Job Title: Finance Assistant
Hiring Organization: Mercy
Corps
Location – Locality: Nairobi
Location – Region: Kenya
Industry: NGO
Job Type: Full
Time
Salary: KES
Date Posted: 04/05/2024
Program
/ Department Summary
The Mercy
Corps Finance Department is responsible for all financial functions in Nairobi,
including accounting, payments and banking, payroll, budgeting, financial
reporting, and grant financial management and compliance. The Mercy Corps
Finance Department ensures compliance with donor regulations as well as Mercy
Corps’ internal policies and procedures. In its role as a support to the
Program Department, the Finance Department provides timely reports and
assistance to the Country Director and the Program team to ensure that
financial resources are used efficiently and effectively.
General Position Summary
Working
in the Finance Department under the direction of the Finance Officer/Snr
Finance Officer, the Finance Assistant will assist in the processing and
recording of payment transactions in timely and accurate manner.
Essential
Job Responsibilities
Responsibilities
Financial
management
- Responsible
for maintaining custody of the office cash fund and make daily payments of
approved transactions.
- Prepare
cash payment vouchers and ensure that all cash transactions are fully and
properly documented in relation to batch assigned in the Finance System.
- Perform
daily cash count with the Finance Officer, Snr Finance Officer or other
person assigned.
- Record
payment vouchers daily in the cash sub-journal for the batch assigned.
- Maintain
the uncleared cash advance file and prepare past due advance report for
the Finance officer or Snr Finance Officer on monthly basis.
- Support
Finance Officer or Snr Finance Officer to check-signers or bank
authorizers for review and signature.
- Support
Finance officer/Snr Finance Officer to record payment vouchers daily in
the bank and cash sub journal assigned.
- Support
Finance Officer/Snr Finance Officer to prepare cheques or wire transfer
requests based on fully approved documents and present to approved.
- Counter
check expense reports (travel expense reports and operational expense
reports) for accuracy and completeness and ensure that expense reports
have been fully approved before payment.
- Responsible
for gathering transaction documents required for donor reporting.
- Assist
with audit related requirements (timely documents retrieval, filing after
audit completion, proving additional assistance as necessary)
- Assist
with scanning, copying, printing, and uploading of financial documents on
relevant folders including monthly payments and vouchers for posting by
the main office.
- Any
other duty as may be assigned.
Filing
& Archiving
- Responsible
for filing all cash and bank vouchers and maintain voucher filing system
such that files are updated, complete and safeguarded. Ensure all finance
documents are properly labelled, filed and stored in a clear and easily
accessible manner following Field Finance Manual
- Submission
of all original vatable invoices to Nairobi for VAT claim on timely basis
for VAT claim on weekly basis
- Ensure
quality control of financial documents for completeness and proper
referencing before archiving.
- Assist
with Sub-grant management and organizing sub-grant files.
Tax
- Support
Finance Officer/Snr Finance Officer with processing of withholding VAT and
withholding tax as per KRA regulations including scanning copies to the
main office on weekly basis.
Security
- Ensure
compliance with security procedures and policies as determined by country
leadership.
- Proactively
ensure that team members operate in a secure environment and are aware of
policies.
Organizational
Learning
- As
part of our commitment to organizational learning and in support of our
understanding that learning organizations are more effective, efficient
and relevant to the communities they serve, we expect all team members to
commit 5% of their time to learning activities that benefit Mercy Corps as
well as themselves.
Accountability
to Beneficiaries
- Mercy
Corps team members are expected to support all efforts toward
accountability, specifically to our beneficiaries and to international
standards guiding international relief and development work, while
actively engaging beneficiary communities as equal partners in the design,
monitoring and evaluation of our field projects.
- Team
members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and
respect local laws, customs and MC’s policies, procedures, and values at
all times and in all in-country venues.
Accountability
Reports
Directly To: Finance Officer (Isiolo & Marsabit) and Senior Finance
Officers(Wajir & Maralal)
Works Directly With: Country Finance Team, Program teams and Regional Teams
Knowledge
and Experience
- A
degree in accounting or a relevant business field.
- Minimum
CPA II or other relevant accounting qualification.
- At
least one year experience in accounting, bookkeeping or cashiering,
including experience with double-entry accounting preferably in an
international NGO.
- Familiarity
with major international donor rules and non-profit accounting.
- Familiarity
with computerized, double-entry accounting software.
- Strong
computer skills in MS Office programs, particularly Excel
- Accuracy
in the processing of cash transactions, mathematical aptitude and
attention to detail.
- Excellent
oral and written English skills.