Financial Accountant

Our client is a well-established industrial solutions company with a strong presence in the East African market. The organisation serves a diverse portfolio of business customers, including major regional and international brands, delivering customised solutions that support their operational and commercial needs. They are currently looking for a financial accountant.

Overall Objective

• To provide strong financial controllership, cost visibility, and compliance governance ensuring accurate financial reporting and optimal working capital management.
• To drive financial discipline, cost control, and risk management across the manufacturing operations.
• To act as a business partner to operations, ensuring financial insights support profitability, efficiency, and decision-making.
  

Key Responsibilities

General Ledger Integrity, Financial Control and Close Management

• Own and ensure completeness, accuracy, and integrity of the General Ledger and all sub-ledgers across the business.
• Review and approve all journal entries, accruals, provisions, and adjustments ensuring compliance with accounting standards and company policies.
• Ensure full reconciliation between GL, sub-ledgers (AP, AR, Inventory, Assets), and supporting schedules.
• Drive a structured and disciplined month-end and year-end close process, ensuring adherence to timelines and zero errors.
• Identify anomalies in financial postings and ensure immediate correction and root cause resolution.
• Maintain a clean audit trail for all financial transactions and adjustments.

Financial Reporting, Performance Analysis and Business Partnering

• Prepare accurate, complete, and timely financial reports (monthly, quarterly, annual) in line with IFRS and company standards.
• Ensure strict adherence to reporting timelines (e.g., 2nd of following month).
• Analyze financial performance vs budgets, forecasts, and prior periods.
  
• Provide detailed variance explanations and actionable recommendations.
• Act as a finance business partner to operations, procurement, and sales teams.
• Translate financial data into insights that support strategic and operational decisions.

Fixed Asset Management, Capex Control and Asset Governance

• Maintain a fully accurate and verifiable fixed asset register including tagging, location, and ownership.
• Ensure proper capitalization, depreciation, and disposal in line with accounting standards.
• Monitor capital expenditure against approved budgets and business cases.
  · Conduct periodic physical asset verification and reconciliation.
• Ensure all assets are adequately safeguarded and utilized efficiently.
  
  

Audit Management, Internal Controls and Compliance Governance

• Lead and coordinate internal and external audits ensuring full compliance.
• Ensure timely preparation of audit schedules, reconciliations, and supporting documentation.
• Drive closure of audit findings with clear corrective and preventive actions.
• Strengthen internal controls across finance and operational processes.
• Continuously assess and improve the control environment to prevent risks.

Accounts Payable, Supplier Management and Financial Discipline

• Ensure timely and accurate processing of supplier invoices and payments.
• Monitor payables and ensure no aged or overdue balances.
• Align payment schedules with cash flow plans and contractual terms.
• Maintain strong supplier relationships through payment discipline and transparency.

Inventory Accounting, Cost Visibility and Control

• Ensure accurate financial recording and valuation of all inventory categories (RM, WIP, FG).
• Reconcile inventory balances between finance and warehouse systems.
• Monitor inventory movements, cost changes, and valuation impacts.
• Support stock counts and ensure alignment between physical and financial records.
• Provide visibility on inventory holding costs and slow-moving/obsolete stock.

Risk Management, Insurance & claims and Financial Safeguarding

• Identify financial risks including operational and compliance risk.
• Implement and monitor risk mitigation strategies.
• Manage insurance policies ensuring adequate coverage of company assets and risks.
• Handle insurance claims efficiently and ensure timely recovery.

ERP Systems Ownership, Data Integrity and Automation

• Act as ERP FI/CO module champion, ensuring optimal system utilization.
• Ensure accuracy, completeness, and integrity of all financial data in the system.
• Drive automation of financial processes to improve efficiency and reduce errors.
• Support system upgrades, reporting tools, and digital transformation initiatives.

Team Leadership, Capability Development and Performance Management

• Lead, coach, and develop finance team members to enhance skills and performance.
• Set clear performance expectations and monitor delivery.
• Identify skill gaps and implement training and development plans.
• Build a high-performance finance team aligned to business needs.

Internal control management

• Design, implement, and monitor internal controls across financial processes.
• Ensure proper segregation of duties (SoD) across finance functions.
• Perform periodic control reviews and testing.

Master Data management

• Maintain and control chart of accounts, vendor master data, fixed asset register.
• Ensure all master data changes are properly authorized, supported by documentation, accurately recorded and traceable.
• Establish and enforce master data governance policies.
• Validate master data against approved documents.
• Ensure consistency across systems and reports

Academic qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in commerce (Accounting or Finance option), Finance, Economics, or a
  related field
• CPA(K)
• Member of ICPAK in good standing

Knowledge and Experience

• Over 8 years' work experience with at least 2 in a similar role role
• Experience in manufacturing or FMCG busy environment
• Exposure to statutory audits, month-end and year-end closing, and preparation of financial statements
• Budgeting, forecasting and cost control
• Internal controls and audit procedures
• Advanced Excel (pivot tables, lookups, financial modelling)
• Proficiency in ERP and accounting software

Behavioural / Personal Qualities

• Ownership & Financial Stewardship
• Integrity, Ethics & Governance
• Control Mindset & Risk Awareness
• Attention to Detail & Accuracy
• Discipline & Execution Excellence
• Business Partnering & Influence
• Planning, Organization & Time Management
• Learning Agility & Technical Mastery
• Leadership & Capability Building