Finance Officer – Expenses & Reconciliations at Mott MacDonald

Job Description:

We are seeking a Finance Officer to support the Finance Manager in administering staff advances, expense claims and reconciliations for nationwide Operations, managing a portfolio of over 33 staff members and cash disbursements to over 30,000 teachers across Malawi.

 

Principal Duties/Tasks and responsibilities:

1. Staff Advances for Field Activities: Timely processing staff advances for field-related expenses including requesting of advance approvals from relevant authorities (e.g., ISMA Regional) and updating the ISMA register with accurate information.
2. Expense Report Review: Review expense reports submitted by staff against approved advances and ensure compliance with Mott Macdonald internal control policies and accuracy of the expense reconciliations.
3. Advances Tracking and Aging report Summary: Maintain a summary of advances issued to staff keeping track of long outstanding advances and make necessary follow ups with concerned staff members.
4. Audits / Independent Verifications: Conduct spot checks and independent verifications, either through phone calls or physical visits, of expenses incurred by staff to ascertain occurrence and reasonableness of amounts being claimed.
5. UNAYO Funds Reconciliation: Working closely with the finance manager, supporting in preparation of UNAYO funds disbursement reports made to over 30,000 teachers ensuring that documentation received from all 517 Teacher development centres in accurate and expenses are validated by the documentation. Review standard bank reports related to allowance disbursements.

 

Note: This job description reflects the present requirements of the post.  As duties and responsibilities change and develop, the job description will be reviewed and be subject to amendment in consultation with the post holder and line manager.

 

 

Candidate Specification:

 

Essential competencies/skills

• Excellent knowledge in various accounting packages
• High levels of professional scepticism on review of documentation
• Excellent excel skills including advanced formulas and excel modelling.
• Very keen and attentive to detail and with high levels of accuracy in work produced.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English and Chichewa.
• Good IT skills
• Ability to work as a member of a team.

Required academic/professional qualifications, training, and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting/ ACCA/CIMA/ICAM Finalist/ or at studying towards CA qualification at final level.
• Not less than 3 years’ experience in a busy donor funded Nationwide project.
• Registered with Institute of Chartered Accountants in Malawi and the Malawi Accountants Board.

 

 

Job Profile:

Mott MacDonald is committed to improving people’s lives through creating and delivering tailored development solutions. We work in developing countries to alleviate poverty, establish good governance, and increase access, capacity and resilience in healthcare, education, water, sanitation, transportation, infrastructure, and renewable energy – while safeguarding the environment and promoting human rights and gender equity. We are an equal-opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate and take positive steps to create an inclusive culture.

The National Numeracy Programme in Malawi (NNP) aims to improve student learning outcomes in mathematics so that girls and boys have a solid foundation in basic skills to success in the rest of their schooling and fulfil their potential. The programme provides technical assistance to the Ministry of Education to revise the mathematics curriculum for lower primary (standard 1-4), develop corresponding teaching and learning materials, design teacher training strategies (including school-based support structures), rigorously pilot the new materials and training strategies, document impact, refine the materials and training strategies, and then oversee a national scale-up.  The programme is currently being implemented in 1100 schools across the country and will be scaled up to all the public primary schools in the 24/25 academic year.

The programme is led by the Ministry of Education with technical assistance from Cambridge Education, a member of the Mott MacDonald Group.

 

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We put equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they have the opportunity to contribute.

 

Agile working

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team and personal commitments. We embrace agility, flexibility and trust.