Job Description
JOB PURPOSE
The AfricaRice Center (AfricaRice) is recruiting a Senior Project Accountant – REWARD Project to lead the financial management of “Regional West Africa Resilient Rice Value Chains Development Program (REWARD).” AfricaRice is a pan-African intergovernmental research organization committed to improving the livelihoods of farmers through rice research, development, and capacity-building initiatives.
The REWARD program, initiated by the African Development Bank (AfDB), aims to address the systemic challenges in rice value chains in West Africa by enhancing climate resilience, mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, and promoting sustainability. It encompasses three key components: (1) REWARD-REG: Strengthening regional technical support for innovations in rice value chains. (2) CSAREWARD: Building climate resilience in rice production systems. (3) REWARD Mitigation: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions across rice value chains. The program targets 13 countries, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, GuineaBissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
Under the supervision of the Planning and Budget Manager, the Senior Project Accountant (Bilingual) is responsible for the overall financial management of REWARD projects’ finance component.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
He/She will conduct activities with specific tasks that include, but are not limited to:
Document management & compliance:
- Maintain a complete and up-to-date record of all REWARD project documents, including the project contract, Letter of Agreement (LOA), Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), and other relevant materials.
- Ensure proper documentation and compliance with donor and institutional requirements, including adherence to financial implementation aspects in collaboration with the Project Coordinator.
Sub-Agreements & partner coordination:
- Keep accurate records of sub-agreements and pertinent documents related to partners/collaborators.
- Monitor the implementation of sub-agreements to ensure partners meet their contractual and financial obligations.
- Coordinating and reviewing financial reports and supporting documents from partners/collaborators, sending reminders for deadlines, sharing observations to partners/collaborators on the submitted reports, following-up responses to queries, if any
Financial disbursement & reporting:
- Facilitate the timely transfer and disbursement of funds per the terms of sub-contracts, ensuring transparency and accountability.
- Assist partners/collaborators in preparing financial reports, ensuring accuracy and alignment with donor requirements.
- Conduct a detailed review of financial reports and supporting documents from partners/collaborators to ensure compliance with reporting requirements and special donor conditions.
Special Project Bank Accounts:
- Maintain records of the special bank accounts for the REWARD project.
- Working closely with the accountant -Treasury, review the bank statement on a weekly basis and pass relevant entries for transactions recorded directly by the bank.
- Prepare the monthly bank reconciliations for approval by the supervisor.
Budget & expenditure monitoring:
- Systematically reconcile accounts by reviewing and verifying expenditures to ensure adherence to budgetary requirements.
- Monitor fund utilization and grant disbursement schedules to provide real-time funding status updates for management decision-making.
- Analyze budget variances monthly, identify major discrepancies, and collaborate with Project Coordinators and supervisors to implement corrective measures.
Financial record keeping & audit support:
- Work with project accountants to ensure all financial records, including supporting documents, are regularly scanned and uploaded to shared folders for timely monthly and quarterly reporting.
- Prepare, review, and submit financial reports, statements of expenditure, financing plans, and forecasts required by the donor and stakeholders.
- Ensure systematic organization and retrieval of documents necessary for financial reports, donor reviews, and audits.
- Support institutional and project audits (internal and external) by organizing required documents, analyzing audit observations, and assisting in follow-ups.
Administrative & operational oversight:
- Review and validate requests for official missions, purchase requisitions, staff recruitment (regular, temporary, consultants), fund transfers, and other financial transactions to ensure alignment with the work plan, availability of funds, and correct account allocation.
- Ensure proper recording and validation of all transactions for timely month-end and year-end closing of books.
- Ensure project budgets are accurately uploaded into AfricaRice’s financial system and updated as needed.
- Working together with the project procurement officer, ensure the procurement plans are within the provisions of the approved project budget.
Stakeholder engagement & compliance:
- Collaborate with the Project Coordinator, country coordinators, and pillar leaders to clarify financial reporting issues, ensuring consistency with technical reports.
- Provide financial status updates, including over/under-expenditure analysis, and ensure adherence to donor requirements.
- Support institutional budgeting process by providing necessary financial data on updates and/or amendments to inform the Annual Budget Preparation process.
Billing & revenue monitoring:
- Prepare, issue, and track invoices as required, ensuring timely monitoring of receipts.
- Follow up on pending payments, address discrepancies, and ensure proper documentation for reconciliation.
Other duties:
- Perform any other relevant tasks assigned by supervisors to support the effective financial and administrative management of the project.
EXPECT REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
The successful candidate will:
Education & Qualifications
- Master’s degree in business with a major in Accounting or Finance, or certification as a Certified or Chartered Accountant, or an equivalent professional accountancy qualification.
Experience
- Minimum of six (6) years of progressive experience in accounting, financial management, and/or administration, with at least two (2) years in a senior or supervisory role.
- Experience in an international non-profit organization or NGO is an advantage.
Key Competencies & Skills
- Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
- Excellent planning and organizational skills, with the ability to monitor information and tasks effectively.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with sound judgment.
- Ability to work in a multicultural environment.
- Capacity to perform effectively in high-pressure and demanding situations.
- Strong motivation to deliver accurate and timely reports.
- Proficiency in ERP systems (knowledge of AGRESSO will be a significant advantage).
- Excellent communication skills in both English and French, both written and spoken.
Applications will be accepted until the position has been filled.
