The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Accountant (KaLMA): Kano

Contract type: Fixed Term (Until December 2020)/
Department: Finance
Job Category: Finance
Role Type: Advisory, Policy and Expertise
Pay Band: Pay Band 4
Report to: Senior Accountant & KaLMA Operations Manage

Role Purpose

The post holder will act as the finance business partner to the programmes team in their quest to deliver KaLMA (the project) or any other description ascribed to it in line with the funder’s requirement.
The holder will ensure thorough adherence to financial processes, keeping a balance between efficiency, accuracy and completeness of transactions processed.
The post holder will support the procurement process to onboard delivery partners, provide value for money guidance, ensure accurate reporting to the unique needs of the funder and provide efficiency and assurance to the project manager in the first instance and the programme director by ensuring delivery partners, internal stakeholders and funders are satisfied with the finance deliverables inherent in the projects.

Project Overview
Nigeria is one of the largest economies in Africa. It is also the most populous country with over 190 million citizens. Nigeria holds significant political power in the region and internationally and its society retains a positive attitude to the UK. There are therefore major opportunities for the UK to increase influence, funding sources and, through this, our impact by building on our strong existing relationships with the Nigerian government, private and civil society institutions and customers/audiences. However, there are complex and substantial risks to this work like security and compliance. North West Nigeria faces a perennial problem of low learning outcomes. Data from the Nigeria Education Data Survey 2015 and the Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) Composite Survey 2012 and 2016 indicate not only low attainments in literacy and numeracy but also declining trends. The ESSPIN Composite Survey 3 Gender and Inclusion Report, 2016 also points to gender gaps in learning outcomes, with boys significantly outperforming girls on all tests except P2 numeracy.

KaLMA aims to build foundational Hausa and English literacy and numeracy skills for primary 4 (P4) to primary 6 (P6) children using the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach, equipping them with foundational literacy and numeracy skills before they leave primary school. KaLMA is a partnership between the British Council and TaRL Africa. TaRL Africa is a newly formalised partnership between Education NGO Pratham, and research centre J-PAL, who have been working together developing cost-effective, scalable literacy and numeracy interventions for more than 15 years. The fruits of these efforts have been the development of what we now refer to as the TaRL approach.

The KaLMA project will be delivered in all 240 public primary schools in Wudil and Dawakin Tofa LGAs of Kano State. KaLMA will target all P4-6 children (23,559 in Dawakin Tofu and 28,152 in Wudil) and teachers (approximately 256 in Dawakin Tofa and 418 in Wudil). We have purposefully chosen to pilot in all schools so that we develop and learn about models which can be easily replicated and scaled across Kano and other North Western states.

Implementation of KaLMA is expected to begin in September 2019 and a fixed term employee contract for this post will be issued only after the contract with the donor is signed. A total of 267 working days have been budgeted for this position to be delivered over a period of 16 months. The British Council reserves the right to withdraw this post at any time until the employment contract is signed.

Main Opportunities/Challenges for this Role
This role will work closely with the KaLMA Project Manager and other relevant team members to manage the financial operations related to the delivery of the project in compliance with donor and British Council project delivery standards. It will also:

Afford the post holder exposure to various internal stakeholders across the operations
Increase the knowledge and use of SAP (financial management software) of the post holder
Involve working to tight deadlines to support delivery through financial operations support and other tasks
Assist in the development of financial reports that meet funders requirement
Assist in Value for Money Review to provide assurance to the programme director The Nigerian context is generally challenging, having poor infrastructure and currently facing a volatile security situation. There is still a significant reliance on the cash economy, corruption is high and the regulatory and compliance structures that exist are highly ineffective. This makes Nigeria a very challenging environment in which to deliver programmes.
The post holder must therefore have the ability to work in an ambiguous and difficult environment in which British Council processes need to be adapted or developed to cope with unusual requirements and difficult context.
S/he will work closely with the programme delivery and management teams.

Main Accountabilities
Accountabilities, responsibilities and main duties:

Complete all financial tasks required for the financial month-end pre-closing steps and provide support as required for the financial month-end closing steps.
Support the development of project financial reports in line with funder’s reporting requirements during project reporting and in support of payment request from the funder.
Provide support as required on accounting transactions and adjustments (accruals, deferrals and provisions), including Intercompany accounting.
Provide support as required with manual journals and off-system payments requests ensuring accuracy and compliance with relevant policies.
Ensure accurate and periodic reconciliations are carried out in line with the entities’ requirement.
Initiate periodic value for money exercises during the project to ensure use of funds are in line with funder’s guidelines.
Support the internal budget review through reconciliation and analysis of spend
Ensure completeness, accuracy and validity of the content of all financial reports to funder.
Ensure reports to funder are in line with agreed financial reporting standards or any other approach pre-agreed with funder.
Monitoring and manage any exchange rate fluctuations across the life of the project and report significant variances to project manager for escalation.
Process or liaise with the relevant designated role to process financial claims against the funder as the need arises.
To undertake timely processing of invoices to designated workshops, meetings and events according to stated requirements.
Clearly communicate payment processing requirements and any changes to users and the responsible project manager.
To undertake the preparation and or processing of special payments approaches in line with British Council Programmes’ requirements.
Audit travel, procurement and project expenses as may be directed by the project Manager or senior accountant
Develop project finance files and maintain records and ensure prompt access and retrieval as the need arises.
Working closely with the Project Manager or Senior Accountant and the Country Finance Team to ensure that due process is followed, and that Nigeria’s finances are managed in line with corporate and client requirements

Team Support and Contribution:

To assist in taking on responsibilities to support the Programme Finance team where necessary and practical
Ensure professionalism is demonstrated in own work area and customer / client needs and perspectives are reflected in own behaviours and focus.
To support the embedding of continuous learning and improvement into the team.

Other Administrative Work:

As required.

Key Relationships:

KaLMA Operations Manager
KaLMA Team Lead
KaLMA Project Delivery Team
British Council Nigeria Finance team
British Council Nigeria Procurement team
KaLMA Delivery Consortium partners

External:

Project consultants, suppliers and vendors

Role Requirements
Threshold requirements:

Passport requirements/ Right to work in country – Current Right to live and work in Nigeria

Assessment Stage: Shortlisting

Direct contact or managing staff working with children? – Appropriate Child Protection assurance checks in accordance with British Council policy

Assessment Stage: N/a

Notes:

Some weekend and unsocial work required
Travel around Northern Nigeria, Nigeria and other locations will be required from time to time

Person Specification
Essential Desirable

Fluency in written and spoken English – Shortlisted candidates will either demonstrate they have met the required standard through presentation of an agreed English language certificate or will be required to take the APTIS test and demonstrate a B2 level of English proficiency.

Assessment Stage: Shortlisting and Interview

Qualifications
Essential:

Relevant undergraduate degree from a recognized institution or equivalent professional experience.
Qualified accountant with relevant accounting qualification such as ACA, ACCA and ACMA etc

Assessment Stage: Shortlisting

Role Specific Knowledge & Experience
Essential:

Minimum of 3 years working experience in an active finance function.
High levels of personal effectiveness and the ability to focus on achieving deadlines.
Experience of an ERP system.

Desirable:

Experience working with donor funded programmes.
Experience working with SAP.
Experience of operating in a complex, multicultural context.
Computer skills – A good knowledge of Microsoft Office suite.

Assessment Stage: Shortlisting and/or Interview

British Council Core Skills

Managing Finance and Resources (Level 2) Uses financial systems and processes – Uses corporate financial systems and processes appropriately as part of the job and on behalf of a team.
Analysis Data and Problems (Level 2) Uses data – Reviews available data and identifies cause and effect, and then chooses the best solution from a range of known alternatives.
Managing Risk (Level 1) Follows good practices – Demonstrates understanding of risk management policies and procedures and record of following them.
Using Technology (Level 1) – Operates as a basic user of information systems, digital and office technology – Able to use office software and British Council systems to do the job and manage documents or processes.

Assessment Stage – Shortlisting and/or Interview

British Council Behaviours

Being Accountable (ESSENTIAL): Delivering my best in order to meet my commitments.
Connecting with Others (ESSENTIAL): Making regular opportunities to understand others better.
Making it Happen (ESSENTIAL): Delivering clear results for the British Council.
Working Together (ESSENTIAL): Establishing a genuinely common goal with others.

Assessment Stage: Interview

Creating Shared Purpose (ESSENTIAL): Communicating and engaging picture of how we can work together.
Shaping the Future (ESSENTIAL): Looking for ways in which we can do things better.

Assessment Stage: Required for the role but not assessed during the application stage.

Click here to download Job Details (Pdf)

Click here to download BC Behaviour (pdf)

Click here to download BC Core Skills (pdf)

Note: In your application form, please clearly explain how you meet the essential and desirable skills, qualification and experience criteria mentioned in the person specification section of the role profile. This will help us determine your fit for the role and increase your application’s chances of success.

Accountant (Maternity Cover): Lagos

Contract type: Fixed Term (until June 2020)
Department: Finance
Job Category: Finance
Role Type: Advisory, Policy and Expertise
Pay Band: Pay Band 4
Report to: Senior Accountant – Nigeria

Role Purpose

The post holder is a maternity cover and will be a member of a team of accountants responsible for the end to end accounting process in Nigeria including month, quarter and year end close.
The role holder will ensure consistent, accurate and robust financial accounting experience in line with generally accepted accounting principles and corporate policies. This is a support role within the Financial Control function.

Function and Geopolitical Overview

The Finance function is structured along functional lines with the aim of embedding the ‘three lines of defence’ model at its heart, clearly separating the financial control (first line) and risk and assurance (second line) functions, ensuring the integrity of our results and the strength of our controls. This will allow the organisation to focus more easily on business decision making, strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting on the basis of accurate monthly results.
The SSA Business Plan sets out ambitious growth targets for both the number of people we will work with and the income that we will generate. We expect to be more profitable, reinforcing financial sustainability. At the same time, we aim to continue to deliver a step-change in the quality and performance of the British Council’s Finance function. This will be achieved through more consistent standard of financial reporting enabling more informed decision making and satisfy the standards demanded by external stakeholders.
The organisation will achieve this by becoming increasingly efficient and commercial in its approach whilst maintaining its public service ethos and charitable purpose.

Internal Operating Context – Regional
By 2050 the population of Sub Saharan Africa will be 2 billion people, with the majority living in an urban environment. The region will have a middle class the size of Europe. 70% of the population is under the age of 25, and this demographic will grow at 15% year on year for the next 10 years. Generally the region is becoming more politically stable. There are on average 50 elections each year, many of which are more open and transparent than before. The majority of countries in SSA are developing economies. Gender inequality remains and life for women and girls on the continent remains challenging.

While economic growth is significant, it comes from a low base. Income per capita has doubled and foreign debt levels have halved since 2000. Aspirations to become middle income countries as written in national development plans in the next 10 years are optimistic. The World Bank longer view forecasts that ‘almost all’ African countries will be middle income by 2050. Across the region government priorities focus on economic growth, education and skills, and youth employment. The opportunity and challenge for prosperity and security is the population explosion, meeting aspirations of a youthful continent. Critical to this is improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the English and Exams businesses across the region. Two major global change initiatives to increase the effectiveness of these operations will be implemented in SSA over the next 2-3 years.

Main Accountabilities
The post-holder will (across operations in Nigeria):

Complete all financial tasks required as part of the period end closing activities, supporting the Senior Accountants, budget managers and SBU leads on accurate and complete financial close during period end.
Provide support as required on accounting transactions and adjustments (accruals, deferrals and provisions), including Intercompany accounting.
Provide support as required with manual journals and off-system payments requests and ensuring accuracy and compliance with relevant policies.
Assist with reconciliation of all relevant accounts and ensure that this is completed to corporate standards.
Assist Senior Accountant with preparation of local tax submissions and other statutory returns.
Complete Travel & Expenses audits as per policy addressing issues in a promptly manner.
Assist Senior Accountant with provision of information to internal / external auditors.
Assist in the implementation of audit recommendations.
Assist Senior Accountant on the implementation of the Income Recognition and Reconciliation Tool in assigned locations
Responsible for ensuring integrity of cash collection process.
Responsible for ensuring integrity of customers refund process.
Support the income reconciliation process by extracting relevant reports.
Ensure compliance with treasury policy.
Submit relevant documents to local bank as requested including bank mandates updates.

Regional and Functional Team Working:

Contribute to ensuring the policies, procedures and systems are delivered with integrity.
Work closely and effectively as part of the regional and global finance teams.
Actively support equality and diversity and work to the British Council’s EDI policy at all times.

Key Relationships
Internal:

Regional Financial Accounting team
Shared Services Centre
Corporate Finance
Country admin team
SBU Leads and Project Teams
Country Customer Services team

External:

Bank relationship manager
Tax authorities

Role Requirements
Threshold requirements:

Passport requirements/ Right to work in country – All applicants should have a pre-existing legal status to live and work in Nigeria. British Council will facilitate / sponsor visa applications and work permits.

Assessment stage: Shortlisting

Direct contact or managing staff working with children? – No

Assessment stage: N/A

Notes: Some travel may be required but is not expected to be significant.

Person Specification
Language requirements:
Minimum / Essential:

Fluency in written and spoken English: Shortlisting candidates will either demonstrate they have met the required standard through presentation of an agreed English language certificate or will be required to take the APTIS test and demonstrate a B1 level of English proficiency.

Assessment stage: Shortlisted and interview

Qualifications
Minimum / essential:

Bachelor’s degree in any numerate course of study.

Desirable:

Fully qualified with a recognised accounting board e.g ACCA, ACA etc

Assessment stage: Shortlisting

Role Specific Knowledge & Experience
Minimum / Essential:

Highly organised and deadline oriented.
High level of accuracy and attention to detail.
Proven accounting experience.
Experience of an ERP system.
Above average knowledge of Microsoft excel

Desirable:

Experience working with SAP

Assessment stage: Shortlisting and/or Interview

British Council Core Skills

Analysing Data and Problems (Level 1): Is systematic – Breaks down problems into a list of tasks to be done and decides on appropriate action.
Communicating and Influencing (Level 2): Relates communications to circumstances – Displays good listening, writing and speaking skills, setting out logical arguments clearly and adapting language and form of communication to meet the needs of different people/audiences.
Managing risks (Level 1): Follows good practices – Demonstrates understanding of risk management policies and procedures and record of following them.
Planning and Organising (Level 1): Is methodical – Able to plan own work over short timescales for routine or familiar tasks and processes.
Managing People (Level 2): Supervises a small team – Supervises a small team of people doing similar jobs to deliver short term tasks to agreed quality and time standards.
Financial Reporting and Compliance (Level 1): Understand and apply general compliance standards. Understand core elements of financial statements and reports.
Professional Accounting Standards (Level 1): Apply accounting principles to accurately record financial transactions and maintain appropriate supporting documentation.
Transactional Accounting and Closing (Level 1): Understand and apply the British Council’s accounting practices. Understand and apply account reconciliations.

Assessment stage: Shortlisting AND Interview

British Council Behaviours

Being Accountable (ESSENTIAL): Delivering my best in order to meet my commitments.
Connecting with Others (ESSENTIAL): Making regular opportunities to understand others better.
Making it Happen (ESSENTIAL): Delivering clear results for the British Council.
Working Together (ESSENTIAL): Establishing a genuinely common goal with others.

Assessment stage: Interview

Creating Shared Purpose (ESSENTIAL): Communicating and engaging picture of how we can work together.
Shaping the Future (ESSENTIAL): Looking for ways in which we can do things better.

Assessment stage: Required for the role but not assessed during the application stage

Accounting Jobs at The British Council: Nigeria

Accountant (KaLMA): Kano

Accountant (Maternity Cover): Lagos

Job Overview