The Organisation
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls.
We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. And it’s girls who are most affected.
Working together with children, young people, our supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.
We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood. And we enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We drive changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge.
We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.
ROLE PROFILE
| Title | Accounts Officer, CO | ||
| Functional Area | Finance Department, Country Office | ||
| Reports to | Country Accountant | ||
| Location | Country Office – Accra | Travel required | 10% |
| Effective Date | 01-02-2020 | Grade | C1 |
role PURPOSE
[A concise statement, capturing the primary reasons that this role exists and a clear articulation of the context of the role. How will this role contribute to creating lasting change for children?]
This position is to ensure that all Plan’s payments, advance management and statutory requirements are discharged in accordance with Plan’s policies and procedures and Ghana’s laws.
Dimensions of the Role
[This section provides a summary of the size and authority of the post. It covers the size of the budget held, the numbers of direct reports, other key stakeholders who may depend on it, the type of communication required, the external representation involved and the reach of the role.]
Financial measures or statistics relevant to post such as budget; list of direct and indirect reports
- Area of Responsibility – country office
Accountabilities
[This section is critical for clarifying expectations of the role, providing the framework for its relationship with colleagues and providing areas of accountability against which performance can be managed.
This should include a series of brief statements that define the end results required. e.g. drive, contribute, identify, manage, responsible for, advise/coach, build, develop, provide, conduct, oversee, establish, participate etc.
Statements should ideally be worded so that they will lead to thoughts of measurement. For example, it is better to state something like “achieve maintenance standards” than “undertake maintenance”. The former leads to a measure against the maintenance standards.]
“What” is done and “why”, but not “how”; include indicators for success
Operation of the General Ledger (GL) to meet Plan’s spending and financial reporting requirements. To do this, the role will:
– Prepares journal, journal entries and receipt vouchers using the corporate accounting software – General ledger (GL.
– Ensures that transactions are complete and accurate with self-explanatory and understandable description.
– Maintains good filing for all vouchers in a limited access area to ensure easy retrieval.
– Maintains a record of vouchers borrowed by staff and ensures that they are returned and filed appropriately.
– Supports the monthly GL closure process.
– Prints the monthly GL reports for signing.
– Ensures that the GL balances of the advances account agrees with the sub ledger balances.
– Enters all recharges from PUs promptly before GL closure.
Support internal Financial Controls and process payments to ensure Plan attains value for money at all times. To do this, the role will:
– Ensures that the documentation for payment is acceptable and accurate with all arithmetic calculations being correct.
– Approved payment request should be processed within one week of receipt.
– Prepares the Withholding tax and VAT schedule where relevant before payment is done.
– Cancels (stamped PAID) all vouchers (payment, journal and receipt) and its supporting documents to forestall re-use.
– Cheques should be exact in both words and figures and match with the supporting documents.
– A valid signed cheque should have two signatories and should be signed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
– Ensures that cheques issued and vouchers cancelled follow the requirements in the Operations Manual (OM).
– Issues cheques as per weekly payment list; exception should be approved by CFM.
– CO cash books in the GL should never be negative in both the cedi and the USD accounts
– Releases cheques to the right payee and ensures the appropriate receipts are issued.
– Attaches receipt, material receiving report etc. promptly to the correct payment voucher.
– Ensures the availability of enough cheque booklets.
– Pays the SSF and PAYE deductions per required dates.
Provides Support for Advance Management to ensure advances are properly accounted and liquidated as required. To do this, the role will:
– Prepares and maintains the sub ledger for all advances (travel, purchase etc.).
– Ensures timely liquidation of staff advances.
– Ensures that more than one advance is not be given to a staff at a time.
– Make available weekly to the Country Accountant a list of all un-liquidated advances and supports with the follow up of these advances.
Prepare the Financial Reports listed below to support Plan and statutory financial compliance. To do this, the role will:
– Prepares CO’s schedule report for the following.
- Prepaid Rent
- Prepaid Expenses
- Accruals
– Prepares the withholding tax deductions report bi-weekly for payment.Assist in the Administration of Staff Payroll for the accurate and timely payment of staff salaries. To do this, the role will:
– Circulates monthly pay-slip to CO staff and PU staff (through PU Assistant Accountant).
– Salary signed sheets for CO and PU should be attached to payment voucher monthly.
– Completing and submitting monthly statutory Social Security, Occupational Pensions Scheme and PAYE forms to required Government Organizations.
– Others:
– Shares good experience/practice among the team to strengthen team capacity.
– Keeps Supervisor/CFM informed of any initiative or difficulties relating to the job’s responsibilities.
– Fulfills Plan’s Child Protection Policy at all times to protect children from all forms of abuse. - – Performs any other duties that may be assigned from time to time to support the attainment organizational goals.
Dealing with problems:
This includes how much freedom the position has to make decisions; for example, “may approve invoices up to $1,000.”
This includes how much freedom the position has to make decisions; for example, “may approve invoices up to $1,000.”
- Provides support in the implementation of financial requirements as per the OM and other policies and procedures
- Supports with ensuring staff submit the correct documentations for payments and receipts to ensure sound financial and accounting operations
- Works with minimum supervision
- Ensure the principles and guidelines on the new Global Policy on Prevention of Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse is fully embedded and in your area work.
- Ensure all concerned person, Child, member of a community where Plan International works and/or Programme Participant knows how to and feels safe and empowered to report any concerns, allegations or suspicions of Sexual Harassment, Exploitation or Abuse and the report is taking seriously.
- Create and strengthening the capacity of all staff, Associates and visitors to prevent and respond in a timely, effective, safe, comprehensive and confidential manner to all complaints, allegations and incidents on Sexual Harassment, Exploitation and Abuse.
Ensures that Plan International’s global policies for Safeguarding Children and Young People and Gender Equality and Inclusion are fully embedded in accordance with the principles and requirements of the policy including relevant Implementation Standards and Guidelines as applicable to their area of responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring staff and associates are aware of and understand their responsibilities under these policies and Plan International’s Code of Conduct (CoC), their relevance to their area of work, and that concerns are reported and managed in accordance with the appropriate procedures.
Key relationships
[This section refers to people inside and/or outside of the organisation that the post-holder needs to have contact with, and why. This should include virtual presence.]
- There is a medium contact with staff in reviewing documents to ensure they meet the financial controls in place
- Maintains low contact with Plan associates in the distribution of cheques and ensuring compliance with Plan financial systems
Technical expertise, skills and knowledge
[This section details the skills, knowledge and expertise the postholder will be required to demonstrate in doing the job well.
This should include clear levels of technical expertise and skills that support our work at national, international, and global level.]
Essential
Gained through education, training, & experience
Qualification and Experience
University degree in Accounting or ICA Ghana Part 2 or ACCA Foundation (Level 2) or equivalent.
– At least 3 years experience in a similar role.
Demonstrated behaviors needed by the postholder to successfully perform the role:
– Communicates clearly and effectively.
– Ability to facilitate participative processes.
– Independence, objectivity and integrity.
– Organized, methodic and meticulous.
– Promotes innovation and learning.
– Gains, develops and retains credibility about his/her performance.
Skills Specific to the post needed to put knowledge into practice.
– Good organizational skills
– Problem solving skills
– Good team player
– Proficient in Microsoft applications especially excel and pivot tables.
– Good communication skills both oral and written
– Good accounting and analytical skills
– Ability to deliver to tight deadlines
Plan International’s Values in Practice
We are open and accountable
- Promotes a culture of openness and transparency, including with sponsors and donors.
- Holds self and others accountable to achieve the highest standards of integrity.
- Consistent and fair in the treatment of people.
- Open about mistakes and keen to learn from them.
- Accountable for ensuring we are a safe organisation for all children, girls & young people
We strive for lasting impact
- Articulates a clear purpose for staff and sets high expectations.
- Creates a climate of continuous improvement, open to challenge and new ideas.
- Focuses resources to drive change and maximise long-term impact, responsive to changed priorities or crises.
- Evidence-based and evaluates effectiveness.
We work well together
- Seeks constructive outcomes, listens to others, willing to compromise when appropriate.
- Builds constructive relationships across Plan International to support our shared goals.
- Develops trusting and ‘win-win’ relationships with funders, partners and communities.
- Engages and works well with others outside the organization to build a better world for girls and all children.
We are inclusive and empowering
- We empower our staff to give their best and develop their potential
- We respect all people, appreciate differences and challenge equality in our programs and our workplace
- We support children, girls and young people to increase their confidence and to change their own lives.
Physical Environment
May be “typical office environment”; note if heavy lifting, climbing, excess travel, etc.
Travel requirements
This position entails 10% travelling within program units.
Level of Contact with Children:
Low contact: No contact or very low frequency of interaction
Mid contact: Occasional interaction with children
High level: Frequent interaction with children
Low contact- the job responsibilities of this position does not require the post holder to have any one-to-one contact with children on a daily basis. There would be occasional contact with children and it is expected that children shall be protected at all times.
More Information
- Job City Accra, Ghana
