Accountant, Financial Reporting & Treasury at the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is a regional group of fifteen West African countries. Founded on 28 May 1975, with the signing of the Treaty of Lagos, its mission is to promote economic integration across the region.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Accountant, Financial Reporting & Treasury

Location: Abuja
Institution: ECOWAS Parliament
Grade: P3 / P4
Directorate: Adminsitration & Finance
Division: Finance
Line Supervisor: Head, Finance Division    
Supervising: Accountants Accounting Assistant

Role Overview

• Under the supervision of the Principal Accountant, the incumbent shall assist the Division in managing the financial resources of the Parliament in accordance with accounting principles and the financial regulations of the Community.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Supervise and review the work of the Accounting team under his supervision;
• Supervise the daily input of accounting data into the accounting system;
• Check and reconcile output data on payment vouchers to commitment orders;
• Prepare monthly bank reconciliation statements;
• Check the arithmetical accuracy of accounting data on payment vouchers;
• Supervise preparation of cheques and cash pay-outs;
• Assist the Head of Division in the preparation of final accounts for external audit;
• Prepare financial and any other related memoranda for administrative purposes;
• Performs any other duties as may be assigned by the supervisor.

Academic Qualifications and Experience
Education:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Accounting, Finance from a recognized University.

Experience:

• 5 years of progressively responsible experience in finance, accounting and budget;
• Knowledge and technical competence in  financial statements consolidation and ability to respond to internal/external audit queries;
• Knowledge of cash management practices, policies and procedures, and the ability to make appropriate recommendations to improve their accuracy, security timeliness and efficiency;
• Knowledge of various payments systems, banking terminologies, pension fund practices and relevant financial management processes and policies.

Age Limit:

• Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.

ECOWAS Key Competencies
Leadership:

• Ability to persuade/influence others to consider a certain point of view, adopt a new idea or implement new methods and practices;
• Ability to lead a team of trainees/junior staff and instill a spirit of teamwork to engage employees and achieve a well-defined set of activities;
• Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
• Ability to resolve challenges that occur with minimal direction and/or to recommend and explain solutions or alternatives for approval;
• Ability to utilize the  Code of Ethics to manage self, others, information and resources;
• Ability to mentor others and create feedback loops with supervisors, colleagues and the subordinates to build strong working relationships and improve performance.
• Contribute to maintaining organizational unit’s performance goals and standards.

Client Service Orientation:

• Interpersonal skills with ability to keep a client informed of progress or setbacks in projects of relevance to timeline, quality and quantity;
• Ability to proactively interact with clients and build strong trusting relationships based on mutual respect and regular discussions;
• Ability to establish and sustain professional credibility with clients/stakeholders in a manner that anticipates their need, mitigates issues and that carefully balances professional obligations with the need to be sensitive and responsive to their needs;
• Ability to counsel, advise, consult and guide others on matters pertaining to assigned client service responsibilities and established  client service standards;

Multicultural Sensitivity and Advocacy:

• Demonstrate respect for cultural differences, fairness and ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, nationality, gender, ethnicity, race and religion;
• Understanding of diverse cultural views especially within West Africa, with sensitivity to group differences; ability to challenge bias and to practice tolerance and empathy;
• Ability to listen actively, consider people’s concerns and apply  judgement, tact and diplomacy;
• Ability to work in a diverse and inclusive interactive environment that benefits from diverse strengths;
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Ability to encourage, empower, and advocate for people in an unbias and transparent manner.

Knowledge of Ecowas:

• Knowledge of ECOWAS institutions, sectors, programmes and policies;
• Knowledge of ECOWAS internal operational requirements of programs, projects, services and systems required to achieve work assignments and meet performance goals;
• Knowledge of rules and procedures of ECOWAS associated assigned responsibilities and ability to explain these clearly to others;
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS culture, structures and performance issues and priorities impacting assigned responsibilities;
• Knowledge of member states development trends, indicators, challenges and opportunities as it relates to project/programme assigned to own position.

Analytical and Critical Thinking:

• Ability to study data/information from a variety of sources, identify anomalies, trends and issues, present findings, and make  recommendations;
• Ability to break down problems or processes into key parts to identify and solve gaps in service, quality assurance, compliance and performance targets;
• Knowledge of and ability to apply techniques to generate creative ideas and new approaches to meeting goals;
• Ability to use evidence and research to inform policies and programs and identify relevant and appropriate sources of information, including stakeholders, regional institutions and/or internal committees.

Communication:

• Demonstrate operational computer proficiency  using appropriate tools;
• Ability to make sound use of graphics and tables to effectively present numerical data to write semi-complex technical reports/proposals and edit/check templates, letters, etc.
• Ability to convey information clearly and concisely in a succinct and organized manner through both writing and verbal means, ;
• Exhibit interpersonal skills, make presentations, express opinions and debate ideas with others in a constructive manner;
• Proficiency in  information communication technologies(ICT);
• Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages of the Community (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage.

Planning and Implementation:

• Ability to develop,  implement an individual action plan for achieving specific work  goals;
• Identify, organize and monitor tasks throughout to facilitate execution;
• Ability to contribute and/or lead on projects as per accepted project management standards and techniques, to co-ordinate contributions by others  to set and meet deadlines;
• Ability to organize work, set priorities, and work within timelines, giving attention to details, stakeholders, indicators and risks;
• Ability to identify, collect and assess indicators to monitor performance and to take proactive remedial action as required.

Annual Salary
The position is on Grade P3-1 with an Annual Salary of UA23,724, equivalent to US$37,432.

Application Closing Date
19th December, 2020.