Junior Accountant – Community Levy Analysis & Reconciliation at Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)

Welcome to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Established on May 28 1975 via the treaty of Lagos, ECOWAS is a 15-member regional group with a mandate of promoting economic integration in all fields of activity of the constituting countries.

Member countries making up ECOWAS are Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d’ Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Togo

Considered one of the pillars of the African Economic Community, ECOWAS was set up to foster the ideal of collective self-sufficiency for its member states. As a trading union, it is also meant to create a single, large trading bloc through economic cooperation.

Integrated economic activities as envisaged in the area that has a combined GDP of $734.8 billion, revolve around but are not limited to industry, transport, telecommunications, energy, agriculture, natural resources, commerce, monetary and financial issues, social as well as cultural matters.

Expectations of economic integration have always been high and a lot has been accomplished by the regional group since the endorsement of the treaty which gave it the required legal teeth. Going by current assessments, the regional body has exceeded the expectations of its founding fathers. Today, the organisation is being acknowledged globally as a successful regional body. ECOWAS can be seen now as a toast to a workable integration and regional co-existence.Grade: P2 / P3
Status: Permanent
Departement: Finance
Directorate: Budget & Treasury
Division: Budget & Treasury
Line Supervisor: Accountant, Community Levy Account Management
Supervising: Accounting Assistants

Role Overview

The incumbent reports directly to the Accountant – Community Levy and has the responsibility for assisting with the  execution of the financial policies and regulations in the area of Community Levy (CL) Management and production of CL financial statement including income & Expenditure statement, Balance sheet and other reports as may be required by management.
Ensure all CL ledgers are reconciled and maintain an updated record of all accounts.

 Role and Responsibilities

Ensure an up to date reconciliation of all Community Levy ledgers so as to certify the validity of financial statements in accordance with existent regulations;
Regularly update and maintain records of member States levy deposits and assessments
Review posting of transactions into the accounting software;
Assist in liaising with the central banks to provide monthly bank statements for all levy proceeds account
Check and certify the correctness of the bank reconciliation statements and ensure that they are filed safely for the review of both internal and external auditors;
Assist in the preparation of periodic and annual community levy reports;
Carry out any other duties that may be assigned.

Academic Qualification and Experience

Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Accounting or Finance from a recognized university.
3 years of progressively responsible experience in accounting, finance, administration, budget, business administration or related area, is required;
Familiarity with administrative and financial policies and procedures; knowledge and understanding of theories, concepts and approaches relevant to particular sector or specialized field;
Technical ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems and to assist with data collection using various methods.

Age Limit:

Be below 50 years old. This provision does not apply to internal candidates.

Ecowas Key Competencies:

Ability to  execute tasks, contact colleagues and contribute as needed towards  decision making to ensure tasks are completed in a timely manner;
Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
Ability to respect chain of command in an appropriate manner;
Ability to guide own work by setting and monitoring goals with strong personal initiative and commitment to ECOWAS;
Ability to model and advocate for compliance, good work ethics, flexibility and persistence to get job done coupled with an ability to influence positive teamwork and cooperation;
Ability to work in teams to carry out semi-routine work including assigning work, training and checking work.
Excellent interpersonal skills to engage with clients in positive exchanges that establishes mutual expectations, understanding and reduces uncertainties and conflicts;
Ability to keep  clients informed on matters of relevance to expectations, establishing “bring forward” systems and introducing other procedures/techniques to ensure that service standards are maintained;
Ability to make decisions based on guidelines, procedures and precedents and maintain confidentiality and discretion with clients;
Good judgement and demonstrated ability to be assertive – rather than passive or aggressive when interacting with clients;
Well-developed problem-solving, critical thinking and conflict resolution skills.
Ability to perceive the moods and feelings of others, and to understand the attitude, interests, needs, and perspectives of others;
Well-developed ability to relate well with people from varied backgrounds, open to understanding diverse cultural differences especially within West Africa;
Ability to listen attentively to people’s ideas, requests and concerns and to explain to others the need for diversity management in every day workplace practices;
Ability and responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work;
Ability to factor in diversity when providing services, responding to requests, recognizing and releasing preconceived notions and stereotypical views of certain groups and individuals.
Basic understanding of the ECOWAS organization mandate and its functions;
Ability to explain the functional area assigned to and the contributions it makes to the organization and its mandate;
Knowledge of ECOWAS semi-routine procedures, processes and practices as it relates to assigned responsibilities and information systems;
Ability to apply ECOWAS standards in emailing, reporting, correspondences, etc. and to contribute to implementing associated changes as directed.
Ability to carefully review and check the accuracy of information in work reports provided by management, management information systems or other individuals;
Good knowledge of office monitoring indicators of relevance to own work and ability to provide brief reports or updates;
Ability to edit, check, track and review documents prepared by others and reorganize data or information according to instructions using latest technology;
Efficiently retrieves, inputs, edits, formats, transmits and links electronic file data used for analysis and understands  data management operations;
Ability to condense information and/or produce concise summary notes to help others with decision-making, problem solving and/or assessment of work.
Demonstrated computer skills to communicate using tools, to write and format documents appropriately for presentation, the web, proposals, reports and other documents;
Ability to proofread, edit and revise documents to ensure they follow standard conventions for punctuation and mechanics and formatted in accordance to ECOWAS communication standards;
Ability to relay/redirect complete and accurate messages to appropriate persons/departments;
Proficiency in  information communication technologies(ICT);
Fluency in oral and written expressions in one of the ECOWAS official languages of the Community (English, French & Portuguese). Knowledge of an additional one will be an added advantage.
Ability to organize information and materials for others, solving minor problems and checking for completeness and compliance to standards and instructions;
Knowledge of techniques to prioritize tasks in fast paced workplace with frequent interruptions and moving deadlines and adaptability/ flexibility to meet work expectations;
Understanding and adherence to the policies, procedures and guidelines required to support the ECOWAS planning cycle at the individual and organizational level;
Good initiative with an ability to identify what needs to be done and take action in a proactive manner.

Annual Salary

UA42,916.53, USD67,713.70 (P2)
UA49,106.81, USD77,480.72 (P3)

Application Closing Date
24th April, 2020.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should download the Application Form below, fill it out correctly; attach a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a Motivation Letter and send to: b6jaccomlevy@ecowas.int using the Job Title as the subject of the email.

Click here to download Application Form (Ms Word)

Source: MyJobMag Job Feed