Accounting Positions at The British Council, Lagos

The British Council is the world's leading cultural relations organization and creates opportunities for people in the UK and worldwide to understand each other, to work together and learn from one another. We see this as crucial to building secure, more prosperous and sustainable futures for us all. We build trust and understanding between different countries and cultures and develop strong international links that are of benefit to people in Britain and the rest of the world. We are recruiting to fill the position below: Job Title: Accountant - Exams Location: Lagos, Nigeria Department: Finance Pay Band: Pay Band 4 Role Purpose

• To ensure and provide assurance to the Country Exams Manager and Senior Accountant that transactions have been completely, accurately and appropriately recognised on SAP.
• To ensure claims due to or due from British Council are processed timely and accurately.
• Ensure operational efficiency in cost and revenue recognition.
• To assist product managers and owners to meet finance deadlines and transaction processing efficiency.
• Partner product managers on operational transaction finance providing guidance, direction and education

• 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.
• The exams business is critical in delivering the corporate cum country’s business plan. An assurance that the first line of defence is optimal is critical both from the country and functional perspectives.
• The post holder will have to balance expectations and demand from two functions ensuring that both are happy and excited about the delivery. Efficiency, personal confidence and resourcefulness are important traits that will ensure the post holder is in good stead to deliver on this role.

• To ensure Customer Service Officers (CSO) capture revenue with the correct WBS on SAP.
• Review daily Virtual Accounts (VA) reports received from CSOs and treat same on SAP.
• Ensure corrective journals are initiated to correct wrong posting of revenues by CSOs.
• Ensure that due obligations from exam boards to British Council are processed completely, timely and accurately.
• Closely monitor Aged Debt Report and ensure corporate policies and guidelines are adhered to.

• To carry due diligence on all non-permanent  staff claim prior to engaging Global Service Desk (GSD)
• Completely, timely and accurately process British Council obligations to offshore exam boards.

• Provide information and clarification to operations team during income reconciliation
• Provide first level assurance on income reconciliation after conclusion by operations team
• Treat adjusting entries arising from income reconciliation
• Escalate any issue impacting timely income reconciliation.

• Contribute to accurate financial information by ensuring that all Exams journals including corrective/adjustment journals are parked and posted before month end.
• Participate in the preparation for internal audit and tax audit exercises; ensuring that all relevant files and documents are in place for smooth running of these audits.
• Maintain financial records in agreed areas of responsibility and update relevant financial documents on a monthly basis.
• Support Exams product managers in the preparation of monthly and annual cash flow forecast before submission.
• Provide Monthly Volumes of all exams products for posting before month-end
• Actively participate in monthly and annual period closures

• Timely provision of financial advice and support to Exams colleagues to enable them manage their delegated finances and comply with BC audit standards.
• Facilitating Finance workshops for new and existing Exams colleagues on the best practices on SAP and finance processes.

• Exams teams
• All Finance/resources team members
• All British Council Nigeria staff

• British Council Exams Vendors and Customers

• Bachelor’s degree in any numerate course of study.
• At least would have passed Skills level in an on-going certification with a recognised accounting board.
• Fully qualified with a recognised accounting board e.g ACCA, ACA

• Minimum of two years’ experience in an active and challenging accounting environment with proven and demonstrable technical accounting skills.
• Practical exposure to SAP or similar accounting solution

• Managing Finance And Resources (Level 2):Uses financial systems and processes.Use corporate financial system and processes appropriately as part of the job and on behalf of the team
• Using technology (Level 2): Operates as an advanced user.Works as an advanced practitioner in the use of office software and/or British Council standard and social media platforms and trains or coaches others in their use.
• Analysing data & 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.
• Planning & Organising (Level 2) Plans ahead: Organizes own work over weeks and months, or plans ahead for others, taking account of priorities and the impact on other people.
• Communicating & 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.

• Working together (more demanding): Ensuring that others benefit as well as me.
• Connecting with others  (more demanding): Actively appreciating the needs and concerns of myself and others
• Being Accountable (more demanding): Putting the needs of the team or British Council ahead of my own.
• Making it Happen (more demanding): Challenging myself and others to deliver and measure better results.
• Creating Shared Purpose (More demanding). Creating energy and clarity so that people want to work purposefully together

• To support the delivery of the financial and business processes and systems in line with corporate standards.
• The post holder will undertake specific work within Finance and contribute to improving functional efficiency.

• 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 role is pivotal to the finance team keeping to key metrics captured in the corporate financial control and compliance framework which is a key tool to access controls and give  stakeholders the assurance that the first line of defence is in check and functioning as intended.
• Success in this role will positively impact finance and country and otherwise will be detrimental the country’s control environment performance rating.

• To ensure all over the counter cash is banked in line with relevant policy and parked on SAP Cash Journals.
• To ensure appropriate procedures are adhered to when cash is received and to bank all cash and other instrument within ‎2 ‎days of receipt or immediately threshold of ‎cash holding‎ is attained.
• Ensure all relevant Cash Journals are balanced within 48 hours of banking being completed.
• Ensure all delegated banking activities are diligently carried out.

• Ensure all invoices are checked within 24 hours of receipt and scanned within 48 hours; thus contributing to significant reduction of Open Purchase Orders and late payment to vendors.
• Ensure that scanned invoices are backed up on the Finance shared drive.

• Ensure documents and files for newly created vendors are properly filed and alphabetically for easy referencing
• Update the Vendor and Customer Master Database with every new creation/amendment of vendor and customer respectively.

• Ensure that all FI journal documents are filed according to their numbers and the month of posting.
• Participate in the preparation for internal audit and tax audit exercises; ensuring that all relevant files and documents are in place for smooth running of these audits.
• Ensure that Trip envelopes are properly logged in the Trip Register, backed up on the G-Drive and properly filed in the assigned shelf.

• Timely provision of assistance and support to other colleagues to enable them manage their delegated finances and comply with British Council’s audit standards.

• All British Council Nigeria staff

• Shared Services Centre

• Minimum of OND (upper credit) in any numerate course of study.
• Being in foundation level or undertaking ATS certification with a recognised accounting board.

• 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.

• Minimum of one year experience spent in an accounting environment.

• Use resources efficiently in own role and complies with financial rules and procedures.

• 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

• Is systematic.
• Breaks down problems into a list of tasks to be done and decides on appropriate action.

• Is methodical.
• Able to plan own work over short timescales for routine or familiar tasks and processes.

• Communicates clearly and effectively.
• Listens to others and expresses self clearly, with grammatical accuracy and awareness of a diverse audience in speaking and writing.

• Working together (Essential): Establishing a genuinely common goal with others.
• Connecting with others (Essential): Making regular opportunities to understand others better.
• Being Accountable (Essential): Delivering my best work in order to meet my commitments
• Making it Happen (Essential): Delivering clear results for the British Council.
• Creating Shared Purpose (Essential). Communicating an engaging picture of how we can work together.