Principal Accountant (GIABA)

• Department: Specialised Institution


• Directorate: Administration and Finance


• Grade: P5


• Annual Salary: USD 52,273 - USD 59,100


• Supervisor: Director, Administration & Finance (DAF)


• Reference: ECW-GIABA/PACT-P/008/2015


• Duration: Permanent


• Duty Station: Dakar, Senegal


• Closing Date: 04 December 2015

Under the supervision of the Director of Administration and Finance, the incumbent shall be  responsible for assisting the DAF in his mission of managing the execution and application of GIABA’s budgetary, financial and accounting rules and regulations.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop and interpret directives and instructions in order to prepare the programming of work and budgeting cycles;

• Ensure the definition of the demands and needs of users in automated systems;

• Ensure preparation of periodic financial, budgetary and accounting reports;

• Ensure the analysis of proposals in terms of fiscal objectives, previous and current budgets and trends of resource allocation patterns;

• Ensure the planning, coordination and control of activities of the Finance Unit;

• Ensure internal and external visibility of actions and results of the Unit;

• Ensure periodically, efficient reporting on actions implemented and results obtained to the Director of Administration and Finance;

• Ensure the coordination of the team of the Department’s collaborators;

• Ensure the evaluation of the financial reports as budgeted in relation to actual expenditures or commitments;

• Ensure the identification of apparent anomalies or unusual trends of financial reports;

• Ensure the preparation of bank reconciliation statements;

• Ensure the efficient execution of accounting operations;

• Guarantee the reliability of accounting records;

• See to the preparation of all legal and regulatory accounts statements;

• Ensure and coordinate the periodic inventories;

• Guarantee the development of preliminary budget projections;

• Ensure the development of cost projections and data on commitments for each of the budget categories;

• Ensure and coordinate the preparation of the budget development cycle;

• Ensure efficient monitoring of the execution of GIABA’s operational budget;

• Ensure the development of the budget of the draft annual work programme;

• Ensure the monitoring of implementation of the work programme and budget through regular reviews;

• Guarantee the conformity of the commitment statements with the approved levels and limits;

• Ensure that all data and calculations taken into account by the budget staff are complete and accurate.

Qualifications/Experience/Skills

Educational Qualification

• A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance,  with specialization in Financial and Accounts Management, Financial Reporting or related domaine

Experience

• At least 10 years of progressively responsible experience in Finance/Acounting out of which 2 years must be in a supervisory/managerial position. A higher degree will reduce the number of years experience to eight (8) years.

• Experience with a regional or international organisation is desirable;

Competencies (Skills, Knowledge and Abilities)

• Perfect mastery of management and sound knowledge of accounting;

• Demonstrated excellent communication skills (oral and written), which requires good judgment, tact and diplomacy;

• Demonstrated leadership ability

• Demonstrated ability to work within a multinational environment and with a diverse group of people and organisations at the national, regional and international levels;

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize work load, set and meet deadlines, handle multiple tasks simultaneously and attend to details;

• Abililty to use a wide range of office automation equipment;

• Knowledge of advanced computer packages is essential;

• Demonstrated pratical knowledge in Administration;

• Sound knowledge of one of the two accounting or audit software packages;

• Knowledge of ECOWAS Financial procedures would be an added advantage.

• Sound knowledge of one of the two accounting or audit software packages;

• Self-control.

Age

Applicants must not be over 50 years of age at the point of recruitment.

Language

Applicants must be fluent in one of the official languages of ECOWAS: English, French and Portuguese. A working knowledge of another would be an advantage.

Principal Accountant (GIABA)