Accountant (Payables & Advances) at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional grouping with 15 Member States in West Africa (three landlocked and one island) with a population of about 300million and an annual economic growth rate of around 6%. The ECOWAS Commission is one of the eight Regional Economic Communities supporting the African Union to coordinate the implementation of continental and regional integration and development programmes in the West African region.

We are currently seeking to employ suitably qualified candidates to fill the vacant position below:

Job Title: Accountant (Payables & Advances)

Reference: ECW-FIN-REC/P/001/2017
Location: ECOWAS Commission, Abuja, Nigeria
Department: Finance
Grade: P3
Supervisor: Principal Accountant
Duration: Two years (with extension subject to “Staff Regulation” of the ECOWAS Commission, satisfactory performance and availability of funds)

Job Objective

• Reporting directly to the Principal Accountant (Accounts payable), the Accountant has a responsibility for the execution of financial policies and regulations in the area of Accounts Payable and other contract expenditure processing including payment of advances and update of related books of accounts for the ECOWAS Commission.

General Description

• A major responsibility of this position is supervising staff to review invoices as well as check payment requests;
• Sort, organize and match bills and check demands;
• Set invoices up for payment;
• Put together and process Institution accounts payable check, reconciliation of obligations;
• Prepare analysis associated with accounts;
• Monitor Institution accounts to ensure payments to be up to date;
• Resolve bill discrepancies;
• Vendor document maintenance;
• Respond to vendor enquiries;
• Produce monthly reports;
• Assist in month end and annual closing.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible for creating and maintaining all vendor master records in the financial system;
• Supervise and train Accounts Payable staff for maximum efficiency and output;
• Review the work of Payables staff to ensure all payables are properly documented, properly approved, coded to active and valid codes in accordance with the ECOWAS Financial Regulations and the Manual of Accounting Procedures;
• Process all employee/consultant claims for travel-related and other expenses;
• Monitor ageing and due dates of payables and arrange to account and pay in a timely manner;
• Act as liaison between Vendors, Consultants, Employees and/or Internal Sectors/Departments and Accounts Payable within the Finance Directorate and offer impeccable customer service;
• Review/reconcile vendor statements on a regular basis;
• Prepare and submit monthly reports for management review;
• Investigate Vendor, Consultant and Employee inquiries and track down delinquent invoices;
• Ensure accurate and timely filing of all AP related vouchers and records to enable easy retrieval of documents and ensure proper archiving of prior fiscal year documents;
• Retrieve and furnish all relevant vouchers and details for internal and external audits.

Qualifications, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required

• A Bachelor's degree in Accounting (or equivalent qualification) with additional 5 years of relevant record of professional experience. Being a professional accountant (CPA, ACCA, CIMA, CA etc.) will be an added advantage.
• A higher degree will reduce the number of years of experience to three (3);
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills (fluent) in one of the official languages of the ECOWAS Community (English, French and Portuguese). Good working knowledge of a second Community language will be an added advantage.
• Excellent knowledge of financial accounting principles and concepts including the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS). Experience with EU Pillar Assessment on Internal Control and Accounting will be an added advantage.
• Good knowledge of general aspects of financial management software and of at least one ERP software. Previous specific experience with SAP will be an asset.
• Ability to operate standard Microsoft office software (Word, Excel, Power Point, Access).
• Good inter-personal skills and team working ability necessary to enable effective interaction in performing key financial activities of other team members and supervise their works, including peers. Proven record of experience in multicultural environments will be an added advantage.
• Ability to set and meet deadlines including strong ability to manage multiple tasks to completion and with set deadlines.
• Ability to make recommendations on key financial and managerial issues.

Language:

• Must be fluent in one of the official languages of the Commission; English, French and Portuguese. A working knowledge of another would be an advantage.

Annual Salary
USD 36,901 - USD 44,469.

Application Closing Date
29th August, 2017.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should download the "Application Form" below, fill the form and send it as an e-mail attachment along with their CV's to: ecorys@ecowas.int

Click here to download Application Form (Ms Word Format)