Job Description

The position

The Senior Accountant will ensure the compliance, internal controls, adherence to financial policies and procedures, completeness, accuracy, timeliness and proper record keeping of transactions related to organizational revenues, receivables, payables, payroll, and tax filings.

Key Responsibilities

Income accounting, reconciliations and follow up on receivables (Scrutiny and Verification)

• Ensure student registers are updated for enrollment by all schools and verify the accuracy of student enrolment numbers on a weekly basis. Verify all new enrolments on a weekly basis with the Admissions office and the Heads.
• Verify that revenue accountants are generating invoices based on accurate student enrolment, receipts are generated daily, and there are no uncredited deposits at the end of every week.
• Generate and verify revenue entries for the accounting system.
• Ensure and verify reconciliations between bank, class attendance registers, student information system and accounting information system.
• Generate accurate enrollment and debtors lists on a weekly basis and distribute to the Head-teachers, CFO and CEO.
• Generate accurate enrolment and debtors lists on monthly basis for sharing with the Finance and Audit Committee of the Board.

Payables and Payroll

• Put in place a payments’ tracking system. Approve and monitor payments to ensure payments are done in accordance with targets for processing time, and in accordance with the procurement and finance policies.
• Ensure VAT filings are done in a timely manner, respond to any URA queries and ensure collections from URA are done in a timely manner
• Reconcile all payables accounts on a monthly basis, resolve brought-forward balances with suppliers as needed
• Ensure payroll is processed in a timely manner, review for accuracy and changes and submit to Board.

Cash and bank

• Oversee timely preparation and verification of bank reconciliation statements on a monthly basis of all collection accounts
• Ensure all bank reconciliations are completed.
• Verify petty cash purchases are in accordance with finance policies. Raise exception queries with head-teachers or department heads. Follow-up with schools to ensure replenishment
• Ensure proper recording of fixed deposits and timely booking and receiving of interest

Fixed Assets

• Ensure the fixed assets register (with full information) is updated and in line with the accounting information system records
• Update the depreciation expense as per the fixed assets schedule on a monthly basis
• Ensure that all assets in all the units are properly tagged and insured.

Budgeting and Reporting

• Assist during budget exercise follow up on timely collection of data in liaison with the relevant units/ departments.
• Assist in the generation of periodic financial reports (monthly/quarterly/annual)
• Timely prepare schedules for internal, interim and annual audits and support completion of annual statutory audit of financial statements
• Support timely filling of company and income tax returns

Management

• Manage the team being a role model for the staff and oversee their work for accuracy and timeliness
• Provide value adding financial information and analysis
• Address risks raised by internal and external audits

The requirements

Qualifications & Work Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance
• CPA(U) and or ACCA certification
• 5+ consecutive 5 years of experience as an accounting manager or senior accounting position
• Experience in managing a small accounts team of 4-5 staff
• Experience in preparing financial statements, reconciliations and preparing for audit.
• Work experience in a school would be an added advantage

Skills (technical/behavioral):

• Should have a high-level of proficiency in using MS-Excel and MS-Word.
• Proficient in use of an ERP system or accounting software
• Should be proficient in planning, organizing and coordinating.
• Should possess excellent written and inter-personal skills.
• Strong analytical skills and orientation to detail.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision and under pressure
• Demonstrated ability to manage a team to deliver against milestones, with accuracy

Sector

Social Development

About The Agency

The Aga Khan Education Services (AKES) is one of the largest private, not-for-profit, non-denominational educational networks in the Global South. AKES currently operates over 190 pre-primary, primary, secondary and higher secondary schools and more than 100 non-formal education programmes in diverse geographic locations in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda and the United Arab Emirates. Most schools offer their respective country’s national curricula, with some schools in East Africa and Bangladesh also offering the International Baccalaureate (IB) and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE). AKES employs over 6,500 teachers and staff and educates over 104,700 students