Project Accountant & Administrator job at Farm Africa

About Organisation:

Farm Africa is a leading charity that works in partnership with smallholder farmers and small businesses in eastern Africa to improve the quality, quantity and value of their produce, so that they can support their families with more resilient livelihoods. We build the positive case for farming in harmony with nature, so that increasing yields goes hand in hand with restoring ecosystems and biodiversity.

Job Summary:

A consortium comprising of Farm Africa, Tree Aid and Landscape Alliance is partnering with the UNHCR Refugee Environmental Protection Fund to implement a large-scale clean cooking and reforestation project in Kyangwali Refugee Settlement in Uganda and Kigeme Refugee Settlement in Rwanda.

The Project Accountant & Administrator will provide comprehensive financial management, compliance oversight, budget monitoring, reporting, and partner financial coordination for the project. The role will ensure effective stewardship of project resources, compliance with donor and organizational policies, timely financial reporting, partner accountability, and support to consortium governance processes.

Key Duties and Responsibilities:

Accounting and Finance – managing income and expenditure processing, and maintaining accurate financial records:

• Maintain accurate and complete project financial records in accordance with Farm Africa policies, donor requirements, and applicable accounting standards, including debtor and creditor listings and staff working advance records.
• Prepare periodic cash forecasts based on implementation plans and partner requirements.
• Track disbursement schedules and ensure timely processing of partner payments.
• Ensure expenditures are eligible, reasonable, allocable, and adequately supported.
• Ensuring prompt and accurate accounting for all project income and expenditure using SUN templates
• Ensuring timely payment of all invoices and expenditures
• Ensure all financial transactions are accurately coded and posted to the project accounting system
• Performing monthly general ledger accounting reconciliations and analysis ensuring accuracy of ledger and month end reporting in accordance with GAAP, organisational policy and donor regulations.
• Monitor project burn rates and expenditure against approved budgets and work plans.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

Essential

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce, Business Administration, or related discipline.
• Professional accounting qualification (CPA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) is required.
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in project accounting and grant financial management.

Experience

• Demonstrated experience managing donor-funded projects involving multiple implementing partners or consortia with NGOs/INGOs/UN, or major institutional donors.
• Strong understanding of sub-grant management and donor compliance requirements
• Demonstrable experience of producing project budgets and monitoring activities against them
• Strong financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting experience and skills.
• Knowledge of donor compliance, audit requirements, and internal control systems
• Experience of managing procurement processes, assets, and staff
• Experience of ensuring compliance with financial and operational policies and procedures in field office.
• Demonstrable experience of producing project budgets and monitoring activities against them

Skills & Abilities

• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to communicate with people from a broad range of backgrounds
• Advanced proficiency in accounting software and Microsoft Excel
• Financial integrity and accountability.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent planning and organizational skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building abilities.
• Able to work under own initiative
• Flexible and ‘can do’ attitude
• Honesty and Integrity
• Team Player

Other Attributes

• Able to work in a refugee setting

Desirable

• CPA (III) Qualification
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of URA requirements and processes.

Our Values

Investing in smallholder farming is the number one way to combat poverty in rural Africa. Farm Africa is a leading NGO specialising in growing agriculture, protecting the environment and developing businesses in rural Africa.

• EXPERT: Expertise and insightful evidence-based solutions are at the heart of everything Farm Africa does.
• GROUNDED: Our teams and partners work closely with local communities, engaging them in every level of decision-making.
• IMPACTFUL: We deliver long lasting change for farmers, their families, and the environments they live in.
• BOLD: We model innovative approaches and are not afraid to challenge strategies that are failing.

• Maintain accurate and complete project financial records in accordance with Farm Africa policies, donor requirements, and applicable accounting standards, including debtor and creditor listings and staff working advance records.
• Prepare periodic cash forecasts based on implementation plans and partner requirements.
• Track disbursement schedules and ensure timely processing of partner payments.
• Ensure expenditures are eligible, reasonable, allocable, and adequately supported.
• Ensuring prompt and accurate accounting for all project income and expenditure using SUN templates
• Ensuring timely payment of all invoices and expenditures
• Ensure all financial transactions are accurately coded and posted to the project accounting system
• Performing monthly general ledger accounting reconciliations and analysis ensuring accuracy of ledger and month end reporting in accordance with GAAP, organisational policy and donor regulations.
• Monitor project burn rates and expenditure against approved budgets and work plans.

• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to communicate with people from a broad range of backgrounds
• Advanced proficiency in accounting software and Microsoft Excel
• Financial integrity and accountability.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent planning and organizational skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building abilities.
• Able to work under own initiative
• Flexible and ‘can do’ attitude
• Honesty and Integrity
• Team Player

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce, Business Administration, or related discipline.
• Professional accounting qualification (CPA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) is required.
• Minimum 5 years of progressively responsible experience in project accounting and grant financial management.
• Demonstrated experience managing donor-funded projects involving multiple implementing partners or consortia with NGOs/INGOs/UN, or major institutional donors.
• Strong understanding of sub-grant management and donor compliance requirements
• Demonstrable experience of producing project budgets and monitoring activities against them
• Strong financial reporting, budgeting, and forecasting experience and skills.
• Knowledge of donor compliance, audit requirements, and internal control systems
• Experience of managing procurement processes, assets, and staff
• Experience of ensuring compliance with financial and operational policies and procedures in field office.
• Demonstrable experience of producing project budgets and monitoring activities against them
• CPA (III) Qualification (Desirable)
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of URA requirements and processes. (Desirable)