Senior Accountant

Our client is an established investment and financial services group with interests in real estate, property management and investment management. The organisation is seeking a hands-on Senior Accountant to take ownership of its accounting operations, reporting, compliance and financial controls across the Group.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the monthly and year-end accounting close across the Group and ensure timely, accurate financial records.
• Prepare monthly management accounts, including Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow and supporting schedules.
• Prepare and post accruals, prepayments, provisions, depreciation and other month-end journals.
• Prepare consolidation schedules and intercompany reconciliations across Group entities.
• Conduct variance analysis against budgets and provide explanations for significant variances.
• Perform and review bank, supplier, customer, tax, intercompany and other account reconciliations.
• Oversee Accounts Payable, including invoice verification, aged payables and payment preparation.
• Oversee Accounts Receivable, including invoicing, collections, aged receivables and account reconciliations.
• Manage service charge accounting, including budgets, expenditure, recoveries, arrears and reconciliations.
• Prepare and review monthly payroll and statutory deductions.
• Maintain and reconcile the fixed asset register with the General Ledger.
• Monitor cash positions, bank balances, deposits and facilities, and support cash flow forecasting.
• Prepare and file VAT, Withholding Tax, PAYE, NSSF, SHIF, NITA, Affordable Housing Levy and other statutory returns.
• Compute and submit instalment tax and corporation tax within statutory deadlines.
• Maintain the tax ledger and iTax reconciliations, resolving any discrepancies.
• Coordinate the interim and annual audit, including preparation of audit schedules and responding to auditor queries.
• Support preparation of statutory financial statements and financial reporting schedules.
• Serve as a key user of the Group ERP/accounting system and support system improvements, migrations and data integrity.
• Identify opportunities to automate and improve accounting processes and controls.
• Supervise, review and develop the Junior Accountant, ensuring accuracy and timely completion of assigned work.
• Provide financial analysis and supporting schedules for budgeting, forecasting and Board reporting.
• Liaise with auditors, banks, suppliers, tenants, KRA and other external stakeholders.
• Deputise for the Head of Finance on routine operational matters when required.

Key Requirements.

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• CPA(K) qualified or at final stage, with a clear completion timeline. ACCA or equivalent is also acceptable.
• Minimum 5 years’ relevant accounting experience.
• Prior experience in real estate, property management or investment management is an advantage.
• Proven experience managing a full month-end close cycle and preparing management accounts.
• Strong knowledge of IFRS and financial reporting principles.
• Hands-on experience with Kenya tax compliance and iTax, including VAT, Withholding Tax, PAYE and Corporation Tax.
• Experience working with ERP/accounting systems; Odoo is an added advantage. Experience with Sage, QuickBooks or similar systems is acceptable.
• Advanced Excel skills, including VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Pivot Tables and reconciliation of large datasets.
• Experience handling multiple entities, reconciliations, payables, receivables and financial controls.
• Experience with payroll, fixed assets and cash flow management.
• Experience supervising or reviewing junior accounting staff is an added advantage.
• Strong attention to detail, accuracy and deadline discipline.
• High level of integrity and confidentiality, particularly when handling payroll, banking and financial information.
• Strong analytical and communication skills, with the ability to explain financial variances and accounting issues clearly.