Finance & Accounts Officer

Role Overview

This position places you at the financial core of a fast-moving Kenya-based venture, where your daily decisions keep every shilling accounted for and every transaction defensible. You will oversee the entire money lifecycle—from the moment funds land in the bank to the final sign-off on payments—while leading a small team that handles receipts, disbursements, and record-keeping. Your accuracy directly supports the organisation's credibility with auditors, the Country Director, and the Holding Finance function, so your work is never just clerical; it is the backbone of operational trust.

Key Responsibilities

• Verify and log all incoming funds on the same day they arrive, ensuring bank records, receipts, and internal ledgers match immediately.
• Scrutinise every payment request against its approved budget line, checking that invoices, approvals, and supporting documents are complete before authorising any disbursement.
• Supervise the teams handling income and receipts, payments, and record-keeping to maintain a seamless, traceable trail for every transaction.
• Keep the financial files audit-ready at all times—no missing invoices, no stale reconciliations, no unexplained balances lurking at month-end.
• Prepare and deliver monthly financial reports to both the Country Director and Holding Finance, summarising cash position, expenditures, and any flagged discrepancies.
• Actively chase down missing documentation and resolve reconciling items before the month closes, rather than leaving them for a later scramble.
• Escalate any payment request that exceeds agreed approval thresholds—or any sign of irregularity—to the appropriate authority without delay.
• Serve as the go-to person for financial questions from division heads, field teams, external auditors, and Holding Finance, explaining status and requirements in plain, actionable terms.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A degree or recognised professional qualification in finance, accounting, or a closely related discipline.
• At least several years of hands-on experience in financial management, budgeting, or accounting, ideally within an operational, field-based, or social-impact organisation operating in Kenya or East Africa.
• Demonstrated comfort with budget tracking, bank reconciliations, and periodic financial reporting, with a reputation for precision under deadline pressure.
• The judgement to decide when a payment should be approved, held, or escalated—and the confidence to stand by that decision with clear reasoning.
• Strong written and verbal communication, able to translate financial details for non-finance colleagues as easily as for finance leadership.
• High integrity and discretion, particularly because the venture's audit trail supports carbon credit certification and involves sensitive financial data.
• Working knowledge of Kenyan financial regulations, tax obligations, and standard banking procedures.
• Ability to operate within a structured reporting line while still making sound independent decisions in day-to-day work.
• An added advantage if you have experience with compliance-linked reporting—such as carbon credit programs, donor grant requirements, or formal certification audits.