INTRODUCTION

UBONGO is Africa's leading producer of kids' edutainment. As a non-profit social enterprise, we create fun, localised, and multi-platform educational content that helps kids learn and leverage their learning to change their lives. Ubongo reaches over 27 million kids across Africa through accessible technologies like TV, radio, and mobile phones. Our shows Ubongo Kids and Akili and Me, currently air in 23 countries across Africa in multiple languages.

POSITION OBJECTIVE

Senior Accountant - Grants & Receivable plays a vital role in maintaining financial transparency, compliance, and effective funds management from various sources, including grants and earned revenue.

In this role, the person will be responsible for collaborating closely with the Grants manager to ensure compliance with grant requirements, record and allocate transactions correctly, manage grant agreements, maintain a schedule of grants and monitor their releases, track public funding support, work with the business team to ensure earned revenue is recorded, reconcile bank accounts, issue invoices, support UI and UL Audits of receivables and grants, prepare monthly grant budget-versus-actual status reports, maintain communication and updates with senior management, and assist with monthly and annual financial reports. They will be required to work closely with the Grants Manager, Sr Accountant Payable, Business team, CFO, Director of Finance and all functional Directors at Ubongo to achieve these tasks.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Responsibilities

Collaboration with Grants Manager

• Collaborate closely with the Grants Manager to ensure that all grants are appropriately accounted for, and transactions are correctly allocated to the relevant grant.

Grant Meetings Attendance

• Attend all grant meetings to ensure Ubongo complies with all grant requirements and stays updated on grant-related matters.

Payments Review

• Work with the Grants Manager and Senior Accountant Payables to review all payments, ensuring they are recorded according to grant requirements and produce grant-specific financial reports.

Grants Agreements Management

• Collaborate with the Grants Manager to manage all grant agreements, ensuring the terms and conditions are met and properly documented, recorded, and communicated to stakeholders.

Grant Documentation

• Maintain copies of all grants, schedule all restricted and unrestricted grants, monitor their releases, and ensure appropriate journal entries are posted in the accounting system.

Track Public Funding Support

• Track public funding support to prevent the loss of Ubongo's 501(c)3 charitable status by regularly updating the fundraising and business teams.

Earned Revenue Management

• Work closely with the business team, attend meetings, and ensure that all earned revenue is properly recorded. Maintain a receivables schedule and follow up for payments (receivables collection).

Bank Reconciliation

• Reconcile bank accounts and identify all direct deposits, reconciling the amounts received with sources of revenue.

Invoicing and Customer Communications

• Issue invoices to customers promptly and ensure effective management of customer communications.

Audit Support

• Be responsible for supporting external audits of receivables and revenue to ensure compliance and accuracy.

Budget Reporting

• Prepare monthly grant budget-versus-actual status reports for the Grants Manager's use. Identify issues, concerns, and problems and communicate them to management.

Communication with Senior Management

• Maintain constant communication and updates to the senior management team, reporting all critical information. Ensure that the CFO, CEO, COO, Director of Finance, and all other functional Directors are included in all important correspondence.

Financial Reporting

• Participate in preparing monthly and annual financial reports as a necessary team member to provide a comprehensive view of Ubongo's financial performance.

Financial Modeling

• Maintain and update financial models, specifically updating revenue assumptions to realistic projections. This includes working closely with the finance team to ensure accurate financial forecasting.

Grant Reporting

• Responsible for preparing and submitting all grant reports to funders, ensuring they are accurate, complete, and submitted on time in compliance with grantor requirements.

Cost Allocation

• Ensure that costs are allocated appropriately according to grant requirements. This involves working closely with program managers and the Grants Manager to allocate expenses to the correct grants, ensuring accurate financial reporting.

Company Wide Responsibilities

• Exemplify Ubongoers principles and norms

QUALIFICATION REQUIRED

Educational

• Possess a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) credential and a bachelor's degree in accounting, or the equivalent in business experience, in addition to familiarity with US GAAP and IPSA;

Experience

• Seven (7) years of experience that can be demonstrated and familiarity with accounting practices and grants management procedures.

Skills

• Exhibit excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to interact with internal and external contacts while maintaining tact, discretion, and diplomacy.
• Work independently and establish priorities; behave effectively and efficiently while under pressure; find solutions to problems and demonstrate strong organisational skills.
• Develop an excellent eye for detail, the ability to manage and organise multiple projects, independent work, and the ability to set priorities.
• Have a strong understanding of computers and are proficient in all Microsoft Office Suite and Google Office programs.
• Continue working on all the projects and assignments assigned to you, adhere to the timelines, and meet the deadlines.
• Maintaining positive and fruitful relationships while working effectively in a setting involving multiple agencies and funding partners requires assertiveness and persuasion, and the ability to work well in a team setting.

DEADLINE

The last day to receive applications for this position will be 10th October 2023

Please note that only online applications will be considered. Those who come directly to the office with a CV or who email their CV to us will be directed to apply online.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

UBONGO provides equal employment opportunities to all its employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by the laws of the country we are operating in.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Benefits:

Phew! You made it through that. The good thing is that there are also perks, like a delicious healthy lunch at the office, health insurance, pension payments of up to 10% (matching the value of your individual contributions), 28 working days paid annual leave (in addition to the public holidays), and you get to watch cartoons at work.