LSFF Grant Accountant (WARO) - Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. CRS works to save, protect, and transform lives in need in more than 100 countries, without regard to race, religion or nationality. Catholic Relief Services (CRS) has been working in Ghana since 1958 in Health, Agriculture, Peacebuilding, Water and Sanitation, Microfinance, and Education programs.

Job Description

• Job Title: LSFF Grant Accountant              
• Job Grade:8
• Department: WARO Regional Office
• Reports To:   LSFF - Program Manager II
• Country/Location:  Telecommuter

Job Summary

You will help coordinate and contribute to the implementation of the WARO Large-Scale Food Fortification project policies and procedures in compliance with CRS’ established accounting standards, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), donors’ rules and regulations, and legal requirements to support high-quality programs serving the poor and vulnerable.

You will efficiently perform accounting services through documenting the grant’s financial transactions by compiling, analyzing, and verifying account information, preparing account entries, and delivering financial reporting services throughout the grant life cycle.

Job Responsibilities

• Set and monitor sound accounting and financial reporting procedures for grant subrecipients and partners following established standards. Ensure setup and maintenance of all data required for processing financial transactions for assigned grant accounts in Insight’s financial accounting package.
• Review and validate supporting documentation before processing of financial transactions to ensure all required documents are accurate and complete and authorizations are in place.
• Record financial transactions following appropriate authorizations. Review and analyze various accounts to detect irregularities. Advise on corrective actions and prepare correcting entries and adjustments, as necessary.
• Assess, evaluate and monitor subrecipient financial management processes in accordance with policy and strengthen capacity of partner in financial accounting and transactions.
• Monitor disbursement/receipt schedules, alert relevant project staff due payments/liquidations, and maintain appropriate communication and follow-up to facilitate timeliness of financial resource management and compliance with set deadlines.
• Prepare various periodic and ad hoc financial reports and perform variance analysis to assist project staff with decision-making. Assist with budget maintenance for proper management of financial resources.
• Provide information to project staff, subrecipients, and partners on financial accounting policies and procedural compliance issues and deliver training and other capacity building activities.
• Perform assigned treasury project (cash payment/receipt, cash forecast, etc.) duties, as long as segregation of duties is ensured.

Key Working Relationships

• Internal: WARO LSFF Project Team; CRS country program staff across the 15 ECOWAS countries where the project may touch due to staff/consultant locations or training/convening locations; other CRS HQ-PIQA or other staff that may travel to the region to support the LSFF project.
• External: Consultants; peer implementing agencies; government stakeholders, private sector entities, vendors.

Required Skills or Experience

Education and Experience

• B.A. degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business Administration with courses in accounting, or a qualification in accounting (CPA/ACCA or equivalent).
• Minimum of two years’ experience in a position with similar responsibilities, preferably with an international or local NGO, or a financial/banking institution

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent analytical skills with ability to detect and report inconsistencies
• Conscientious, accurate and thorough with great attention to detail
• Ethical conduct in accordance with recognized professional and organizational codes of ethics
• Proactive, resourceful, solutions oriented and results-oriented
• Ability to work collaboratively

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of the relevant public donor regulations preferred.
• Proficient in MS Office packages (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio), Web Conferencing Applications. Knowledge of Insight financial accounting package or similar financial reporting software preferred.

Required/Desired Foreign Language:

• English and French Preferred

Travel Required: None

Agency-wide Competencies (for all CRS Staff):

These are rooted in the mission, values, and guiding principles of CRS and used by each staff member to fulfill his or her responsibilities and achieve the desired results.

• Trusting Relationships
• Professional Growth
• Partnership
• Accountability