Contract Type:

• One-Year contract renewable based on performance and availability of funding.

Reports to:

•  Country Director

The challenge: All across sub-Saharan Africa, millions of young people struggle every day with access to employment – and the kinds of livelihoods that lead to economic security and mobility for themselves and their families. Every young person deserves the opportunity to have a meaningful job.

Who we are: Kepler is an international nonprofit organization that is building a transformative model of education-to-employment services for young people across the region. Our ultimate goal is to contribute to the economic mobility of thousands of individuals, families and communities in all of our countries of operation. We want to improve employment readiness in Ethiopia as well as other countries in Africa.

What we do: Kepler uses competency-based, active learning methods to train university and TVET graduates with key soft skills that are relevant to the needs of the job market. Kepler produces individual outcomes grounded in real-world professional skills. Trainees learn self-awareness and the ability to articulate and leverage their areas of strength and weakness. The curriculum will focus on key skills in Professionalism, Communication, and Technology. Problem solving skills are explicitly taught and integrated into all the modules. All content, tools, and activities are based on scenarios one could expect to encounter on the job.

Our history: Kepler launched in Rwanda in 2013. Our 50+ staff currently serve more than 550 students across two campuses in Rwanda – our flagship campus in Kigali, as well as a second campus in the Kiziba refugee camp in Western Rwanda, where we serve refugee learners. In 2020, Kepler launched a Graduates Employment Program (GEP) in Ethiopia to address the unemployment challenge in the country starting in Addis Ababa.

The future: Kepler has an ambitious new strategy for the next five years, which will include launching in two new countries; expanding our academic offerings; partnering with other public and private sector universities; and reaching a new level of organizational sustainability.

About the Position

The Finance Officer works closely with all internal and external stakeholders and shall be responsible for handling all finances of Kepler in Ethiopia, making sure all financial transactions comply with established standards so that funds are managed effectively. The Finance Officer’s duties will include developing financial policies and procedures to be followed in the organization, processing all payments including taxes and salaries, proper bookkeeping, and generating all needed reports using different systems.

Job Responsibilities

• Develop, review and implement procedures, manuals, and systems for proper financial management of the organization
• Process payments and documents such as invoices, journal vouchers, employee payment and reimbursements, and statements
• Disburse funds using petty cash and bank accounts
• Calculate rates paid for purchases and all price extensions, verify items billed against items ordered and received and reconcile differences through follow-up with vendors and/or other employees
• Maintain regular and accurate accounts of all income, expenditures and other financial transfers and transactions
• Post, update, and retrieve financial data to appropriate accounts in Quickbooks systems. Assigns codes to accounts and classes for expenses
• Reconcile transactions, financial data, and other information to Quickbooks and at bank
• Initiate and review banking transactions for changes and accuracy, and retrieve system reports as needed
• Participate in internal and external audit exercises and assist auditors in their respective functions
• Prepare monthly reports for financial transactions in collaboration with the Financial Controller
• Other duties as drequested or assigned

Qualifications

• The applicant should legally have the right to work in Ethiopia
• At least a bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance
• At least 3 years of progressively responsible work experience directly related to the duties and responsibilities specified
• Knowledge of International Finance Reporting Standards (IFRS)
• Ability to use different accounting softwares such as Quickbooks, Peachtree, ...
• Ability to analyze complex financial information and produce reports
• Functional knowledge and experience with technology: Microsoft Suite (Microsoft Excel mostly), Google Drive, Google Chrome
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and willing to give and receive both positive and constructive feedback to all stakeholders in the organization including colleagues and supervisors
• Excellent verbal and written English language skills and able to communicate in Amharic
• A keen eye for detail and able to stick to strict deadlines
• Has high expectations of him/herself and believes in high expectations for others
• Effective communication skills and acts professionally in all settings
• High level of undeniable integrity at work, self-disciplined and able to work under minimum supervision
• Proactive, self-driven and assertive