Regional Accounting Manager at Management Sciences for Health (MSH)

The Regional Accounting Manager is part of the Regional finance and operations team responsible for working closely with country Finance Leads and the HQ GL and accounting team in ensuring timely and accurate financial accounting records are maintained. The Regional Accounting Manager will be fully knowledgeable on the MSH finance & accounting policies and procedures and key donor regulations i.e. U.S government, Global Fund, Key US foundations, DFID and others. The Regional Accounting Manager will provide mostly remote back stopping, capacity building & oversight to country Finance Leads based in MSH country offices across the world.

MSH Business Systems Advancement and Support (30%)

• Identify and develop business improvement solutions using technology that keep MSH efficient and effective. Will work in close collaboration with HQ Accounting and Field Office Accounting teams to identify needs and address them.
• Partner with regional/HQ teams (Corporate Procurement, Internal Audit, FP/A, HR, etc.) and Field Office leaders by providing robust subject matter expertise (SME) in MSH key business systems such as QBO, Costpoint, Inventory management, etc.
• Ensure MSH remains on top of technological advancements in field offices by engaging with counterparts from other organizations to understand what technologies are working for them and whether we might integrate these in our business.
• Support Country/Field Office start-ups by reviewing system requirements and delivering a fully operational Country/field office accounting system (QBO, Transaction Pro, Inventory Management Systems etc.) for the projects/country offices on time.
• Manage monthly invoices for all business systems (QBO, Inventory Management Systems, Transaction Pro, etc.) under the RMU (Regional Management Unit) oversight.
• Support review for local per diem determination for country offices
• Support recruitment for country office staff below DFA level
• Support orientation of country office finance staff and other staff on finance process and procedures
• Perform monthly control reviews for supported country’s and support country’s corrective action plans/actions.

Capacity Building (15%)

• Develop training programs and modules based on FO Accountant Assessments.
• Develop training manuals and training tools for finance and accounting teams.
• Deliver training programs for field office finance and accounting teams.
• Strengthen engagement with key stakeholders in Country/Field Offices i.e. PD and DFAs and work closely with them to address their support requirements.
• Support country teams with systems update/ migration
• Provide in country support where necessarily via country support visits

Financial Analysis and KPIs (15%)

• Provide the Program Delivery Group (PDG), the CFO management, with regular analysis of key FOs assets and liability balance sheet performance trends. Identify systemic exceptions and make recommendations on how these can be addressed across a group or all countries.
• Interpret FOs balance sheets results based on financial analysis reports from QBO and Costpoint, support HQ and FO accounting teams in troubleshooting accounting exceptions and provide timely resolution.
• Develop tools and metrics that empower and guide Directors of Finance in FOs through monthly control review of FO Month Close Results. This includes developing customized reports in QBO and CO as needed.
• Deliver quarterly benchmark rating results covering performance of key balance sheet accounts across all countries against clearly defined requirements in the MSH finance procedures.
• Continuously stay current about new technological solutions available in the market to improve FO business processes, and put forward recommendations to management for action.

Treasury Management (5%)

• Develop relationships with MSH’s key banking institutions while remaining current on new services MSH can exploit in the banking sector.
• As part of supporting start-ups and close-outs of countries, coordinate the opening and closing of country offices bank accounts including bank signatory mandate management.
• Approve monthly FO Fund (Cash) requests from HQ Treasury.
• Coordinate bi-annual comprehensive review of FO management of Bank accounts, Mobile Money accounts and cash accounts. Identify exceptions and work closely with internal audit and compliance teams to develop corrective actions for FO management.
• In line with Finance Procedures and working closely with HQ Treasury department, coordinate the bi-annual independent verification of current bank signatories, thresholds approved and bank balances.

Online Time Reporting Management (5%)

• Responsible for training FO Accountants and subsequently transition the responsibility of  “online time reporting administration” from the RMU at “golive” to FO’s accountants.
• Manage CP timesheet periods for countries that have gone live with online time reporting but have not yet transitioned responsibility to FO accountants.
• For countries that have gone live with online time reporting but have not yet transitioned responsibility to FO accountants:
  • Maintain the timesheet labor and costing processes in Costpoint
  • Maintain the CP leave accrual tables working closely with FO HR and FO Accountants
  • Provide Labor LOE (Level of Effort) and Labor Cost allocation reports to FO finance for review. Calculate related accruals i.e. Severance and 13th month.

Inventory Management (5%)

• Develop, modify and manage the inventory business system for FOs in line with MSH procedures.
• Maintain FO user access Controls (add, delete, access level) approved by FO Directors of Finance.
• Regularly update procedure guidance for inventory management in line with MSH and Donor requirements.
• Perform regular control spot checks to ensure FOs are maintaining updated records in the inventory register.

People Management

• In line with MSH HR requirements, set clear objectives and performance development plans for direct reports.
• Manage the onboarding process for direct reports.

Education

• A postgraduate degree in a related field or a Bachelor’s degree in Finance/Accounting plus equivalent experience is required. Professional qualification is an added advantage

Experience

• Minimum of 7 -10 years of work experience as an accountant in a similar work organization. 
• Prior work experience with U. S. Government and non-USG, foundations, or other donors.

Knowledge and Skills

• Minimum of 5 years’ experience as a Senior Reg. Accountant
• Knowledge of & experience with U.S. government projects
• IT Proficiency i.e. comfortable using computer software i.e. Microsoft Office programs like Word & Excel.
• Experience with working with large data sets and applying excel functions such as pivot tables and formulas such as SUMIF, Vlookup, Concatenate etc.
• Fairly advanced use of financial accounting software i.e. administrator or super user level. (I.e. QuickBooks, Sun Systems, PeopleSoft, Deltek Costpoint etc.)
• Good presentation skills i.e. experience conducting trainings and capacity building sessions both remotely and in workshop environment.
• Demonstrate good judgment and sound financial “common sense”
• Experience coordinating/actively supporting both internal and external audits in an organization.
• Good knowledge of a company’s key business processes i.e. procurement to pay, inventory management, treasury management, GL journal adjustments and key steps, and understanding key supporting documents needed to ensure good audit trail.
• Knowledge of key accounting concepts and treatments in line with FAS, GAAP.
• Written and verbal proficiency in English including business terminology. Knowledge in another international language (e.g., French, Spanish, Portuguese) is an added advantage.

Competencies

• A creative and proactive approach to work with a ‘can do’ attitude, in line with MSH’s values
• Great collaborative skills
• Ability to adapt to changing context and workload.
• Good ethical conduct
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• Commitment to accuracy and attention to detail
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to relate to people at all levels internally and externally 
• Ability to plan, balance and cope with competing priorities
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to manage teams, initiate and organize work
• Ability to establish priorities in a time-sensitive environment and meet deadlines.