Account Officer at the Admiralty University of Nigeria (ADUN)

The Admiralty University of Nigeria was established as a Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) through the joint efforts of Nigerian Navy Holdings (a subsidiary organization of the Nigerian Navy) and Hellenic Education Nigeria – (a private consultancy, with international educators as main partners).

Applications are invited from suitably qualified candidates to fill Full-Time, Part-Time and Daily Part-Time vacancy in the Administrative and Support Department of the University:

Job Title: Account Officer

Location: Delta
Job Type: Senior Managerial/Administrative and Support Staff
Department: Bursary

Overall Purpose

• To ensure that all student related income (tuition and accommodation fees) is invoiced and reconciled to the student records system
• To implement payment plans for students and ensure that income is received and processed by a variety of methods; direct debits, credit cards, cheques and cash
• To ensure that sponsors are invoiced, financial returns prepared and that students receive loans, refunds and assistance as appropriate
• To cover the Senior Cashier role as and when required.

People Management:

• Day to day supervision of the student fees team in the Income Office, ensuring that workloads and holidays are successfully managed and support and guidance are given to staff

Analysis, Reporting and Documentation:

• Ensuring that sponsors of students, e.g. research organisations, charities or industrial companies, are invoiced promptly and accurately and assisting members of the Credit Control section with queries on student/sponsor debts to ensure that invoices are paid within the agreed time-frames

Customer Services & Support:

• Liaising with students and their parents (both prospective and existing) to provide information and advice on fees, payment of fees and general financial queries that arise, in a pleasant and courteous manner and working with students (and their parents) who are experiencing financial difficulty to arrange a way forward with a sensitive and professional approach.
• Ensuring that the requirements of scholarship sponsors are adhered to and that all eligible students receive the correct amount of funds they are entitled to, within appropriate timescales to enable them to pay tuition fees and compensate for living expenses

Planning & Organising:

• Organisation of student fee collection for tuition and accommodation fees, covering drafting the initial documentation on method of payment, planning associated administrative tasks on a termly basis, supervision of receipt of payment plans and ensuring the information is accurately recorded on the Student Information System
• Working closely with members of the cash team within the Income Office and to strict deadlines, ensure that the income received with payment plans is recorded and processed
• Ensuring that direct debit mandates are accurately recorded for forwarding to the bank for payment collection, and that credit card, cheques and cash are processed and recorded

Liaison:

• Ensure that students are invoiced for their accommodation as agreed under the student payment plan and that payments are received and correctly accounted for within the University Finance System

Problem Solving:

• Ensuring that transactions recorded within the Student Information System are transferred accurately and regularly to the University Finance System, while making certain that unreconciled items are investigated and dealt with promptly
• These tasks must be actioned in accordance with regular monthly reporting deadlines

Continuous Improvement:

• Working with the Income Office Manager and members of Academic Registry to ensure procedures are reviewed and documentation regularly updated  

Internal Liaising:

• Liaising with all levels of staff from University departments in order to provide and abstract detailed information regarding student fees, which requires good listening skills and the ability to provide clear and correct information
• Extensive regular contact with students, who come to the income office to seek information on payment of their tuition fees and accommodation debts. This requires extensive personal skills to deal with many difficult and sensitive issues
• Liaising with the Academic Registry to ensure all fee records for students are accurate and reliable to ensure prompt invoicing and income recovery
• Regular liaison with members of staff at Residences concerning accommodation fees due and payments made, as Halls of Residences monitor their financial position on a regular basis.  Regular liaison with other sections within Finance Services, e.g. Credit Control, concerning payments received
• Regular liaison with Student Funding Office to ensure that students receive their bursaries and scholarships on time.

External Liaising:

• Regular contact with students’ parents, which may require tact and diplomacy to handle often-difficult situations concerning payment of fees and accommodation.  Dealing with external sponsors with their queries
• Assist in the dealing with auditors (both internal and external) with their queries and processes
• Liaising with several banks to ensure that payment queries are resolved promptly.

Further information

• Accountability In undertaking these responsibilities the post holder will clearly be able to delegate specific functions, but not accountability for them, to other individuals
• Hours: This is a full time post. The nature of the post is such that the post holder will be expected to work flexibly and for such reasonable hours (minimum 40) as are necessary in order to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the post
• Leave: 25 days per annum.

Person Specification (Experience & Knowledge)
Candidates for the role will be expected to demonstrate evidence of the following knowledge, skills, and attributes:
 
Qualifications:

• First Degree and Professional Qualification holder
• 3 years relative experience

Skills/Training:

• Experience of leading a team as well as working flexibly within a team:
• Have substantial relevant experience in a busy and dynamic finance environment:
• Sound knowledge of accounting and banking definitions and techniques.  Strong numerical skills and a proficient use of the English language:
• Excellent attention to detail:
• Experience of working to tight deadlines:
• Sound working knowledge of spreadsheets, word processing and email:
• Excellent analytical and problem solving skills:
• Experience working in a Higher Education environment.

Application Closing Date
16th March, 2018.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to the "Human Resource Office" via: [email protected]

To apply, it is ESSENTIAL that your Application consists of:

• A Cover Letter (maximum one single-sided A4 page) noting your personal and contact details and specifying the position(s) you are applying for;
• Your curriculum vitae (maximum 2 single-sided A4 pages) outlining your academic and professional qualifications as well as your work experience in reverse chronological order with your current, or most recent job, first; and
• A narrative (maximum 4 single-sided A4 pages) as to how you match the requirements noted below:
  • Applicants must address the following in their application submission:
    • How their previous engagements are in line to all the requirements set out above under this job description section;
    • How their future work would add-value towards the criteria set out in this job description section; and
    • How they best fit in improving the academic work and student services to be delivered by the university.

The selection process will consist of three phases:

• Initially, the selection panel will consider all candidates that match the Job Role and Person specification criteria;
• As an interim stage, a short-listing of best fit applicants will be compiled and an interview panel will be formed. Candidates that make this short-list will be invited to attend a preliminary interview; and
• In the final stage of the process, selected few candidates will be asked to attend a final interview. A job offer will be made to the best applicants following this stage.

Detailed Guidance
Personal Details:

• Full Name (Surname first, in capital letters);
• Declaration of Change of Name;
• Place and Date of Birth;
• State of Origin & Local Government Area;
• Nationality;
• Permanent Home Address;
• Present Postal Address;
• Mobile telephone numbers; and
• E-mail address.

Work Experience:

• Work Experience, including full details of former and present post(s);
• Full details of teaching and research experience and service; and current total annual salary details.

Qualifications

• Educational Institutions Attended, with Dates;
• Academic Qualifications Obtained, with Dates;
• Professional Qualifications Obtained, with Dates;
• List of Publications, (where applicable); and
• Honours and Distinctions.
• General other:
• Marital Status;
• Number and Ages of Children (if any); and
• Extra-Curricular activities.

Two (2) Referees

• Names of Referees;
• Telephone number; and
• E-mail address.

Note: Most resulting appointments will commence in September, 2018 (fall semester) to mid- June, 2019. While the appointments will be based at the Ibuso Campus, there may also be the need to cover assignments at the Sapele Campus.

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