Accountant

1. Background 

The Lebanon Reforestation Initiative (LRI) is a Lebanese NGO registered at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities under no. 1186 on 18 June 2014. LRI started as a project launched in 2010 by the United States Forest Service (USFS) Office of International Programs (IP) through the support and funding of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). LRI's mission is to restore Lebanon's native forests and to instill commitment to reforestation and wildfire prevention and response, through capacity building of local communities and organizations.

2. Purpose of the Position

The Accountant at the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative (LRI) is responsible for the effective and efficient processing of financial data. S/he applies accounting principles and procedures, provides accurate and timely financial information to LRI Finance Manager and LRI Project Director, and ensures appropriate accounting control procedures.

In close coordination with LRI’s Finance Manager, the Accountant is expected to accomplish the following duties:

• Prepare all kind of payment vouchers, receipts and accounting transactions as per LRI’s financial management policies while seeking appropriate authorization and insuring all supporting documents are available;  
• Enter daily accounting transactions on the accounting software while making sure that costs are properly allocated;
• Insure that financial forms (expenses claims, vouchers, etc…) are updated on regular basis;
• Assist the Finance department in communications with external contacts such as banks, partners and suppliers;
• Insure that all accounting transactions and documents are compliant with the standards set by the Lebanese Government;
• Assist the petty cash custodian in replenishing the petty cash and the Fuel cards;
• Insure that all accounting documents are properly presented to the Finance Manager, archived and follow a clear audit trail;
• Maintain the accounting software by periodically updating the suppliers lists and chart of accounts;
• Prepare cash withdrawals for workers and periodically scan the sign-up sheets;
• Send pay-slips to Staff members on monthly basis;
• Assist the Finance Manager in the end of month closure and reconciliation;
• Support the Finance department in yearly governmental reports such as V.A.T claims;
• Assist the Finance Manager in preparation of financial reports, and recording daily financial data;
• Contact suppliers for payments updates and manage their queries;
• Assist the Finance Manager in preparing projects budgets when necessary;
• Prepare spending reports to private sector entities and different donors;
• Keep track of project expenses, making sure payments are being issued on time;
• Track assets, prepaid expenses and depreciation expenses and properly input them in the accounting software/ERP system;
• Conduct periodic bank runs to process different banking transactions;
• Assist the finance office in preparing donor’s financial reports as per their policies and procedures;
• On the request of LRI Project Director, assume all needed finance and accounting responsibilities of the accountant during any unscheduled absence. 

3. Qualifications

The Accountant should possess the following competencies, skills, and experience:

• Experience with international Donor agencies;
• Experience in working with ERP systems;
• Knowledge in local Governmental reporting requirements;
• Able to handle heavy workload, unplanned tasks and urgent requests;

• High degree of integrity, ethics and discretion;
• Self-motivated, flexible and able to adapt under different work conditions;
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills;
• Organized and able to maintain proficient consistency across all tasks;
• Able to lead in her field of expertise.

Individuals should provide the following:

• CV;
• Cover letter;
• Reference list.