Accountant - Nigeria SCALE at Palladium Group

Palladium is a global leader in the design, development and delivery of Positive Impact - the intentional creation of enduring social and economic value. We work with foundations, investors, governments, corporations, communities and civil society to formulate strategies and implement solutions that generate lasting social, environmental and financial benefits.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Accountant - Nigeria Strengthening Civic Advocacy and Local Engagement (SCALE)

Location: Abuja
Employment Type: Contract
Duration: 1 year, with possibility of extension for additional year.

Project Overview and Role

• The Nigeria SCALE project is a USAID-funded 5-year project (Oct 08, 2020 – Oct 07, 2025), implemented by Palladium in collaboration with the local resource partners.
• The goal of the Nigeria SCALE project is to strengthen the financial, management and advocacy capacity of local civil society organizations (CSOs) and Business Membership Organizations (BMOs) in Nigeria to create a more accountable, transparent, peaceful, and democratic Nigeria with more effective and efficient public service delivery.
• The SCALE project supports civil society organizations (CSOs) and business membership organizations (BMOs) across all of USAID/Nigeria’s programmatic sectors with a basket of managerial, business strengthening, and advocacy capacity-building interventions aimed at advancing Nigerian CSO sustainability combined with targeted grants to advance mutually agreed upon priorities.
• The project is designed to enhance local civil society organizations’ ability to be positive and responsible change agents in Nigeria.

The project has five main components:

• Component One – Improve CSO organizational capacity
• Component Two – Enhance capacity for CSO advocacy, collaboration and management
• Component Three – Improve the policy and regulatory environment for civil society
• Component Four – Countering Trafficking in Persons (CTIP), and
• Component Five – Sector strengthening and advocacy.

Purpose of Position

• The Accountant is responsible for establishing and maintaining the project’s financial system, including accounting procedures for invoicing, payroll, and all project expenses as well as overall budget management of the project in coordination with the Finance and Operations Manager as well as other senior project staff. 
• The position is expected to be needed through the life of the program, dependent on donor funding.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities
General Responsibilities:

• Monitor participants payments and ensure timely disbursement of payments upon approval of the Chief of Party (COP).
• Monitor partner disbursements and ensure timely disbursement of payments upon approval of the COP.
• Liaise with the Finance and Operations Manager to troubleshoot project accounting issues as they may arise.
• Support the technical team on all relevant finance issues regarding project management.
• Reconcile project accounting and provide back-up documentation of all financial transactions into monthly or bi-monthly accounting package to home office.
• Maintain electronic accounting tracking mechanisms, per Palladium and USAID accounting standards.
• Conduct monthly audits of local expenditures as reported by the Field Office.
• Review all local expenses for billing purposes ensuring accuracy and completeness of GL codes.
• Ensure that approvals are made within appropriate Delegation of Authority (DoA).
• Produce accurate and timely financial reports and ensure the reduction of risks exposure to SCALE and Palladium at large.
• Maintain all accounting records on share point ensuring complete and accurate records.
• Check and ensure accuracy, validy and completeness of financial information before transactions are posted into the accounting system.
• Ensure timely, complete, and accurate accruals at month end for the project.
• Review monthly budget forecast reports to ensure accuracy.
• Other duties as assigned.

Budget Management:

• Oversee finance and accounting procedures.
• Review monthly budget reports to ensure accuracy.
• Indicate project activity numbers for billings and expenses so that management can input into budget tracking tool.
• Prepare monthly cash forecasts for Project Management Unit (PMU) and COP's review and approval.

Procurement:

• Oversee the financial aspect of procurement of goods and services for the project, ensuring compliance with Palladium and USAID policies.
• Review invoices for local services for the project.

Required Qualifications

• B.A. in Finance, Accounting or relevant field preferred.
• Minimum three (3) years of experience in Finance and Accounting
• Microsoft Office Suite proficiency and the ability to operate spreadsheet and word-processing programs at a highly proficient level.
• Proactive problem-solving, decision-making, and good judgment skills.
• Demonstrated ability and commitment to manage confidential information.
• Attention to detail and ability to effectively and efficiently perform multiple tasks and balance competing priorities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Ability to communicate effectively with managers, colleagues, service providers, and clients.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified.