Accountant

This Accountant is primarily responsible for the daily accounting activities of the business such as preparation of journal entries, audit requests, account reconciliations, and the analysis and research of accounts.

The Accountant displays flexibility and versatility in order to adapt various accounting activities within a dynamic environment.  He takes ownership of his areas of responsibility and demonstrates exceptional application of judgment and decision making skills in applying accepted accounting principles.

Objectives and Responsibilities of the Accountant

Management: The Accountant plays a managerial role where he manages all accounting operational expenses as well as individual employee expenses. The Accountant monitors weekly/monthly/annual communications of the accounting department on sales and margins and tracks the expenses against allocated budget or forecast.

The Accountant additionally assists with any regulatory expenses, which may entail working with other departments such as the tax team in order to ensure accurate and timely compliance. In this position the Accountant also takes charge of processing and posting invoices and the preparation of any necessary cheques.

He also reviews and prepares the business’s cost distribution reports and tracks project costs, ensures project cost accuracy, monitors timelines, and classifies project assets. In this position, the Accountant further contribute to the department’s or the overall business’s projects as assigned and applies proper internal accounting controls and focuses on the enhancement of these controls.

Financial Books: The Accountant also prepares and reconciles the accumulation of all of the business’s financial data for the accurate and timely accounting of all operations. In this position, the Accountant prepares journal entries and account reconciliations for the opening of a financial period to the close. The Account ensures that all financial records are properly maintained and in compliance with generally accepted accounting principles.

The Accountant also maintains the necessary working papers that are related to journal entries and reconciliations and reviews general ledger accounts along with all related journal entries and supporting records. The Accountant, in this capacity, is also tasked with recording monthly entries for all asset depreciation.

Financial Reports: The Accountant is tasked with the preparation and presentation of key financial reports on periodical business operations, profit, inventory, cash flow, and expenditures across the business. He assists in the preparation of end-of-period supporting documentation and account analyses for end-of-period audit review by external auditors.

The Accountant will also prepare monthly/weekly/annual management financial statements and explains their variance against budget/forecast for submission to senior business accountants.

Collaboration: The role of the Accountant is a collaborative one and, as such, he is tasked with coordinating payroll, commission payments, travel expenses for all employees, and other minor human resource matters as needed. The Accountant will also liaise with both internal and external business counterparts, for example, auditors, to perform his daily roles in regard to cost control and operational expenses.

The Accountant additionally works closely with the senior accountants in monthly reporting, payment authorization, and all other financial matters. He will further work with all other departments in the business in compiling and analyzing financial data for the purpose of ensuring timely and accurate end-of-period reporting, and determining departmental budgetary allocations.

Research and Knowledge: The Accountant conducts research and responds to all ledger questions and inquiries across the department and from senior accountants. He is also tasked to develop and enforce policies and controls alongside senior accountants in regard to cash handling, refunds, discounts, and so forth. He also stays informed on accounting statutory requirements, ensuring that the business’s accounting practices are in constant compliance.

Other Duties: The Accountant also preforms similar duties and duties as delegated by the Senior Accountant, Head of Accounting, and Chief Finance Officer.

Required Qualifications of the Accountant

Education: The Accountant must have a bachelor’s degree in Finance or Accounting. The equivalent of the same in practical experience is also acceptable.

Experience: A candidate for this position must have had at least 3 years of working experience in an accounting role within a fast-paced business environment. He must also have a proven record in relationship building while working partners inclusive of peers, consumers, and suppliers, while maintaining strong focus on the consumers.

He will further have a demonstrated ability to relate well with all organization levels and have a demonstrated ability to facilitate and implement necessary change. The candidate must also demonstrate excellent organizational and planning skills. The candidate must additionally have exceptional project management skills, using analytical abilities and sensible approaches.

A suitable candidate will have had significant experience in human resource management as well as experience in an Auditing capacity. The candidate will have had experience in internal accounting and experience working with Oracle Financials.

Communication Skills: The Accountant will need to have excellent communication skills, both in written and verbal form. Communication skills will be necessary for this position in the collaborative capacity, and more so in dealing with the business’s consumers.

Communication skills will ensure that all collaborative financial tasks are handled optimally and that communications between the business and the consumers are clear and satisfactory. The Accountant will also need exceptional communication skills in drafting clear, concise, and easy-to-understand financial reports. He must be capable of drafting even the most complex/technical messages in a manner that is relatable to the audience at hand.

Ms Office/Software: The Accountant must be highly proficient in Ms Office tools, specifically, Ms Excel, Ms Word, Ms Outlook, and PowerPoint. These tools will all be useful in the creation of financial reports and the maintenance of electronic financial records and books.

Interpersonal Skills: The Accountant will be an individual who is helpful and consumer-oriented, self-motivated and proactive, accountable, highly organized, able to work both independently and with a team, works comfortably in a cross-functional setting, highly meticulous paying close attention to detail, has an ability to prioritize and handle multiple simultaneous tasks, and has an ability to stay calm in times of stress and uncertainty.

People Skills: The Accountant must also be a people person who naturally forms and maintains strong, meaningful, and lasting relationships with others. He must be an approachable, relatable, and likable individual who earns the trust of his peers, seniors, external partners, and most importantly the consumers.       

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