Accountant

JOB DESCRIPTION:

• Reporting directly to: The Principal
• Reports indirectly to: The Board of Governors

KEY RESULT AREAS

1. Budgeting and Planning:
   • Take lead in the Archbishop Janan Luwum Vocational Training Institute (AJLVTI) management team in the development of the annual budgets and/or project-specific budgets.
   • Collaborate with the management team in the development of the annual budget, providing guidance to the departmental heads.
   • Preparation of quarterly and annual work plans.
   • Take lead in the termly review of budgets, continuously monitoring the Budget Vs Actual, and ensure updating the budgets with any approved changes.
   • Responsible for the revision of the budget ensuring compliance with financial policies, donor/funder requirements, and AJLVTI financial management standards.
   • Work closely with teams to prepare and submit any budget modification requests to donors/funders where necessary.
2. Financial System Development and Oversight:
   • Develop, manage, and implement an efficient finance management system with appropriate controls; act as the systems administrator for QuickBooks.
   • Work with the IT person to continuously develop and improve the finance management system; seeking opportunities to streamline the system to reduce workload and enhance the management reporting quality.
   • Keep abreast of best practices in financial management, especially changing (or new) donor and legislative requirements, ensuring that AJLVTI’s financial management system is updated accordingly.
   • Oversee the upload of consolidated institute-wide budgets, donor budgets, and individual project budgets into QuickBooks.
   • Ensure routine banking operations are conducted in a timely and secure manner.
   • Take responsibility for ensuring all taxes and statutory payments are accurately calculated and paid; coordinate efforts to claim any possible tax exemptions and/or VAT returns.
3. Finance Analysis, Reporting, and Advisory:
   • Prepare accurate, timely, and prudent financial and management information reports to support effective financial decisions.
   • Prepare and/or extract periodic financial statements to inform stakeholders, such as management, Board of Governors, and other stakeholders (e.g., income statements, project financial performance reports, cash flow reports, management accounts).
   • Ensure all expenditures are aligned with AJLVTI budgets and prepare regular status analyses highlighting any areas of concern.
   • Keep abreast of changes in financial regulations and legislation, and ensure compliance with statutory obligations to minimize risk of litigation, financial loss, and reputational damage.
   • Ensure accurate and timely financial reporting to all stakeholders as required (e.g., project financial accountability reports, year-to-date performance reports).
   • Prepare monthly performance/variance analyses and forecast reports, carrying out cash flow analysis and management (financial projections) to inform management decisions.
4. Disbursement of Payments:
   • Ensure accurate and timely disbursement of funds to vendors, implementing partners, service providers, and other stakeholders.
   • Review payment vouchers to ensure timeliness, completeness, and accuracy of supporting information in the processing of payments.
   • Prepare and process payroll and other allowances, ensuring correct calculation of statutory deductions.
   • Ensure all data is correctly and accurately captured in QuickBooks.
   • Ensure that taxes and related statutory payments are made, and all returns are accurately completed with tax payment certificates collected where necessary.
5. Financial Administration:
   • Ensure that routine financial administration is carried out in accordance with good accounting practices, adhering to AJLVTI financial policies and donor/funder agreements.
   • Oversee accounts receivable by ensuring debit notes and invoices are submitted on time, following up on payments with partner organizations and guardians of students, and reviewing intercompany invoices and payments reconciliation.
   • Ensure all vendor invoices are captured correctly on QuickBooks and conduct a bi-monthly review of accounts payables.
   • Manage inventory (consumables and fixed assets), ensuring that all AJLVTI’s fixed assets are on the register.
   • Participate in identifying financial risks and threats pertaining to financial processes and systems within the organization.
   • Ensure that financial audits, project audits, and evaluations are conducted as per donor and statutory requirements, implementing all audit recommendations.
6. Team Management:
   • Lead the Accounts Officer effectively and efficiently to ensure the provision of high levels of internal and external service.
   • Plan and organize the department’s work to achieve team and functional objectives in the most effective manner possible, ensuring that team members have appropriate workloads and work efficiently.
   • Monitor and review performance, holding supervisees accountable for achieving results, meeting standards of excellence, and delivering any identified improvement goals, taking decisive action in the case of poor performance.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Commerce (Accounting Option), Business Studies (BBS), or Business Administration (BBA) (Accounting Option) from a recognized university/institution.
• Certification in Accounting in either ACCA, CPA, or CIMA.

Relevant Experience:

• 5 years of experience in a similar position or as a Senior Assistant Accountant in a reputable institution.
• Good knowledge of EFRS and Taxation Management.
• Proficient in advanced Word, Excel, Internet, and email, with familiarity in QuickBooks.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.

Personal Attributes:

• The candidate must be a mature Christian, flexible, honest, able to work with minimal supervision, an effective communicator, team builder, and a dynamic accounting professional.

Employment Terms:

• Probation of 6 months, followed by confirmation into contract service.

How to Apply:
Applications, along with the most recent CVs with three references, certified copies of relevant academic testimonials, a recommendation letter from a religious leader, and a daytime contact, should be submitted to the address below no later than 4th October 2024. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.

The Principal
Archbishop Janan Luwum Vocational Training Institute
P.O. Box 1222 Gulu
Email: principal@ajlvti.ac.ug