Accounting Assistant at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Job Title: Accounting Assistant

ROLE OVERVIEW:
Under the supervision of the Finance Officer, the incumbent shall assist with the activities in the area
of accounting as stated in the roles and responsibilities below.

ROLE AND RESPONSABILITIES:

• Assist in the year end closing of accounts and preparation of the OAD financial statements;
• Monthly exports and review of the trial balance of the year in review and note areas with issues;
• Assist in analyzing of all general ledger accounts (Payables, receivables, Income & expenses)
  and adjust/propose corrections where necessary;
• Preparation of journal vouchers and post into accounting system;
• Amortization/expensing of utilized prepaid accounts;
• Clearing of GL open items;
• Respond and provide requested information/documents to external auditors on issues raised
  during the year-end audit and recommend/ propose ways to correct them;
• Assist the Accountant in liaising with external auditors in closing of accounts and preparation
  of reports;
• Assist other divisions (accounts payables, bank reconciliation, receivables and grants) with
  issues/proposed adjustments raised during the financial year audit;
• Receive vendor invoices, scan/import the images, verify data extraction is accurate, and route
  the documents into electronic workflow for processing;
• Verify and post scanned invoices using appropriate transaction codes in SAP;
• Identify and prevent duplicate invoice processing;
• Identify missing vendor workflow and initiate the vendor create process;
• Process invoices in accordance with SAP requirements and ECOWAS financial policies and
  procedures;
• Obtain and attach additional documentation as required for special expenditures including
  capital expenses;
• Monitor opportunities to optimize timing of payments, based on payment terms;
• Process disbursements in accordance with schedule;
• Reconcile supplier statements and monitor vendor account balances;
• Enter and post cash receipts into accounting software system (SAP) using the appropriate
  transaction codes;
• Post all payments made or received by wire transfer timely and accurately;
• Prepare accurate bank reconciliation statements on a monthly and timely basis;
• Respond to internal and external (vendor) inquiries in a timely and in a professional manner;
• Assist in resolving invoice discrepancies with the vendor;
• Process payable documents for donations in accordance with their legal and compliance
  policies;
• Process and release cheques for related invoices and claims promptly;
• Verify outgoing checks for accuracy;
• Assist in the archiving of department documentation;
• Process staff expense claim and travel return forms in a timely manner;
• Provide general filing and administrative support to the finance department;
• Assist in maintaining detailed records of budget estimates, obligations, and available balances,
  producing forecasts of expenditure; reconcile divisional accounts with central accounts;
  Perform other tasks as assigned by the Supervisor

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Brevet deTechnicien Superior (BTS) or Ordinary National Diploma(OND) or equivalent
  certificate in finance specialty or a related field from a recognized Institution.
• 5 years of progressively more responsible work experience in finance, budget, accounting, or
  related area;
• Demonstrated professional competence to extract, interpret, and analyze a wide variety of
  accounting data and to resolve data discrepancies and other problems;
• Knowledge of transactional based accounting activities such as budgeting, payroll, vendor
  claims processing, reconciliation, and financial reporting as related to assigned
  responsibilities;
• Ability to identify and resolve accounting data discrepancies and operational problems.

AGE LIMIT:

• Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.
  

ECOWAS KEY COMPETENCIES:

• Ability to assume a credible presence when explaining rules, standards and expectations (e.g.,
  deadlines) to ensure compliance and work expectations are met;
• Ability to motivate self and/or others to engage in discussions that will result in
  recommendations to improve processes, templates or other work tools;
• Ability to engage in positive approaches to teamwork, participate actively in discussions and
  the achievement of team goals;
• Ability to take responsibility for own career and performance with the occasional guidance from
  the supervisor/mentor;
• Ability to build capacity of self and others by sharing knowledge, tools, expertise, and
• experience with others to remain proficient and well informed in the execution of assigned role.
• Interpersonal, listening and multitasking skills with a good understanding of client service
  responsibilities and role in representing ECOWAS values in all interactions;
• Ability to take initiative to resolve routine problems associated with assigned tasks using good
  judgment in involving colleagues or superiors as required;
• Ability to work as part of a team with the ability to explain client interactions to resolve
  concerns, problems and improve services;
• Ability to manage own time effectively and organize own work area in a manner that will meet
  performance expectations related to assigned client services;
• Ability to direct people to the appropriate source for further information and ask for help when
  overwhelmed with client demands.
• Ability to apply culturally relevant and appropriate approaches with people from diverse
  cultural backgrounds;
• Good diversity management skills to interact with individuals in a manner that is culturally
  appropriate and in accordance with ECOWAS rules/policies;
• Ability to recognize preconceived notions and stereotypical views of certains groups and
  individuals and to successfully adopt inclusive and culturally appropriate behaviors;
• Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal
• participation of women and men in all areas of work;
• Knowledge of diversity management as it relates to daily work expectations and assigned tasks.
• Knowledge of the ECOWAS mandate and operational goals of relevance to assigned
  responsibilities;
• Ability to keep up to date with Departmental activities, schedules and goals of pertinence to
  own work team, functional area;
• Knowledge of ECOWAS procedures relevant to assigned work and the ability to apply sound
  judgment in their application;
• Demonstrated strong interest and commitment to ECOWAS values and activities in daily
  assumption of duties.
• Excellent ability to maintain, process and provide accurate information as part of assigned
  tasks;
• Ability to organize files and information for easy retrieval and record keeping;
• Ability to spot mistakes, act promptly to correct them and learn from experiences;
• Knowledge and ability to challenge and question fundamental assumptions regarding
  accepted ways of doing things in the spirit of improvement.
• Ability to use current technology to communicate effectively e.g., office software programs,
  including spreadsheets, word processing and graphic presentation software; ability to type and
  format presentations, reports, manuals, newsletters, website content and proficiency in
  information communication technologies (ICT);
• Well-developed information sharing skills using technology and in accordance with established
  processes and practices;
• Advanced verbal assertiveness and communication skills with a demonstrated ability to
• acknowledge and understand the validity of others’ viewpoints and to respond in a constructive
• manner;
• Proficiency in information communication technologies(ICT);
• Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages of the
  Community (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added
  advantage.
• Ability to allocate time for specific task in a manner that will meet deadlines and
  quality/quantity expectations.
• Good organizational skills with an excellent ability to break down work into smaller parts and
  focusing on the most important steps first;
• Ability to contribute to maintaining organizational performance standards throughout
  implementation of new processes, practices and plans adopted by the Department and of
  relevance to assigned tasks;
• Ability to monitor progress and to consider new goals in the context of assigned responsibilities;
• Ability to follow through with commitments made to others.

Application Instructions:

The application deadline is November 27th, 2024. This position is subject to local recruitment pursuant to article 9 (3) of ECOWAS Staff Regulations
(revised 2021). Candidates shall be recruited from ECOWAS citizens who are resident in the member
state where the position has been advertised.

Applications should be sent to: [email protected]

Method of assessment: Assessment of internal qualified candidates may include a written exercise
and competency-based interview.

Click here to download the application form (Docx.)

Note

• Applications initially submitted with only the CV remain acceptable. 
• Assessment of qualified candidates may include a written exercise and a competency-based interview.
• Potential candidates must be under 50 years of age.
• Female applicants are encouraged.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

 It is important to visit the official website (link found below) for detailed information on how to apply successfully for this vacancy.

Website:

Official Job Website: https://www.ecowas.int/careers/