Senior Financial Accountant – Financial Control, Compliance & Operations at The Science for Africa Foundation in Nairobi, Kenya

    The Science for Africa Foundation logo

    Senior Financial Accountant – Financial Control, Compliance & Operations

    Posted

    2 days ago

    Apply by

    1 Sept

    Full Time
    On Site
    Senior
    Charity, NGO & Non-Profit
    Accounting, Auditing & Finance

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    Job Description

    The Senior Financial Accountant – Financial Control, Compliance & Operations is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the Foundation's accounting records, strengthening internal controls, ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, coordinating finance-related audits, and overseeing day-to-day financial operations. The role serves as the custodian of accounting quality, financial compliance, operational finance controls and transaction integrity, ensuring the Foundation maintains accurate financial records, effective financial controls and a strong compliance environment that supports institutional accountability and stewardship.

    Key Responsibilities

    • Oversee the integrity, accuracy and completeness of the Foundation's accounting records and general ledger.
    • Review journals, account reconciliations, and support documentation to ensure accuracy and compliance.
    • Lead the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close processes.
    • Monitor balance sheet reconciliations and ensure that all outstanding items are promptly investigated and resolved.
    • Ensure compliance with applicable accounting standards and organisational policies.
    • Support implementation and continuous monitoring of internal control frameworks.
    • Conduct periodic reviews of financial controls and compliance processes.
    • Monitor adherence to financial policies, procedures, and delegated authorities.
    • Identify control weaknesses and recommend corrective actions.
    • Support fraud prevention and financial risk mitigation initiatives.
    • Coordinate finance-related internal and external audit activities.
    • Prepare audit schedules, reconciliations, and supporting documentation.
    • Serve as the primary point of contact for finance audit requests.
    • Track implementation of audit recommendations and management actions.
    • Support institutional assurance processes and compliance reviews.
    • Coordinate preparation and submission of statutory returns.
    • Ensure compliance with tax obligations and regulatory requirements.
    • Monitor changes in legislation and regulatory requirements affecting the Foundation.
    • Liaise with tax authorities, regulators and statutory bodies as required.
    • Support implementation of tax compliance and governance frameworks.
    • Oversee accounts payable and accounts receivable processes.
    • Review payment requests for completeness, accuracy and compliance.
    • Monitor vendor payments and statutory remittances.
    • Support payroll finance review and reconciliation processes.
    • Ensure timely and accurate transaction processing.
    • Monitor outstanding receivables and operational finance risks.
    • Support continuous improvement of finance operations.
    • Contribute to development and implementation of finance SOPs.
    • Identify opportunities to strengthen controls and operational efficiency.
    • Support automation of routine finance processes where appropriate.
    • Provide technical accounting and compliance support to internal stakeholders.
    • Support budget holders and departments on operational finance matters.
    • Respond to finance-related queries from internal and external stakeholders.

    Required Qualifications

    • Bachelor's degree in finance, Accounting, Economics, Statistics, Information Systems or related field.
    • CPAK, ACCA or equivalent professional accounting qualification.
    • Membership in a recognised professional accounting body.
    • Minimum seven (7) years relevant professional experience.
    • Experience in financial accounting and reporting.
    • Experience coordinating audits and statutory reporting.
    • Experience managing financial operations and compliance processes.
    • Experience in donor-funded, grant-making or international development environments is desirable.
    • Experience using ERP systems and financial management systems.
    • Strong financial accounting and reporting skills.
    • Strong understanding of internal controls and compliance frameworks.
    • Knowledge of tax and statutory compliance requirements.
    • Strong reconciliation and analytical skills.
    • Attention to detail and accuracy.
    • Strong planning and organisational capability.
    • Ability to prioritise and meet deadlines.
    • Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
    • High level of integrity and accountability.
    • Strong problem-solving capability.
    • Technical leadership.
    • Accountability and ownership.
    • Quality orientation.
    • Team collaboration.
    • Coaching and mentoring.
    • Continuous improvement mindset.

    Job Details

    Job Function

    Accounting, Auditing & Finance

    Minimum Experience

    7 years

    Education Level

    Bachelor’s Degree

    Area of Study

    Finance

    Field of Study

    Finance, Accounting, Economics, Statistics, Information Systems

    Additional Information

    How to Apply: Interested and qualified? Go to The Science for Africa Foundation on scienceforafrica.foundation to apply.

    Show You Can Own the Close and the Audit Trail

    This role sits at the heart of financial integrity — the hiring panel will probe how you've handled month-end closes, audit coordination, and statutory filings under pressure. Your CV and interview answers need to show you can keep a general ledger clean and defend every number.

    1. Lead with your close experience: In your CV and interview, walk through a specific month-end or year-end close you led. Mention the size of the ledger, the team you coordinated, and how you ensured every reconciliation tied out. Hiring managers want to see you can own the process end-to-end, not just participate.

    2. Prove your audit coordination chops: Be ready to describe how you've prepared audit schedules, responded to auditor queries, and tracked management actions. Give a concrete example of a tricky audit finding you helped resolve — that shows you can protect the Foundation's assurance posture.

    3. Show statutory compliance fluency: This role demands up-to-date knowledge of tax and regulatory filings. Highlight your experience with VAT, PAYE, and other statutory returns, and mention any time you liaised with authorities like KRA. If you've handled changes in legislation, say so.

    4. Demonstrate ERP mastery: The posting asks for ERP experience — name the systems you've used (e.g., SAP, Oracle, QuickBooks) and how you've used them to strengthen controls. If you've automated a process, describe the before and after.

    5. Talk about internal controls in action: Don't just say you know controls — give an example of a control weakness you identified and the fix you recommended. That shows you're not just a bookkeeper but a guardian of financial integrity.

    6. Prepare for donor-funding questions: If you have experience with donor-funded projects, highlight it. Even if not, be ready to discuss how you'd handle grant accounting, restricted funds, and donor reporting — the Foundation's work depends on it.

    7. Show your stakeholder management side: This role supports budget holders and responds to queries across the organization. Prepare a story about a time you explained a complex financial issue to a non-finance colleague and helped them make a better decision.

    8. Emphasize integrity and accountability: The Foundation values these traits highly. In your answers, show you take ownership of errors, follow through on commitments, and maintain confidentiality. A simple example of a time you flagged a mistake you made — and fixed it — can go a long way.

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    Tags

    financial accounting
    internal controls
    compliance
    audit
    ERP