Openings at Living Goods

Key Responsibilities

• Administrative support: Manage the CEO’s diary and appointment schedule by planning and scheduling meetings, conferences, and teleconferences, and organize complex travel agendas. Provide administrative support to the leadership team. Process the CEO’s expenses and other administrative items.
• Office management:  Ensure that the Global office has all that is required for seamless operations.  Partner with the P&C team to implement and maintain workplace policies as necessary.  Provide general support to the CEO’s visitors and help create a positive, friendly office environment.
• Meeting and Events Management: Responsible for the seamless coordination of Board meetings and Global Executive Team meetings. Plans, coordinates, and executes virtual and physical Global Office all-team meetings, team building sessions, executive team retreats, and other events as needed.
• Design documents: Develop and edit attractive memos, briefing papers, and presentations.
• Performance tracking: Trends/insights analysis with inputs from the Global leadership team to support the overall delivery of work plans.
• Internal communication: Working closely with the CEO and in collaboration with the Group Communications team, play a key role in internal communication. Ensures communication from the CEO is dispatched on time, takes notes during meetings, and that responses to varied audiences are met.
• Organize information: Develop and maintain document management (physical and digital filing and retrieval system). Suggest efficient ways to run the Kenya Global office and troubleshoot malfunctions.
• Board Support and Liaison: Act as a primary point of contact and liaison between the executive team and the Board of Directors, ensuring smooth communication and information flow.

Education, Experience, Technical skills, and attributes:

• Background. Undergraduate. 3+ years in a fast-paced working environment. Experience working in a consulting organization or similar environment handling multiple projects and clients. Background relevant to the operations of Living Goods gained in either the private, public, or NGO sectors.
• Analytical skills: An analytical mindset.
• Communication & Influencing: Experienced at preparing communication materials (PowerPoint, Word documents, email correspondence that meets Board-level standards) and effectively sharing these – both verbally and in writing in English.  
• Planning and Organizational skills:  People can rely on you because you can develop the engine that runs the Global CEO office. You will keep the leadership team true to governance routines and are good at keeping calendars and timelines.  You keep a tight ship and up-to-date to-do lists. You like to get the details right.
• Collaboration and team effectiveness: Build team effectiveness and work collaboratively in a Global team environment.
• People and info junkie:  Once you join an organization you become a sponge, soaking up information quickly.  You enjoy getting to learn the inner workings of an organization and meeting and getting to know employees at all levels. 
• Discretion:  You are a consummate professional.  You have an intuitive feel for sensitive situations, and you respect confidentiality.
• Multitasks: You’re able to juggle multiple tasks at once while ‘staying calm and carrying on. You think strategically, handle ambiguity and work well in a multicultural environment.
• Bilingual in French is a plus.

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Purpose of role:

The Global Senior Manager of Accounting works with the Director of Accounting services in maintaining the consolidated and global accounting shared services operations and provides direct oversight over the accounting team of the Kenya Country Office. The Global Senior Manager of Accounting oversees all day-to-day accounting operations and provides direct support and direction to all other in-country accounting teams. The Global Senior Manager Accounting is expected to have and keep in-depth, and up-to-date knowledge and understanding of both US GAAP and International accounting standards (IFRS). Provide advice to management on changes in accounting regulations or practices that may impact operations and reporting.

Key Responsibilities:

Accounting, Reporting, and Internal Controls:

• Maintain accounting, financial reporting, financial controls, and information systems to ensure adequate records, appropriate authorizations of transactions, and safeguard assets.
• Works with the Director of Accounting Services to ensure compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and other relevant governance acts or regulations in the respective jurisdictions of LG.
• Interpret and implement Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and other standards applicable to LGs operational jurisdictions.
• Provides compliance guidance on all accounting issues.
• Initiates process improvements.
• Coordinate and lead all local and international audits and proper filing of statutory and tax returns; prepare for and coordinate all external audits.
• Research and resolve technical accounting issues, including consultation with external auditors, and country accounting teams.
• Ensure legal and regulatory compliance regarding all financial functions across all LG operations and jurisdictions.
• Assume a key role in collaboration with the Financial and Grant reporting teams in annual planning, budgeting, and monitoring revenue and expenditure against budget.
• Provide shared accounting services to all global operations including new country expansion.
• Oversee balance sheet reconciliations and month-end close procedures across all operations.

Accounting oversight of Kenya Country Office:

• Oversee the accounting function and staff and ensure compliance with organizational policies and procedures and statutory regulations.
• Ensure the hiring and talent pipeline management of quality engaged staff.
• Provide coaching, mentoring, and development of staff.
• Monitoring performance and initiating timely action to strengthen staff and staff engagement.
• Translating organizational goals into functional and individual goals and ensuring proper task and functional divisions.
• Oversee the timely submission of statutory filings including tax returns, company registrar filings, insurance submissions, etc, and ensure compliance with country financial, tax reporting, and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure accounting processes and workflows are fit for operational purposes to maximize the use of digital platforms and compliance with an organizationally approved delegation of authority.
• Coordinate and lead the annual auditing process including liaising with external auditors and liaising with the Global Director Accounting Services and the local Board of Directors.
• Managing the country’s cash flow and forecasting and providing oversight of all bank accounts.

Treasury Management:

• Supports the treasury function with the Global controller.
• Ensure compliance with banking regulations and treasury policy.
• Ensures that Countries have appropriate cash flow.

Management and Advisory services:

• Guide the countries and operations teams to understand the implications and complexities of transactions and other matters by providing expertise and accounting guidance.
• Advise management and accounting teams about complex financial accounting and reporting issues and transaction structuring, and current technical accounting developments.
• Support general accounting and financial reporting teams, and interactions with accounting shared service organizations including account reconciliations, closing processes, general ledger & financial systems maintenance, and accounting compliance.
• Maintain an environment of excellence and a “can do” culture that facilitates the success of LG.

Qualifications & Experience Required

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field.

Professional Qualifications / Membership in professional bodies

• CPA or ACCA required.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 to 12 years of working Experience.

Competencies & Attributes:

• In-depth knowledge of nonprofit accounting (fund accounting principles), including sophisticated fund and grant accounting, compliance, and reporting.
• Broad experience with multiple funding sources, including the US government, other country governments, other bi-and multilateral donors, and corporates and foundations.
• Evidence of partnering with executive staff, resulting in the development and implementation of creative financial management strategies.
• Experience streamlining, refining, and automating financial processes, including the development of user-friendly tools and training programs, and deploying suitable technology.
• Track record of working with technology leaders to manage critical financial management and reporting systems.
• Mission-driven, articulate professional with substantial finance and administrative management experience.
• Keen analytical, organization, and problem-solving skills that support and enable sound decision-making.
• Proven strength in building and sustaining supportive relationships and persuasively communicating institutional goals and needs.
• Strong human resource management experience: the ability to supervise, mentor, and engage staff members and inspire credibility, and confidence and build consensus.
• Technology savvy and specific knowledge of accounting and reporting software.
• Demonstrated capacity to think strategically with expertise in complex problem solving, decision making, and critical thinking skills, displays good judgment.
• Advanced Excel skills.
• Bilingual in French is a plus.

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Purpose of role:

The internal Auditor will lead and oversee the internal audit function, ensuring the effectiveness of our internal control systems, risk management processes, and compliance with regulatory requirements. The Internal Auditor will also provide value-added advice and support to business partners on the creation or modification of policies, procedures, processes, products, or services to ensure an appropriate level of internal control and compliance is maintained.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive internal audit strategy, including annual audit plans, risk assessments, and audit methodologies.
• Identify and assess organizational risks and develop appropriate strategies to mitigate them.
• Collaborate with key stakeholders to establish risk management processes and ensure effective controls are in place to address identified risks.
• Stay abreast of relevant laws, regulations, and industry best practices.
• Provide guidance and support to management in implementing necessary controls and processes to maintain compliance.
• Evaluate the design and effectiveness of internal controls across the organization.
• Develop and implement policies and procedures to enhance internal control systems and ensure adherence to established standards.
• Continuously monitor and assess control effectiveness and propose improvements where necessary.
• Develop and execute risk-based audit plans to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of internal controls, financial systems, and operational processes.
• Conduct audits independently or in collaboration with the outsourced internal audit team.
• Review audit findings and recommendations, and present comprehensive reports to the executive management and the Finance and Audit committee.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives within the internal audit function.
• Identify opportunities to enhance audit methodologies, tools, and techniques to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
• Stay informed about emerging trends and best practices in internal auditing and implement relevant changes.
• Support investigations of internal incidences.

Qualifications & Experience Required

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in business management, Finance, Accounting, or a related field.

Professional Qualifications / Membership in professional bodies

• Certified Public Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor. 

Experience:

• 9 years’ considerable, demonstrable experience auditing for compliance with applicable regulations, internal control regimes, development frameworks, and best practices.
• At least three years of supervisory or project management experience.

Competencies & Attributes:

• Mission-driven, articulate professional with substantial auditing experience.
• Keen analytical, organization, and problem-solving skills that support and enable sound decision-making.
• Proven strength in building and sustaining supportive relationships and persuasively communicating institutional goals and needs.
• Prior experience within the development sector.
• Specialized functional knowledge in risk management, accounting, audit processes, and standards.
• Outstanding ability to translate financial concepts to and effectively collaborate with programmatic and operational colleagues who do not necessarily have financial, risk management, or internal control backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically with knowledge in complex problem solving, decision making, and critical thinking skills, displays good judgment.
• Bilingual in French is a plus.