Finance & Administration Officer

Job description

Staff work a hybrid schedule with 2 days/week in the office

Reporting to the Head of Finance and Operations Southern Africa, the Finance and Administration Officer supports the IFAW Zambia office by processing payments, maintaining financial tracking systems, managing grants and procurement, and producing financial reports and analysis to support the office staff in managing budgets and projects in the most accurate, efficient, and cost-effective manner possible.

Role And Responsibilities

Accounts Payable

• Assist in the preparation of payment requests for invoices and other reimbursements for further approval by department and budget managers ensuring compliance with the organization’s accounting, financial and operational policies as well as coding accuracy, appropriate authorizations, business purpose and evidence of value for payment.
• Prepare and schedule vendor disbursements and staff expense reimbursements utilizing the accounting and treasury systems. Payment methods include check, cash, direct debit, and electronic transfer.
• Create and maintain vendor-specific payment templates in the treasury and/or accounting systems for electronic payments.
• Post payments in the accounting system in an accurate and timely manner in Unit 4

General Accounting

• Prepare bank and petty cash, prepayments, accruals, travel advances and other balance sheet accounts reconciliations as assigned.
• Prepare schedules and propose journal entries to support monthly and fiscal year-end closing and annual financial statement audits.
• Ensure compliance with institutional policies, statutory requirements, country accounting, procurement and Human Resources requirements
• Ensure compliance with terms and conditions for restricted grants, contracts, or other funding sources.
• Compile requested documentation to support the annual financial statement and other statutory audits.
• Participate in the ongoing development and education of non-finance staff regarding institutional and local office policies and procedures.

Budgeting & Reporting

• Support the development of IFAW Zambia budgets and related work plans as part of the annual budgeting and planning cycle.
• Analyse monthly actual-to-budget performance and provide supporting narrative summaries and produce monthly, quarterly and annual project reports for use by management and project teams
• Maintain Excel-based (or other systemised) detailed tracking systems to efficiently and accurately account for restricted grants and other projects and process budget adjustments. Ensure timely and complete supporting documentation for all related transactions.
• Provide ongoing education and information to staff regarding restricted grant award terms and conditions.
• Support the preparation of grant reporting for submission to funding agencies.
• Support program teams with creating work orders, updating budgets, and forecast numbers in Unit 4.

Grant Management

• Organise/participate in site visits and provide financial management capacity-building support to grantees.
• Review financial reports from Grantees to ensure completeness and compliance with award terms.
• Conduct random spot-checks, including site visits, internal audits, and provide appropriate financial management capacity building to Grantees.
• Provide required documentation for the organization’s Grants database and ensure full reconciliation with the general ledger.
• Responsible for drafting and reviewing all grant payment requests and ensuring that they meet the standards of allowable, allocable, and reasonable. In coordination with the Project Manager, monitor grantee budgets so that they do not exceed allowable amounts.

Administration

• Indirectly supervise/ support the Administrative and Operations Officer
• Support the execution of monthly payroll, including calculation and preparation of wage statements, salary, tax, withholdings, and other related payments and filings for staff and the supported CRB employees s.
• Support the monthly payments of wages and incentives for field operational support teams.
• Coordinate administrative support during trainings and meetings
• Ensure all applicable insurance covers are up to date
• Ensure that vehicle usage is well managed for all IFAW vehicles
• Support the review and development of contracts and other agreements, ensuring compliance with jurisdictional and organisational requirements.
• Act as an IFAW bank agent and assist with cash collection, deposits, cheque book collection, etc.
• Manage other day-to-day finance and administrative resources of IFAW’s Zambia Office

Qualifications And Educational Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting/Finance, ACCA/ CIMA, or ZICA, or in a relevant discipline preferred.
• At least 5 years’ experience in the accounting/finance/administrative field.
• Advanced computer knowledge and expertise with Microsoft Office software required. Experience with, or knowledge of, Unit4 ERP, Excel, or other related financial software preferred.
• Ability to manage and prioritize competing demands, deadlines, and processes with an exceptional customer service ethic and orientation.
• Demonstrate proactive critical thinking and practical problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent organizational and analytical skills with attention to detail.
• Effective communication skills and ability to operate in a culturally diverse international organization.

At IFAW, we aim to create and foster a workforce that reflects and contributes to the diverse, global community in which we work to improve the lives of both animals and people. We are dedicated to fostering justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion so we actively encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds.

Hiring range is ZMW 372,000 – 460,000

Closing date for receipt of applications: 9 November 2026. Please apply via link to IFAW Careers page