Job Title: Project Accountant
Starting Date: 18/11/2023
Deadline: 25/11/2023
Duty Station: Country Office/Sana’a
Project: FFA/FFT Project

About VHI

“Vision Hope International e.V. is a humanitarian and development organization working with local communities and authorities in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to transform societies in greatest need. Our aim is to alleviate extreme poverty by providing food security for families, protection and education for orphans, community integration for refugees and people with disabilities, and sustainable development that promotes human well-being. For more information about our organization, please visit our website at  www.vision-hope.org.”

Overall:

Under the supervision of the Head of Finance, the project accountant is responsible for the daily finance and accounting of the project. The project accountant will work on overall financial monitoring using practice rigorous financial control mechanisms. S/He will ensure that financial procedures, policies, and requirements are compliant with VHI and donors, to contribute to the achievement of VHI goals.

Duties and responsibilities:

Main responsibilities:

• Implement a daily monitoring system for office and project funds to ensure accurate and up-to-date financial information.
• Prior to processing payments, diligently verify the quality of invoices and adhere to VHI's financial procedures and guidelines.
• Before proceeding with any office or project expenses, conduct a thorough review to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with supported documents. Obtain approval from the respective manager.
• Whenever necessary, provide English translations for invoices and other relevant documents.
• Record all financial transactions and expenditures in a timely manner in the designated financial system, "WINPACCS," as per the required protocols.
• Collaborate with the line manager to prepare the monthly closure of the accounting process and ensure timely submission to the Head of Finance at the Country Office.
• Regularly perform bank and cash reconciliations to maintain accurate and balanced financial records.

Budget Management and supporting documents:

1.    Accurately record cash or bank transactions, monitor receipts and returns from Programme Teams and ensure correct data entry and reconciliation in the systems; ensure that advances are accounted for in line with financial guidelines.
2.    Manage daily operations in accounting system "WINPACCS", in line with VHI and donor requirements, ensure use of correct budget lines, monitor cash payments and update records and entries into cash books.
3.    Ensure consistency between cash book entries, physical counting, and balances.
4.    Ensure monthly accounting closure: physical counting and verify supporting documents; ensure process and paperwork is completed.
5.    Report inconsistencies, unusual actions seen in budgets, or errors to the Head of Finance.

Cash Flow Management:

1.    Take ownership of the cashbox, effectively handle, and manage petty cash funds.
2.    Adhere to VHI procedures when making cash payments and efficiently manage advances with other staff members.
3.    Ensure accurate and complete travel expense reports, as well as proper accounting for other approved expenditures. Reconcile any outstanding advance amounts.
4.    Proactively mitigate cash flow shortages by anticipating cash needs and planning for necessary money exchanges.

Archiving of Financial Records:

1.    Ensure all expense documents are stamped with the "PAID" stamp, including the project number of the respective donor.
2.    Maintain comprehensive backup systems, both in electronic (soft copy) and physical (hard copy) formats, for all financial documents. Additionally, regularly scan and digitize vouchers to ensure easy accessibility for review and audit purposes.
3.    Establish a digital voucher system to facilitate regular checks and reviews by headquarters (HQ) or auditors. 
4.    Implement a robust filing and archiving system to ensure organized storage and retrieval of all financial records.

Reporting:

1.    Prepare and update office/ project financial plan / reporting on yearly, quarterly, monthly basis or as requested by line managers.

Other:

1.    Offer additional assistance as needed, upon request from direct managers, to provide support in various tasks or projects.
2.    Maintain a clean and efficient working area, promoting a cooperative and supportive atmosphere for all team members

Required Qualifications:

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Commerce, Finance or Accounting.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3 years relevant experience in NGOs or INGOs.
• Excellent English communication skills (speaking and writing)
• Very strong proficiency in MS Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is required.
• Desire to continually learn and develop. 
• Analytical thinking, service oriented and team player.
• Proven ability to manage large and varied workloads and deal constructively with stress and periods with long hours.
• Proven ability to prioritize tasks, meet deadlines and work with limited supervision.

You are expected to demonstrate five core competencies: 

• Pursuing Excellence: Dedication to achieving exceptional results while maintaining efficient processes.
• Collaboration: Engaging relevant stakeholders and fostering a culture of open communication and feedback.
• Taking Initiative: Assuming responsibility and proactively leading initiatives, with a focus on innovation.
• Effective Communication: Actively listening and articulating ideas and information honestly and effectively.
• Demonstrating Integrity: Upholding and promoting the highest standards of ethical and professional conduct in alignment with VHI's values and Code of Conduct. This includes prioritizing safeguarding against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.

Additional job responsibilities:

• Joining date: As soon as possible.
• The duties and responsibilities as set out above are not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to carry out additional duties within reasonableness of their level of skills and experience.

Additional Considerations:

• The Project Accountant must adhere to VHI policies and the code of conduct, as well as faithfully and responsibly represent the organization.