Accountant

The IRC began working in Somalia in the early 1980s; initially to assist people seeking refuge in the aftermath of the Somalia-Ethiopian conflict. The focus of IRC Somalia programming is on Economic Recovery and Development (ERD), Health and Nutrition, WASH, Governance and Women’s Protection and Empowerment (WPE) interventions to crisis affected communities in most of the targeted locations. With headquarters in Mogadishu, the IRC oversees field offices in Garowe, Gaalkayo, Dhusamareb and Baidoa in Puntland, Galmudug, Southwest and Benadir Region. IRC programming in Somalia adopts an integrated and holistic approach, in which each sector provides mutually reinforcing services to at-risk populations.

Job and project overview

The IRC is currently looking for a highly qualified and professional Accountant for an upcoming opportunity entitled ‘Build Resilience for Food & Nutrition Security (BREFONS) which is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) through the Ministry of Livestock, Forestry, and Range (MoLFR) of the Federal Republic of Somalia (being the Executing Agency). BREFONS will be implemented in selected areas in Somaliland, Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Southwest, and Jubbaland.

The ambitious BREFONS project is expected to improve living conditions of rural communities in the above-mentioned project target areas by improving their access to water, pasture, and infrastructure for livestock health and markets. The main components of the project include:

i) Strengthening the resilience of Pastoral and Agropastoral Production systems,

ii) Supporting Agribusiness Development in Pastoral Communities,

iii) Strengthening the Adaptive Capacity to Climate Change; and

iv) Project management and coordination. Gender, climate change, fragility and environmental requirements will be mainstreamed and integrated across all components.

Under the main components mentioned above, the project will support the development of Climate Resilient Infrastructures for Agropastoral Production Systems, sustainable Management of Agropastoral lands, Climate Smart Technologies and Innovations, facilitation of Access to Market and Digital Advisory Services, as well as to support with Livelihood Diversification, the development and improvement of weather and climate services, the mainstreaming of Climate Risk Finance and Insurance; operational and institution capacity for climate resilience and adaptation and Project management and coordination at national and regional state levels.

Scope of work

The Accountant will be responsible for processing internal and external payments, managing bank accounts, balancing expenses, recording the project’s finances, and overseeing other tasks as needed for the BREFONS project in order to achieve the project goals in selected states and regions. The Accountant will be based in Mogadishu, with travel to project sites in Somaliland, Puntland, Galmudug, Southwest and Jubbaland. S/he will be reporting to Team leader/Project Coordinator.

Key responsibilities

• Process payments to suppliers, contractors, and service providers, ensuring all necessary back-up documentation is verified, collected, and filed according to established operating principles and procedures.

• Maintain the project bank account, including monitoring the account balance, outstanding checks, and other transactions, in accordance with established operating principles and procedures, and the Bank’s policies and procedures.

• Review relevant project documents, activities and prepare annual financial budgets in coordination with the project team no objection of the Bank.

• Review payment requests to verify that all the necessary supporting documents have been committed and that the payments are for eligible expenditures as per the Bank’s guidelines.

• Maintain a complete hard and soft record keeping of financial transactions, in compliance with the Bank’s procedures and guidelines.

• Support project financial budgeting and continuously monitor expenditure progress, in close cooperation with the Team leader and Procurement specialist.

• Support the preparation and submission of progress report to the MoLFR

• Perform other duties as assigned by the Team Leader/Project Coordinator and country program leadership to achieve the Project’s goals and objectives.

Required qualifications & competencies:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting is required.

• Certification of Chartered Accountants or local equivalent is desirable.

• Minimum of five years’ experience in accounting and financial management of projects financed by multilateral development banks; experience with African Development Bank is an added value.

• Previous experience in working for similar programming in conflict or crisis situations Preferably in East Africa and in particular, experience working in Somalia is an added value.

• Excellent interpersonal and communications skills.

• Demonstrated leadership, versatility, and integrity.

• Strong analytical skills with attention to details.

• Excellent IT skills (Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint).

• Fluency in English and Somali (spoken and written).

• Ability to manage a large and varied workload, work under pressure and meet deadlines.

• IRC nationals or long-term residents are particularly encouraged to apply.

The IRC and IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in IRC Way – Standards for Professional Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Equality and Accountability. In accordance with these values, the IRC operates and enforces policies on Beneficiary Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Anti Workplace Harassment, Fiscal Integrity, and Anti-Retaliation.

Gender Equality: The IRC is committed to narrowing the gender gap in leadership positions. We offer benefits that provide an enabling environment for women to participate in our workforce including parental leave, gender-sensitive security protocols and other supportive benefits and allowances, and encourage qualified female candidates to apply.

Diversity and Inclusion: at the IRC, we are passionate about creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. Organizations that are diverse in age, gender identity, race, physical or mental ability, nationality, and perspective are validated to be better organizations. More importantly, creating a safe workspace environment where everyone, from any background, can do their best is the right thing to do. So, bring your whole self to work.