month-end close files in accordance with established procedures and submit for review by COMU Manager in accordance with set deadlines.
• Assist (F&A Manager) to monitor MSH Country bank account transactions and reconcile account with project expenditures as part of the month-end close process.
• Completion of monthly petty cash reconciliation and replenishment.
• Review and monitor expense accruals and purchase orders status.
• Assist in validating payroll costs and allocation to MTaPS project activity class codes.
• Examine all financial documents for payment (i.e. purchase requests, purchase orders, agreements, leases, grants, and contracts) and ensure the completeness, accuracy, and validity of financial data, including accounting classification and computations.
• Ensure timely submission of statutory deductions from staff and vendors in line with the Philippine regulatory guidelines.
• Prepare tax provision schedules per vendor.
• Aid in enforcing existing written policies on internal control systems for procurements, inventory maintenance, and asset use which will ensure compliance with donor and MSH policies and standards.

QuickBooks (35%)

• Post payments, recurring monthly entries and allocations, and other financial transactions in QuickBooks.
• Ensure QuickBooks and other electronic accounting data is routinely backed–up, archived, and safeguarded.
• Work with HQ to maintain and update QuickBooks files, including software versions, account lists, and report templates.
• Liaise with procurement team and ensure that all commitments & accruals are accurately reported in Quick books on a monthly basis.

Cash Management/Treasury (10%)

• Review petty cash custodian’s reconciliation, documentation, and requests for replenishment. Perform spot-inspections.
• Enter petty cash expenses into QuickBooks at least once monthly.
• Disbursement of cash or processing of mobile/electronic payments, including per diem and transport to workshop participants and recipients during program activities.
• Provide fiduciary with estimates of upcoming cash needs to ensure efficient management of cash draws from Home Office and foreign currency exchange.
• Initiate payment request of all validated invoices via Standard Chartered Bank’s e-banking platform.

Provision of Administrative Support (10%)

• Sumbit documents to USAID for VAT exempt certificate submission to DFA, review and follow up pending VAT exempt certificates.
• Support to assets management and physical assets verification.
• Support to maintenance of premises and common services, office insurances, and management of document storage.
• Maintenance of files and records per document mapping policy i.e relevant to lease agreements of MSH-MTaPS office and related maintenance and insurance, and relevant reporting to HQ.
• Telephone expenses properly reviewed and personal usage being followed up and paid timely by individual staff.
• Create vendor and staff accounts/records via QBO.
• Review of procurement analysis and supporting documentation and ensure that procurements are done in accordance with MSH policies and procedures and Donor rules and regulation.

Other Duties (5%)

• Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
• Any other duties as assigned by management and as required by the position.

Education:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or equivalent certification required. Professionally qualified accountant from a local or internationally recognized institute of accountancy will have a distinct advantage.

Experience:

Required:

• 3 Years of work experience as an accountant required.

Preferred:

• Experience working for international organizations with U.S. Government funding.
• Experience with procurement processes that ensure strong internal controls and solid documentation trails.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Experience in the usage of computers and office software packages (MS Word, Excel, etc.) and advance knowledge of spreadsheet and database packages, experience in handling of web-based management systems and ERP financials, preferably Quickbooks Online.
• Knowledge of local taxation.
• Ability to create and monitor budgets. Understanding of the basic tenets of Cash Control, Asset Management, and Bank Reconciliation.
• Able to complete timely and accurate account reconciliations.
• Experience in office management preferred.

Competencies:

• Ability to assess priorities, work gracefully under pressure with multiple deadlines, and manage projects through to their successful completion with attention to detail and quality.
• Strong multi-tasking, organizational, and time-management skills. Must be able to problem solve.
• Understanding of the principles of adequate documentation and audit, and of the procedures necessary to ensure audit compliance.
• Demonstrated ability to take initiative and to work proactively and independently.
• Ability to maintain a flexible work manner and schedule.
• English fluency required (including speaking, writing, understanding, and reading, and the ability to work with vendors, staff, and stakeholders).
• Ability to work on a cross-cultural team.

Physical Demands:

• Availability to travel domestically and internationally if needed.
• Keyboard use, Pulling drawers, Lifting papers <10lbs., etc.

About the Organization

Management Sciences for Health, an international nonprofit organization, is dedicated to closing the gap between what is known and what is done about public health problems. MSH saves lives and improves health by helping public and private organizations throughout the world to effectively manage people, medicines, money, and information. Working from more than 30 country offices and our US headquarters, our staff from 65 nations is highly regarded for its technical expertise, integrity, and commitment to making a lasting difference in health.

Management Sciences for Health (MSH) is a nonprofit international health organization composed of more than 2,000 people from 73 nations. Their mission is to save lives and improve the health of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people by closing the gap between knowledge and action in public health. Together with their partners, they are helping managers and leaders in developing countries to create stronger management systems that improve health services for the greatest health impact.

EXPERTISE

MSH takes an integrated approach to building high-impact sustainable programs that address critical challenges in leadership, health systems management, human resources, and medicines. Simply put, they support stronger health systems for greater health impact.

Their expertise in these areas falls into the broad categories of management functions—for example, leadership and governance or pharmaceutical management—and health areas like tuberculosis or maternal, newborn, and child health. They apply their expertise by

• Partnering with governments, local organizations, and communities in developing nations to build their own capacity for long-term health impact;
• Providing global leadership in critical areas of health management and health care delivery;
• Bringing the best of MSH from around the globe to the people we serve, working as One MSH with a focus on lasting health system improvements.

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Leadership, Governance, & Management

They work with in-country partners to build stronger health systems to improve:

• the management and leadership of priority health programs, health organizations, and multisectoral partnerships such as The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, developing a critical mass of managers at all levels of the health system who can lead and inspire teams to achieve results;
  
• the management systems of health organizations in the public and private sector, transferring practical approaches and skills to ensure that management structures contribute to sustainable organizational success;
  
• the governance and management of health organizations and multisectoral partnerships, facilitating change and transferring knowledge to enable organizations to administer their resources efficiently and scale up their services.

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Health Service Delivery

MSH combines extensive public health expertise, proven service delivery approaches, and evidence-based interventions in five critical areas:

• HIV & AIDS
• Tuberculosis
• Maternal, newborn, and child health
• Family planning and reproductive health
• Other communicable diseases, including malaria and pandemic and avian influenza

Human Resources for Health

MSH helps governments develop multisectoral strategies and policies to plan and manage their health workforces. We use a comprehensive approach that addresses all the facets of human resources for health needed to achieve an adequate supply of well-trained and motivated health workers. MSH offers capabilities in leadership, human resource management, education, partnerships, policy, and finance to achieve these goals.

Pharmaceutical Management

Vital to our success is a participatory approach to project design and implementation, which cultivates broad-based support from all stakeholders. We also build and improve infrastructure and local capacity to effectively purchase, store, deliver, and use quality essential medicines.

Health Care Financing

MSH helps governments and NGOs assess their current financial situation and systems, understand service costs, and develop initiatives to use existing funds more effectively and generate additional revenue—all with the goal of supporting a nation’s health priorities.

Health Information

MSH has developed proven methods for rapidly strengthening the analysis and use of existing health data—normally at the province, district, and facility levels—without revising existing recording and reporting requirements. With an emphasis on learning through action, district teams undertake assessments of health services, identify gaps in performance, and design solutions to support better decision-making and, therefore, better management of improved services.

MSH has worked closely with the Health Metrics Network of the WHO to develop a comprehensive approach for enhancing the performance of health information systems and data by employing a practical, strategic planning process that can be carried out by national working groups.