Program Accountant, Next Creata

JOB DESCRIPTION

Position Title: Program Accountant, Next Creata
Department: Finance & Operations
Reports To: Program Lead and CFO
Location: Kampala
Contract Type: Full-time

Role Purpose

The Program Accountant is responsible for financial planning, grant compliance, expenditure control, reporting, and audit readiness for the Uganda Creatives Program. This role ensures that all Program Funds are used in accordance with:

• The approved Program Budget
• The Subcontract Agreement
• The Foundation/Fund Manager’s financial reporting standards
• Uganda regulatory requirements

This position is critical to protecting program integrity and ensuring continued donor confidence.

Key Responsibilities

A. Financial Planning & Budget Management

• Maintain and update the program budget and cost forecasts.
• Support the Program Lead in workplan → budget alignment for each cohort.
• Track financial performance against planned objectives.

B. Grant Compliance & Controls

• Enforce compliance with Program Funds restrictions (activity-based and performance-based).
• Ensure funds are held in designated Program Bank Accounts.
• Maintain clear separation of project funds from organizational funds.

C. Financial Reporting

• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements for Bayimba and the Fund Manager.
• Generate expenditure reports, burn-rate analyses, and variance explanations.
• Support narrative reporting by providing expenditure summaries aligned to activities.

D. Payments & Disbursements

• Process trainer, partner, contractor, and vendor payments according to approval frameworks.
• Ensure timely financial support to downstream partners and vendors.

E. Audit & Documentation

• Maintain full audit trail documentation and organized financial records.
• Support internal and external audits, compliance reviews, and spot checks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• CPA, ACCA (ongoing or completed) preferred
• Minimum 5 years of experience managing grants in NGO, donor-funded, or development programs

Required Competencies

• Excellent grant accounting, budgeting, and reporting skills
• Understanding of donor compliance frameworks
• Ability to communicate financial concepts to non-financial team members

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely and accurate reporting
• Zero misuse or misallocation of Program Funds
• Clean audit results
• Compliance with all donor terms