Responsibilities include:
Providing support and training to local FEWS NET bookkeepers and regional staff on USAID and Chemonics International policies and procedures. Bookkeepers/accountants will be part-time and remote in the majority of project offices and may be embedded within Chemonics sister projects.
Conduct field financial/operational reviews of the regional office and virtual/physical country offices with focus on the following areas:
Providing continual training on Chemonics accounting system- ABACUS.
Reviewing field accounts and provide training to ensure compliance with USAID/DCAA regulations and Chemonics' policies, procedures. The field review involves a thorough revision of field office processes and procedures including a sampling of financial records for compliance with:
Timesheet management and approvals;
Travel authorizations and travel advance requests;
Expense report processing and approvals;
Petty cash management;
Procurement policies and vehicle controls;
Annual leave and sick time tracking, and medical allowance and reimbursements.
Reviewing and reporting on a monthly basis to the HO-designated FAST Manager expenses and transactions incurred by the FEWS NET offices across the region including:
Tracking outstanding staff receivables;
Tracking project withholdings and payables.
Compiling and reviewing bank reconciliations from regional offices.
Tracking and reviewing, on a monthly basis, expenses incurred by FEWS NET offices across the region.
Reviewing supporting documentation for all accounting transactions for the regional office and for project offices embedded within Chemonics sister projects.
Reviewing proper transaction codes.
Reviewing proper usage of project subaccount codes.
Reviewing field asset and liability account balances.
Working with FEWS NET country offices and/or Chemonics sister projects across the region in optimizing financial and cash flow management.
Evaluating results of the finance and compliance reviews with the PMU to discuss areas of non-compliance or deficiencies, and work with the PMUs to bring project files into compliance.
Assisting with virtual/physical field office closures during project close-out. The close-out review involves final reconciliation of regional and field offices accounts, as well as the closure and reconciliation of petty cash and local bank accounts.
Other duties as assigned by the PMU, HO-designated FAST Manager or Regional Technical Lead.
Assist home office field accounting and project management staff in reconciling intercompany accounts for the regional and country offices across the region.
Respond without delays to home office accounting questions or concerns concerning regional and country offices across the region.
Qualifications
A bachelor's degree in a related field is required; advanced university degree (master's degree or higher) is desirable
Minimum 10 years of relevant experience (with Master's degree) or 12 years of relevant experience (with Bachelor's) in financial management is required
Advanced computer skills, particularly in MS Office, word processing, and spreadsheets are required
Prior knowledge of accounting systems (ABACUS, QuickBooks) highly desirable
Experience performing accounting audits or reviews
Knowledge of USAID and its operations preferred
Willingness to travel regularly within the region, as well as both domestically and internationally as required, security permitting
Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity
Proficiency in written and spoken English is required; other local language skills relevant to the region are desirable