Programm Accountant

The Programme Accountant supports disciplined financial execution of the country programme by ensuring accurate financial reporting, compliance with donor and organisational requirements, and effective coordination of programme-level financial processes.

Working under the guidance of the Tanzania Programme Finance Manager, the role ensures that financial transactions, reconciliations, budget implementation tracking, and reporting inputs are accurate, timely, and audit-ready. The Programme Accountant plays a critical role in maintaining financial integrity across the Tanzania country programme operations, enabling informed decision-making and protecting donor confidence.

This role requires strong technical competence, attention to detail, sound professional judgement, and the ability to operate effectively within complex, multi-partner and donor-funded environments.

Duties & Key Responsibilities:

1. Financial Execution & Controls
   • Process and review country programme financial transactions to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with donor and organisational policies.
   • Maintain accurate accounting records for programme expenditures, commitments, accruals, and adjustments.
   • Perform monthly reconciliations of country programme accounts, ensuring timely resolution of discrepancies.
   • Support maintenance of clean, well-documented audit trails for all country programme financial activities.
   • Apply internal controls consistently to safeguard country programme resources and reduce financial risk.
2. Budget Monitoring and Performance Tracking
   • Support preparation and consolidation of programme budgets and forecasts under the guidance of the Tanzania Programme Finance Manager.
   • Monitor expenditure against approved budgets and flag variances, unusual trends, or potential overspends early.
   • Prepare structured variance analyses and financial summaries to support country programme decision-making.
   • Track burn rates and commitments to ensure spending aligns with delivery timelines and donor requirements.
3. Donor Compliance and Financial Reporting
   • Prepare accurate, timely financial reports in line with donor and organisational requirements.
   • Ensure donor cost rules, eligibility criteria, and budget classifications are applied correctly in transaction processing and reporting.
   • Support financial inputs into donor narrative reports, ensuring consistency between financial and country programmatic data.
   • Assist in preparation for donor financial audits, responding to queries and coordinating documentation as required.
4. Multi-programme country financial coordination
   • Coordinate with country finance teams to ensure timely submission of financial reports, reconciliations, and supporting documentation.
   • Review country-level financial data for completeness and consistency before consolidation.
   • Support alignment of financial calendars, exchange rate applications, and reporting formats across the country programme.
   • Escalate identified risks or inconsistencies to the Tanzania Programme Finance Manager in a timely and documented manner
5. Financial Process Improvement & Risk Awareness
   • Identify opportunities to improve financial workflows, reconciliation processes, or reporting clarity.
   • Suggest practical enhancements to budget tracking tools, templates, and documentation systems.
   • Apply sound professional judgement when addressing financial discrepancies, balancing compliance with operational realities.
   • Demonstrate adaptability in responding to funding shifts, donor amendments, or country programme adjustments while maintaining financial discipline.
6. People and Performance
   • Take ownership of individual performance objectives aligned to programme finance priorities, demonstrating accountability for accuracy, timeliness, and quality of financial outputs.
   • Contribute actively to a high-performing finance function by collaborating constructively with peers in the country programme, sharing knowledge and reinforcing consistent financial standards and controls.
   • Demonstrate reliability in meeting reporting deadlines, resolving reconciliation issues, and following through on corrective actions with minimal supervisory intervention.
   • Provide structured support and guidance to the Tanzania country finance focal points on routine financial reporting, documentation, and compliance requirements, strengthening confidence and consistency across the programme.
   • Model Amref’s values, safeguarding commitments, and ethical standards in all financial processes, contributing to a respectful, transparent, and accountable work environment.
7. Stakeholder Engagement and Collaboration
   • Maintain effective working relationships with country programme teams to ensure alignment between budgets, financial reporting, and delivery timelines.
   • Communicate financial requirements, reporting expectations, and documentation standards clearly and professionally to non-finance stakeholders.
   • Support coordination during audits, donor reviews, and financial reporting cycles by ensuring timely and accurate information flow across stakeholders.
   • Build trust by delivering consistent, reliable financial data that enables confident decision-making at programme level.
8. Continuous Learning
   • Stay updated on donor financial regulations, accounting standards, and internal policies.
   • Seek feedback to strengthen technical accounting and analytical capability.
   • Contribute to knowledge sharing within the country programme finance function to promote consistency and efficiency.
   • Actively pursue professional development in accounting standards, donor compliance, and financial systems to strengthen individual contribution and long-term country programme capability.