Accountant at Medecins Sans Frontieres
Job Description
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare. MSF offers assistance to people based on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.
Our actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of neutrality and impartiality.
A worldwide movement
MSF was founded in Paris, France in 1971. Its principles are described in the organisation’s founding charter. It is a non-profit, self-governed organisation.
Today, MSF is a worldwide movement of 24 associations, bound together as MSF International, based in Switzerland.
Thousands of health professionals, logistical and administrative staff – most of whom are hired locally – work on programmes in some 70 countries worldwide.
Humanitarian action
MSF’s work is based on humanitarian principles. We are committed to bringing quality medical care to people caught in crisis, regardless of race, religion or political affiliation.
MSF operates independently. We conduct our own evaluations on the ground to determine people’s needs. More than 90 per cent of our overall funding comes from millions of private sources, not governments.
MSF is neutral. We do not take sides in armed conflicts, we provide care on the basis of need, and we push for independent access to victims of conflict as required under international humanitarian law.
Bearing witness and speaking out
MSF medical teams often witness violence and neglect in the course of their work, largely in regions that receive scant international attention.
At times, MSF may speak out publicly in an effort to bring a forgotten crisis to public attention, to alert the public to abuses occurring beyond the headlines, to criticise the inadequacies of the aid system, or to challenge the diversion of humanitarian aid for political interests.
Quality medical care
MSF rejects the idea that poor people deserve third-rate medical care and strives to provide high-quality care to patients. In 1999, when MSF was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the organisation announced the money would go towards raising awareness of and fighting against neglected diseases.
Through the Access Campaign, and in partnership with the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative, this work has helped lower the price of HIV/AIDS treatment and stimulated research and development for medicines to treat malaria and neglected diseases like sleeping sickness and kala azar.Main Purpose
Controlling the daily cash/check management, supporting the project accounting staff, overseeing and preparing the projects books in accordance with the Finance Manager's instructions and MSF protocols, standards and procedures in order to provide accurate, reliable and updated financial information.
Main Duties and Responsibilities
Controlling the daily cash and check management and ensuring that all receipts and documentation meet MSF requirements (procedures, deadlines, information, signatures …). Tracking bills/vouchers, invoices and other running costs and analyzing the related information (costs, service contracts …) in order to give reliable and updated information.
Controlling cash advances and cashbook movements for each petty cash box, recording all IN and Out transactions, ensuring that cashbox balances always reflect the actual amount of money kept in the cashboxes and investigating any discrepancy. Ensuring strict compliance with cash control procedures for each cashbox / currency (daily cash control, weekly cash inventory and reconciliations)
Ensuring monthly accounts report in accordance with MSF procedures, checking individual entries and preparing the necessary administrative documents (originals) as a basis for justification and explanation of payments and receipts made.
Preparing the timely payment of taxes.
Being responsible for the processing of accounting software peripheral accounting (project and capital) including checking the quality of the mission accounting allocations and their conformity (correct encoding of salaries, following up and matching of internal transfers and advances in the mission, checking invoices and their allocations, preparing payment order documents to be sent to HQ). Analyzing the problems of the cash box discrepancies and giving technical help to find solutions.
Being responsible for filing accounting documents and their annexes, preparing documents for audits, organizing the scanning of documents and archiving mission financial documents
Informing supervisors of any issues / problems that may arise in their job performance.
MSF Section / Context Specific Accountabilities
Processing all payments, ensuring that receipts and supporting documents meet the necessary quality standards.
Ensuring prompt and accurate encoding of transactions in Unifield, following standard booking guidelines applicable in MSF OCB and the Mission.
Processing and managing mission prepaid cards.
Managing mission signatory profile (setting up and updating mission signatory data).
Ensuring the filing of accounting documents and their annexes, preparing documents for audits, organizing the scanning of documents and archiving mission financial documents.
Travelling to project locations from time to time to support the finance team or/and carry out relief duty in the event of a vacancy.
Any other administrative task delegated by the Accounting Manager
Minimum Required Skills and Qualifications:
Education:
Essential Diploma or professional qualification in Accounting / Finance / Business Administration.
Experience:
In administration and accountability (minimum 1 year).
Languages:
English Language essential
Skills:
Results and Quality Orientation
Team work and Cooperation
Behavioural Flexibility
Commitment to MSF Principles
Stress Management.
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