Project Accountant at Development Bank of Rwanda (BRD): (Deadline 6 August 2022)

Background Information

Job Title: Project Accountant

Job Grade: JG6 

Department/Unit: Finance and Accounting

Reports to:  Project Coordinator of Enabel Grant Facility & Financial Controller of BRD

Duo Reports: Functionally to the Manager – Financial Control and Administratively to the Project Coordinator of Enabel Grant Facility 

Indirect Reports: N/A 

Contract terms: Project Accountant will be hired for a period of 17months. The Project Accountant is expected to work full-time based in Kigali, Rwanda.

Purpose of the Job

The Development Bank of Rwanda plc. (BRD) Grant Facility is a project funded by Enabel under the framework of RWA 19006-10021 Agriculture Program Prism signed between Enabel and BRD on 24th December 2021. The project’s envelop is € 2,000,000 in agricultural value chains: animal feed, pork and poultry.  Besides, Enabel has also signed agreement with BRD on 24th December 2021 aiming at supporting construction Program under UEDi, Enabel Grant Facility with the project’s envelop of € 621,144(RWA 19011-10045). This second project will unlock the financial constraint of the actors processing the value chains of stones and clays.

The project was established to strategically facilitate the access to finance in those sectors by reducing the high interest rates (up to 21%) applied by some of the banks, and enable the actors active in the piggery, poultry, clays, stone, and animal feeds sectors to access cheaper working capital and investment loans enabling them to run their businesses successfully.

To alleviate access to finance activities under Enabel Prism, and Enabel UEDi program, BRD has been identified as the implementing agency to facilitate the disbursement of the grant facility to beneficiaries directly or through commercial banks, Microfinance as well as SACCOs to lower the cost of credit requested by the actors working in the five value chains mentioned above.

In addition, Enabel Grant Facility Project’s provides for technical assistance and capacity building funds for the project beneficiaries and participating financial institutions to improve the sectors efficiency through improvement of financial analysis, financial management, technical and business skills of the actors processing the value chains of pork, poultry, stone, clays, and animal feeds.

Main Responsibilities of the Job

The Project Accountant will be under contract with BRD but financed by the Enabel Grant Facility Project funded by the Belgian Government. Under the supervision of the Enabel Grant Facility Management team and in accordance with the descriptive elements specified in the project formulation report, he/she will be based at Kigali at the BRD headquarter and is responsible for a variety of finance and accounting -related tasks including, but not limited to the ones listed below.

Main Responsibilities of the Job: 

Banking & cheque and cash management

• Prepare, register, and keep payments/cheques
• Prepare the project staff payroll for bank transfers at the end of each month.
• Ensures all invoices from external parties are paid in due time, by bank transfer, cheque or cash and arrange those documents by date: her/his task of preparing bank transfer and cheque documents. And manage pipeline payment to external parties.
• Check and approve document requested by Project Manager of Enabel Grant Facility.
• Attend and record the Grant facilities bank transactions, maintain bank accounts, ensure monthly bank statements, and account overviews
• Final responsibility for the cash management; this includes daily cash counts, verification of balance of cash book and cash-on-hand, assistance of cashier in solving imbalances, establishment, and signature of cash count statements of the Grant facilities.
• Ensure liquidation of any internal advances and update advance outstanding by the end of each month and report to financial controller of BRD and Financial Advisor of Enabel.
• Responsible for sound cash planning & cash withdrawals, to avoid cash shortages or large amounts cash in safe (security issue).
• Updates fixed asset register, follow up consultancies, contractor contract and stock of stationary for the of the Grant facilities.
• Carry out any other duty assigned by the line manager.

Financial activity reporting

• Record all projects’ expenses properly, following guidelines and within the deadlines the latest 15th of the following month.
• Produce statements for control by the Project Management, make all necessary corrections and make all preparations for the monthly closing of the accounting.
• Supervise daily entry of expenses in the cashbook.
• Produce statements for control by the Project Manager, make all necessary corrections and make all preparations for the monthly closing of the accounting including Banks reconciliations.
• Check and control to ensure quality and completeness of justification and supporting accounting documents of all expenses following guidelines.
• Ensure accounting coding and budgeting lines are correct: this includes verification of financial reports, expenses and supporting documents.
• Responsible for transparent and consistent filing of all accounting, banking, and cash management documents.
• Organize that copy of all supporting Bank documents and check cash document copy by cashier, before sent to Local Administration and Finance (LAF) at Enabel Country office monthly.

Financial Administration

• Check to ensure correct application of allowances.
• Assist the Project Manager with a variety of tasks: e.g., cost calculations, filing finance-related documents, monthly and weekly financial planning, managing beneficiaries pipeline payments…etc.
• Support the missions of the external auditors of the project and follow up on the recommendations in close coordination with the Finance and Administration Manager.

Budgeting and financial planning

• Provides all necessary accounting data and information to the Project Manager of Enabel Grant Facility, for him to be able to follow up on budget execution and planning.
• Assist the Project Manager in the elaboration of reports and budgets.

Performance indicators

• Financial Weekly report
• Monthly, Quarterly, and annual Financial Planning
• Monthly, Quarterly, and annual Financial Report

Working relationships 

• Finance Department of BRD,
• Working with NIRDA on Interest Rate Subsidy budget

Professional, academic qualifications and experience

Education:

• Degree in Accounting; Finance, Economics and other field related to the work experience and other skills:
• Minimum 5-year experience accounting.
• Minimum two-year experience in project management environment
• Very good hands-on knowledge of excel and word is a must. Other programs (Database, accounting programs) a strong advantage
• Experience with an international organization or NGO is an asset.
• Fluent in Kinyarwanda and English required, French is an asset
• Mature, good communicator and team player.
• Able to work under stressful conditions and not objecting to overtime and field missions

Language:

• Demonstrated high proficiency in Kinyarwanda & English (reading, writing, and speaking), French would be an added advantage.