Senior Accountant (IFRC)

About the Ethiopian Red Cross Society

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) was established in 1935 and is one of the oldest and largest humanitarian organizations in Ethiopia. ERCS provides services to communities affected by natural and manmade disasters through the provision of emergency responses, ambulance and first aid, family reunification, essential drugs, water and sanitation, and other humanitarian services. ERCS also runs disaster risk reduction programs with the aim of creating resilience households and communities. Currently the ERCS has a structure consisting of Currently the Society has 14 regional branches, 40 zonal branches, 180 woreda branches, and 5,871 Kebele Red Cross Committees.

ERCS also runs disaster risk reduction programs relating to food security, climate change adaptation, livelihood diversification, and institutional capacity building interventions, with the aim of creating resilience households and communities. ERCS works in partnership with the Ethiopian Government, International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), partnering National Societies, members, volunteers and the communities we serve.

I. Details of the vacant position

Work Unit: Accounts Division

Reports to: Accounts Division Manager

II. Job Summary

Under the supervision of the Accounts Manager, the Sr. Accountant prepares financial statement of the core cost & Projects in accordance with the Society’s policies and procedures in place; Follow up financial documents, ledgers, journal vouchers and supporting documents are maintained and organized in accordance with the accounting system of the Society; Closely follow up the timely collection of receivables and payment of payables and make sure that all receivables are payables are fully cleared at the end of every quarter and no balance is carried forward, verifies that closings and auditing of books of accounts are carried out in due course; follows up the entry of project transactions in accordance with the accounting system and the preparation and communication of project financial reports as per commitments made with funding agents and pertinent financial policies and procedures of the Society; ensures that the Society’s books of accounts are reconciled with bank statements; ascertains that closings of books of core cost and project accounts are carried out in due course; make sure that no receivables and payables are outstanding at the end of the year, arranges and organizes financial documents for auditing by internal and external auditors.

III. Specific Duties and Responsibilities

1. Coordinates the recording, analysis and financial statement preparation activities of core cost and projects in accordance with the Society’s policies and procedures in place;
2. Prepares appropriate classification of codes for each transaction for recording;
3. Analyzes the recording of transactions and performing posting;
4. Prepare financial statements;
5. Ensures that the financial reports of branches are properly tracked, recorded and consolidated with that of the National Secretariat, statement of income and expenditure account, cash flow statement, balance Sheet and other financial statements issued timely and properly;
6. Follows up the evaluation and analysis of monthly trial balances, quarterly statements of income and expenditure account and of any other financial information and the provision of qualified information for management decision making;
7. Checks the agreement of the balances of subsidiary ledgers and that of control accounts in the general ledger and tests the equality of debit and credit totals (trial balance) of the general ledger account balances;
8. Closely follow up the timely collection of receivables and payment of payables and make sure that all receivables are payables are fully cleared at the end of every quarter and no balance is carried forward
9. Examines and checks all registers for correctness and the register totals for general ledger posting;
10. Prepares periodic and end-of-period financial reports and statements resulting from subsidiary and general ledger accounts;
11. Extracts account balances from the general ledger and prepares schedule of accounts upon request by management or to complete the accounting cycle;
12. Organizes maintenance of books of accounts, journals, ledgers and supporting documents in accordance with standard practices and accounting manual;
13. Prepares appropriate classification of codes and postages of all relevant transaction documents on the various control and subsidiary ledger accounts; and proposes additional or new codes if necessary;
14. Verifies that closings and auditing of books of accounts are carried out in due course.
15. Checks that financial documents, ledgers, journal vouchers and supporting documents are maintained and organized in accordance with the accounting system of the Society;
16. Verifies correctness of statement of accounts for receivable and payable accounts as well as bank reconciliation;
17. Ensures that all transactions of disbursements and receivables are journalized and posted into respective ledgers timely;
18. Make sure that all payables and receivables are cleared on quarterly basis and no outstanding balances of payables and receivables are carried over to the next period;
19. Verifies Follows up the entry of financial transactions are in accordance with the accounting system in place of the Society;
20. Ensures that the Society’s accounting documents are properly organized;
21. Ascertains that account records are maintained in the proper classification of codes per the accounting procedure of the Society;
22. Verify the correctness of the calculation of the deductions from the employee salary;
23. Provides branch offices with professional assistances in performing accounting activities; follows up the financial reports of the branches;
24. Facilitates and follows up the preparation and communication of project financial reports as per commitments made with funding agents and pertinent financial policies and procedures of the Society;
25. Ascertains that closings of books of core cost and project accounts of the Society are carried out in due course;
26. Follows up and facilitates the timely delivery of reports from branches;
27. Arranges and organizes financial documents for auditing by internal and external auditors;
28. Ensures that financial documents, ledgers, journal vouchers and supporting documents are maintained and organized in accordance with the accounting system of the Society;
29. Conducts pertinent studies on how to improvise the day-to-day activities of the work unit;
30. Prepares and submits monthly, quarterly, biannual and annual reports on the performance of the work unit;
31. Make sure that no receivables and payables are outstanding at the end of the year
32. Performs other related duties and responsibilities of the work unit as assigned by the Accounts Manager.

IV. Job Specification

• Second/First degree in in Accounting/ Accounting & Finance/ & Accounting Software and 6/8 years related work experience, out of which 3/4 years in a senior position(s)