Accountant – Finance & Grants

Job Title: Accountant – Finance & Grants

Department: Finance

Reports To: Finance Manager

Location: Lusaka

Employment Type: Consultant

Organizational and Project Overview

Background:

Coalition Health Zambia (CHZ) is a leading Zambian non-governmental organisation established in 2019 that is dedicated to strengthening health systems and advancing public health outcomes through innovative, evidence-driven, and sustainable solutions. CHZ works in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Zambia, development agencies, civil society, the private sector, and communities in the implementation of health programmes.

1. JOB PURPOSE

1. The Accountant – Finance & Grants is responsible for maintaining accurate, complete and timely financial records of the organization and supporting the Finance Manager in the effective management of the organization’s financial operations.
2. The position will oversee day-to-day accounting functions including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, bank and balance sheet reconciliations, journals, accruals, prepayments, month-end and year-end closing, statutory compliance, financial reporting and cash management.
3. In addition, the Accountant will be responsible for the financial oversight of sub-granted partners and implementing organizations undertaking programmes on behalf of the organization. This includes monitoring grant disbursements, reviewing partner financial reports, tracking expenditure against approved budgets, monitoring outstanding advances, reviewing and clearing liquidations, facilitating eligible reimbursements and ensuring that partner grant accounts remain accurate, current and audit-ready.
4. The Accountant will ensure that financial transactions and grant expenditure are properly authorized, accurately recorded, adequately supported and compliant with organizational policies, grant agreements, donor requirements and applicable accounting standards and statutory requirements.

2. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

A. General Accounting

1. Maintain accurate and up-to-date accounting records and the general ledger.
2. Process and review accounting transactions, including journals, accruals, prepayments, provisions and adjustments.
3. Ensure transactions are correctly coded to the appropriate accounts, projects, programmes and cost centres.
4. Prepare and post month-end and year-end journals.
5. Maintain complete supporting documentation for all financial transactions.
6. Assist the Finance Manager in the preparation of monthly, quarterly and annual financial reports.
7. Ensure that financial transactions are recorded in the correct accounting period.
8. Identify and investigate unusual or incorrect transactions and recommend appropriate corrective action.

B. Accounts Payable

1. Review supplier invoices for completeness, accuracy, appropriate approval and supporting documentation.
2. Perform three-way matching of purchase orders, goods/service receipts and supplier invoices where applicable.
3. Ensure supplier invoices are processed accurately and within agreed payment terms.
4. Prepare supplier payment schedules and payment runs for review and approval by the Finance Manager.
5. Conduct regular supplier statement reconciliations.
6. Investigate and resolve supplier account discrepancies.
7. Monitor outstanding invoices, disputed invoices and supplier balances.
8. Ensure that unsupported, duplicate or disputed invoices are appropriately placed on hold.
9. Maintain accurate supplier records and support appropriate controls over supplier master data and bank-detail changes.

C. Accounts Receivable

1.      Prepare and issue customer invoices where applicable.

2.      Maintain accurate customer accounts and receivable records.

3.      Record and allocate customer receipts accurately.

4.      Perform customer statement reconciliations.

5.      Monitor outstanding receivables and follow up overdue balances.

6.      Prepare aged receivables reports for management review.

7.      Escalate long-outstanding balances to the Finance Manager.

D. Sub-Grant & Partner Financial Management

The Accountant will have a key responsibility for the financial oversight of organizations and partners receiving sub-grants to implement programmes.

Grant Disbursement

1. Maintain a comprehensive sub-grant register showing approved grant amounts, disbursements, expenditure, liquidations, reimbursements and outstanding balances for each partner.
2. Process approved grant disbursements in accordance with grant agreements and organizational procedures.
3. Ensure that required financial reports and liquidations have been received before subsequent disbursements, where applicable.
4. Monitor grant advances and ensure that funds are accounted for within the agreed reporting periods.

Partner Financial Reporting

1. Receive and review partner financial reports within the timelines stipulated in the relevant grant agreements.
2. Review financial reports against approved budgets and grant conditions.
3. Verify that reported expenditure is eligible, reasonable, properly supported and related to approved programme activities.
4. Check supporting documentation including invoices, receipts, payment records, payroll records and other relevant financial evidence.
5. Identify unsupported, questionable, duplicate or potentially ineligible expenditure.
6. Raise financial queries with partners and ensure that identified issues are resolved promptly.

7.  Maintain a clear record of all queries raised and actions taken.

Grant Liquidation

1. Review and process partner liquidation reports.
2. Reconcile advances provided to partners against expenditure reported and supported.
3. Track all outstanding partner advances and unliquidated balances.
4. Follow up overdue liquidations and ensure that outstanding balances are cleared within agreed timelines.
5. Ensure that partner grant accounts are regularly reconciled and remain accurate and up to date.
6. Recommend recovery of unsupported or ineligible expenditure where appropriate and authorized.

Partner Reimbursements

1. Review partner reimbursement claims against approved budgets, programme activities and supporting documentation.
2. Confirm the eligibility and accuracy of expenditure before reimbursement.
3. Prepare and facilitate approved reimbursement payments.
4. Maintain records of all reimbursements processed.
5. Ensure that reimbursements are processed promptly once all financial and programme requirements have been met.

Partner Compliance and Monitoring

1. Monitor partner compliance with grant agreements, financial policies and reporting requirements.
2. Track partner financial performance against approved grant budgets.
3. Identify significant budget variances, underspending, overspending and other financial risks.
4. Prepare periodic partner financial monitoring reports for the Finance Manager.
5. Work closely with Programme/Technical teams to ensure financial reports correspond with programme implementation and deliverables.
6. Support financial monitoring visits to partners where required.
7. Support partner capacity building on financial management, budgeting, reporting, liquidation and compliance requirements.
8. Escalate material financial irregularities, suspected misuse of funds or persistent reporting delays to the Finance Manager.
9. Ensure that all partner grant records are complete, accurate and audit-ready.

E. Bank & Balance Sheet Reconciliations

1. Prepare monthly bank reconciliations for all organisational bank accounts.
2. Investigate and resolve reconciling items promptly.
3. Prepare supplier, customer, grant, tax and other balance sheet reconciliations.
4. Reconcile sub-ledgers to general ledger control accounts.
5. Maintain supporting schedules for all balance sheet accounts.
6. Monitor aged reconciling items and ensure they are cleared within agreed timelines.
7. Escalate material or long-outstanding reconciling items to the Finance Manager.

F. Month-End & Year-End Close

1. Support the Finance Manager in coordinating the monthly financial close process.
2. Prepare and post accruals, prepayments, depreciation and other month-end adjustments.
3. Ensure all income and expenditure is recognized in the appropriate accounting period.
4. Reconcile AP, AR, payroll, grants and other sub-ledgers to the general ledger.
5. Prepare month-end financial schedules and working papers.
6. Assist with year-end closing activities.
7. Ensure that accounting records and supporting schedules are complete and audit-ready.

G. Tax & Statutory Compliance

1. Assist in the preparation and submission of statutory tax returns and regulatory reports.
2. Ensure PAYE, NAPSA, NHIMA, withholding tax and other statutory deductions are correctly calculated and accounted for.
3. Maintain appropriate tax documentation and supporting schedules.
4. Reconcile tax accounts and investigate discrepancies.
5. Support the Finance Manager in responding to tax authority and regulatory queries.
6. Ensure statutory payments and filings are made within prescribed deadlines.
7. Maintain an organized record of tax returns, payments and supporting documentation.

H. Cash & Treasury Management

1.      Monitor daily cash balances and cash requirements.

2.      Assist in the preparation of cash-flow forecasts.

3.      Prepare payment schedules for management review and approval.

4.      Ensure payments are supported by appropriate documentation and

approvals.

5.      Monitor cash commitments and upcoming payment obligations.

6.      Assist with banking administration and bank-related documentation.

7.      Ensure compliance with organizational controls over cash and bank

transactions.

I. Financial Reporting & Analysis

1. Prepare periodic financial reports and management schedules.
2. Provide accurate financial information to the Finance Manager to support decision-making.
3. Prepare expenditure reports by department, programme, project and funding source.
4. Analyze expenditure against approved budgets.
5. Identify and explain significant budget variances.
6. Prepare grant financial reports and schedules as required.
7. Support preparation of donor and management financial reports.
8. Assist with annual budgeting and forecasting processes.

J. Fixed Assets & Inventory

1. Maintain an accurate fixed asset register.
2. Record asset additions, transfers, disposals and adjustments.
3. Calculate and post depreciation in accordance with the organization’s accounting policies.
4. Assist with periodic physical verification of fixed assets.
5. Investigate discrepancies between physical assets and accounting records.
6. Reconcile the fixed asset register to the general ledger.
7. Ensure appropriate documentation is maintained for asset disposals and transfers.

K. Internal Controls, Risk & Audit Readiness

1. Ensure compliance with approved financial policies, procedures and delegated authority limits.
2. Maintain appropriate segregation of duties across financial processes.
3. Identify weaknesses in financial and grant management controls and recommend improvements.
4.  Ensure financial records are complete, accurate and properly supported.
5. Support internal and external audits.
6. Provide auditors with requested schedules, reconciliations and supporting documentation.
7. Track audit findings and support implementation of agreed corrective actions.
8. Ensure grant records and partner documentation are maintained in an audit-ready manner.
9. Report suspected financial irregularities or control breaches promptly to the Finance Manager.

L. Systems & Records Management

1. Maintain accurate accounting records in the organization’s accounting/ERP system.
2. Ensure timely posting of transactions.
3. Maintain appropriate electronic and physical filing systems.
4. Ensure financial documents can be easily retrieved for management, audit and donor requirements.
5. Maintain confidentiality and security of financial information.
6. Support improvements to financial systems, processes and reporting tools.

M. Other Responsibilities

1. Provide financial support and guidance to programme and operational teams.
2. Participate in finance and organisational planning meetings where required.
3. Support development and review of financial policies and procedures.
4. Provide financial management guidance to implementing partners.
5. Participate in process improvement initiatives.

6.    Perform any other duties reasonably assigned by the Finance Manager.  

3. KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

1. The Accountant – Finance & Grants will be assessed against the following key performance areas:
2. Financial Accounting
3. Accuracy and completeness of accounting records.
4. Timely completion of month-end close.
5. Timely and accurate bank and balance sheet reconciliations.
6. Accuracy of journals, accruals and prepayments.
7. Timely preparation of financial reports.
8. Accounts Payable & Receivable
9. Timely processing of supplier invoices.
10. Accuracy of payment runs.
11. Timely supplier reconciliations.
12. Effective management of outstanding receivables.

Grants Management

1.     100% of partner grant accounts maintained accurately and up to date.

2.     Timely review of partner financial reports.

3.     Timely liquidation and retirement of partner advances.

4.     Reduction of aged/unliquidated partner balances.

5.     Timely processing of eligible reimbursements.

6.     Accurate tracking of grant disbursements and expenditure.

7.    Timely identification and escalation of unsupported/ineligible

expenditure.

8.    Compliance with grant agreements and approved budgets.

9.     Audit readiness of partner grant documentation.

10.   Compliance & Controls

11.   Timely statutory filings and payments.

12.   Compliance with internal financial controls.

13.   Timely resolution of audit queries.

14.   Reduction of outstanding reconciliation items.

15.   Effective identification and escalation of financial risks.

4. QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

Minimum Qualifications

1. Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce or a related field.
2. Professional accounting qualification such as ZICA, ACCA, CIMA, CA Zambia or equivalent is highly desirable.
3. Full Grade 12 Certificate.

Experience

1.      Minimum 3–5 years' relevant accounting experience.

2.      Experience in general accounting, AP, AR and financial reporting.

3.      Experience with bank and balance sheet reconciliations.

4.      Experience in PAYE, NAPSA, NHIMA, WHT and statutory compliance.

5.      Experience with accounting/ERP systems.

6.      Experience in grants/sub-grants financial management and partner financial monitoring is highly desirable.

7.      Experience working with donor-funded programmes would be an advantage.

8.      Experience in preparing donor financial reports would be an advantage.

9.      Audit experience is desirable.

5. TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES

1.      The successful candidate should demonstrate:

2.      Strong knowledge of accounting principles and double-entry

bookkeeping.

3.      Strong understanding of AP, AR and general ledger accounting.

4.      Strong reconciliation skills.

5.      Good knowledge of PAYE, NAPSA, NHIMA, WHT and statutory

compliance.

6.      Understanding of grant and partner financial management.

7.      Ability to review and analyze partner financial reports.

8.      Ability to monitor budgets and expenditure.

9.      Strong Excel skills.

10.   Good analytical and problem-solving skills.

11.   Experience with ERP/accounting systems.

12.   Knowledge of internal controls and segregation of duties.

13.   Ability to prepare accurate financial reports and management

schedules.

8. REPORTING STRUCTURE

The Accountant reports directly to the Finance & Admin Manager and works closely with Programme and Operations teams to ensure that organizational and partner financial transactions are accurately recorded, properly supported and compliant with approved requirements.

9. OVERALL ACCOUNTABILITY

The Accountant – Finance & Grants is accountable for the accuracy, completeness and integrity of the organization’s financial records and for ensuring effective financial oversight of all sub-granted funds. The position is responsible for timely accounting, reconciliations, financial reporting, statutory compliance, partner financial monitoring, grant liquidation and reimbursement processes, and ensuring that all organizational and partner financial records remain accurate, current, properly supported and audit-ready.

 Application deadline: 29 September 2026