Temporary Financial Accountant

Temporary Financial Accountant

Nairobi, Kenya

Overview

Pharo Foundation (“the Foundation”) is a mission-driven, non-profit organisation that designs, funds, and operates economic development programmes to achieve its vision of a vibrant, productive, and self-reliant Africa. Over the next decade, our goal is to create maximum impact towards three critical missions:

1. Empowering the next generation: Our education mission is to ensure that all students have an opportunity to access a high-quality, affordable education, and become productive citizens of a rapidly-changing world.


2. Eliminating barriers to employment and productivity: Our productivity mission is to identify and eliminate health, financial, and structural barriers to employment and productivity for working people.


3. Solving water scarcity: Our water mission is to ensure that people and communities across Africa have access to a safe and affordable source of water.

We are a diverse, multicultural, and passionate organisation, with over 700 employees in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Somaliland. Our headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya, and we have a liaison office in London, UK, which is home to our parent organisation, Pharo Management.

Opportunity

The Temporary Financial Accountant will handle daily operational tasks to ensure continuity and efficiency in financial operations. Reporting directly to the Global Finance Lead, this role is essential for maintaining accurate financial records, processing transactions, and supporting the financial health of the organisation.This position offers a dynamic opportunity for a detail-oriented individual to contribute to the smooth functioning of our financial processes, ensuring compliance with internal policies and external regulations.

Key Relationships

Role:                                              Temporary Financial Accountant

Contract:                                         Fixed term contract – 9 months (With the possibility of extension based on organisational needs).

Reporting to:                                Global Finance Lead, Nairobi                                                                              

Functional Relationships:            Global Finance Team, Other Head Office Team Members, Country Offices

Duties and Responsibilities:

Financial Operations and Reporting:

• Review and process supplier invoices, prepare and process payments.


• Review and process monthly funds requests for all operating countries.


• Review and reconcile on monthly basis bank accounts of parent entity and credit card transactions

• Review, process, and reconcile General Ledger & Journal Entries.

• Prepare month end reconciliations for parent company and review monthly reconciliations for all operating countries.


• Reconcile intercompany accounts with all operating countries and venture entities.


• Manage student scholarship payments, ensuring timely and accurate disbursement.


• Prepare documents and liaise with auditors for all operating countries.


• Assist in the preparation of financial statements and reports as required.


• Ensure compliance with relevant financial regulations, internal policies and procedures.

General Financial and Accounting Duties:

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date financial records.


• Support the Global Finance Team in ad-hoc financial tasks and projects.

Provide financial data and analysis as required.

Qualifications and Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related field.


• Professional accounting qualification (e.g., ACCA, CPA) is preferred.


• Minimum of five years of experience in a busy financial or accounting role.


• Strong technical accounting background ad comfortable articulating accounting standards and practises (IFRS, IFRS for SMEs).


• Proficiency in accounting software and Microsoft Excel.


• Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills with ability to be flexible in work environment.


• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

Behavioural Competencies

• Strong attention to detail, accuracy, and organisational skills.


• Ability to work well under pressure in a multicultural environment.


• Self-starter with initiative, capable of multi-tasking and meeting deadlines.


• Excellent communication skills, comfortable working with senior colleagues.


• High levels of integrity, professionalism, and a strong work ethic.

Application Procedure

We will review completed applications on a rolling basis. In the event that we identify an outstanding candidate early in the process, we reserve the right to appoint before the deadline. For this reason, we encourage interested candidates to apply as early as possible. Due to the high volume of applications, we regret that we will only contact shortlisted candidates.

• A detailed CV and cover letter. In your letter, please state where you heard about this position or saw it advertised (e.g., website, LinkedIn, etc.).

A one-page list of three references with current addresses, phone numbers, and email contacts, (the list should contain at least one peer, one direct report and one former supervisor).

Pharo Foundation is an Equal Opportunity Employer.