Accountant at the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

The Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (German Agency for International Cooperation) is an international enterprise owned by the German Federal government, operating in many fields across more than 130 countries.

In Nigeria, GIZ's portfolio includes among others, a programme to support the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its regional integration goals. The programme aims to strengthen sector-specific capacities in the areas of Peace and Security, Customs and Trade as weir as Strategic Management and Organizational Development in the ECOWAS Commission.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Accountant

Vacancy No: 046
Location: Abuja
Employment Type: Full-time

Overview

• Germany has been supporting ECOWAS, in particular the ECOWAS Commission and later also West African Heath Organisation, through GIZ since 2007.
• The cooperation has started as a support to strategic management and has been expanded over the years to other sectors, namely trade and customs, peace and security, health and energy.
• Today, the German cooperation with ECOWAS is structured in three focal areas (Peace and Security, Climate and Energy, and Sustainable Economic growth) and other areas of cooperation, where the support to Organisational Development, and one health is hosted. Germany is funding projects through budget lines from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the German Federal Foreign Office.
• In addition, a majority of GIZ implemented projects are co-funded by funds from the European Union through the 11th European Development Fund (11. EDF).
• All GIZ projects working with ECOWAS as a political partner are organised in the ECOWAS Cluster, which provides, inter alia, pooled administrative and financial support services for implementation.
• Since March 2019, GIZ Nigeria has been implementing the Project Support to the ECOWAS Commission on Organizational Development.
• The project delivers advisory services to the ECOWAS Commission based in Abuja/Nigeria in the areas of Strategic Planning, Results Oriented Management, Capacity Building, Good Financial Management and organizational development at the ECOWAS Commission in general. The project also supports the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development based in Lomé/Togo in the area of good financial management.
• The main activities of the project are the organization of trainings, workshops, meetings and conferences, not only in Abuja, but also across all 15 member states of ECOWAS. The project is jointly funded by BMZ and the EU.

Responsibilities
The Accounting and Financial Monitoring Officer will:

• Maintain financial and management procedures for the programme
• Provide robust and effective financial and accounting system for the programme

Tasks:

• Monitor expenditures to ensure that the programmes funds are utilised appropriately by the close of the fiscal year
• Monitoring of monthly budget
• Monitoring of financial and contractual execution of local and regional contracts
• Liaising with Country Office and regional offices on relevant matters
• Responsible for entering financial information and maintaining all financial records
• Assist in the preparation and analysis of budget for the programmes
• Compute, classify, and record numerical data to keep financial records complete
• Perform any combination of routine calculating, posting, and verifying documents to obtain primary financial data for use in maintaining accounting records
• Assist in preparing monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports, tracking expenditure against individual projects and for general/administrative costs
• Ensure compliance with all financial and recordkeeping requirements of GIZ/EU

General Tasks:

• Ensure consistent implementation of GIZ and EU guidelines.

Required Qualifications, Competences and Experience
Formal Education:

• University Degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field. Master’s degree in finance or Accounting is an added advantage.
• A professional qualification will be an added advantage (ACCA, ICAN etc)

Professional Experience:

• Minimum of five (5) years progressive work experience in Finance or Accounting or related
• Experience in an international organisation is an asset
• Proven experience in working with multi-disciplinary teams is required.
• Knowledge of administrative procedures and systems, managing files and records, and other office procedures
• Knowledge of Accounting Principles and Practices
• Financial Analysis
• A thorough understanding of generally accepted accounting bookkeeping and financial management
• Knowledge of relevant accounting packages
• Standard office practices and procedures
• Very good working knowledge of ITC technologies (related software, phone, email, the internet) and computer applications (e.g. MS Office, Outlook)
• Detail oriented, ability to work under minimal supervision and to show initiative and resourcefulness
• Ability to work well and cooperatively within a diverse (culturally, ethnically) work community
• A good sense of diplomacy and tactfulness
• An ability to persist even in the face of challenges and obstacles
• Language proficiency in English and French (written and oral) are important for this position.

Application Closing Date
18th May, 2022.