General Ledger Accountant at the British Council

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We create friendly knowledge and understanding between the people of the UK and other countries. We do this by making a positive contribution to the UK and the countries we work with – changing lives by creating opportunities, building connections and engendering trust.

We work with over 100 countries across the world in the fields of arts and culture, English language, education and civil society. Each year we reach over 20 million people face-to-face and more than 500 million people online, via broadcasts and publications. Founded in 1934, we are a UK charity governed by Royal Charter and a UK public body.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: General Ledger Accountant – Nigeria

Location: Lagos, Sub Saharan Africa, NG
Pay band: 6
Contract Type: Indefinite
Department: Finance
Alternative locations the role could be based: Nigeria

Role Purpose

The post holder manages the end to end review and reconciliation of accounting information across the operation, including general ledger reconciliation activities for the branch and subsidiaries, manages accounting data analysis, audit of financial data for accuracy and completeness, and supports the Senior Financial Accountant with month / annual closing activities and preparation of financial statements in line with IFRS.

Main Accountabilities / Challenges for this Role

The ideal candidate leads the Record to Report (R2R) activities and all General ledger reconciliation tasks for British Council entities in Nigeria.
Guarantee integrity of financial data by performance of reviews and reconciliations in line with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), UK Financial Reporting Standards (FRS 102), and all relevant local statutory regulations, including tax-related legislations, foreign exchange policies, etc.
Manages review of outputs from the AR, AP, and Exams Accountants, and recommends improvement in accounting processes.

Main Accountabilities but not limited to the following:

The post-holder will manage Audit of Financial Information for Accuracy
Perform minimum of 2 days a week call-over/review of the previous days’ transactions for accuracy and completeness, and prompt identification and correction of errors.
Lead on financial data adjustments and entries (e.g., accruals, deferrals, reclassifications, interdepartmental entries) into the ledger.
You will be responsible for account Reconciliation, Monthly & Annual Closing, and Reporting
Support monthly / month-end accounts review process in collaboration with Senior Financial Accountant.
Review, reconciliation, and confirmation of all British Council’s ledger balances (LC1, LC2, LC3).
Review and substantiate trial balance and Balance sheet positions for all entities.
Key point of contact for Shared Services Centre (SSC) balance sheet management team.
Reconciliation of Subledgers: Bank, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Fixed Assets, etc. in line with agreed timelines.
In collaboration with the Tax & Intercompany accountant, review and Reconcile all Tax General Ledger balances for completeness and accuracy.
Ensure prepayment, accruals, deferrals, stock adjustment, depreciation entries are done in a timely manner and are accurate in line with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), British Council Accounting Manuals, and UK Financial Reporting Standards (FRS 102), resulting in better monthly financial reporting.
Collaborating with business units and other support functions to gather, analyse, and interpret relevant financial information.
Ensure that all documents and financial information are recorded on-time and accurately in the accounting system and in line International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), British Council Accounting Manuals, and UK Financial Reporting Standards (FRS 102) for internal and external reporting compliance.
Be involved in the monthly financial statement close, accounts payable and accounts receivable processes, annual audit, accounting and other financial systems, and accounting policies, procedures, and controls.
As with any business that experiences peaks and troughs of activity, there is likely to be a need to work outside office hours from time to time.

Role Specific Knowledge and Experience
The successful candidate will need to possess the following requirements:

Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or equivalent with at least 4 years’ experience in accounting and financial reporting and similar role
Fluency in written and spoken English
Qualified accountant – ACA, ACCA
Experience in General Ledger management and Record to Report (R2R)
Good knowledge of transaction taxes and general accounting practices along with international accounting standards (IAS/IFRS)
Proficient in MS Office applications: Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

Desirable: