Accounting Lead – West Africa Region

Role Overview

• Familiarising yourself with the business model and the key revenue and cost lines
• Acting as the named finance contact for the Central Bank and other local regulatory authorities in relevant West African jurisdictions
• Supporting the preparation and submission of regulatory returns and compliance reporting required under PSP licensing frameworks
• Support the month-end close process for West African companies, including preparation of schedules and supporting information for review
• Preparing local statutory financial statements and ensuring readiness for regulatory or statutory reviews
• Assist in timely bank and mobile money reconciliations, ensuring transactions are accurately recorded and variances are investigated and resolved
• Assist with local tax and regulatory compliance by working closely with external accounting and tax advisors in each West African market to understand filing requirements, deadlines, and documentation needs
• Maintain proper documentation to support statutory, regulatory, and tax filings across West African jurisdictions
• Assist in monitoring financial processes and internal controls, escalating issues and contributing ideas for process improvements where appropriate
• Support payroll processing activities, including reconciliation of payroll reports and assisting with statutory deductions and tax compliance
• Assist with the preparation of year-end financial statements and provide supporting schedules for audits and statutory reviews
• Carry out day-to-day bookkeeping activities, ensuring records are complete, accurate, and up to date.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance or a related field
• Fully qualified CPA (or equivalent recognised professional accounting qualification) is required
• Experience with month-end close, bookkeeping, and tax and regulatory filings
• Experience preparing statutory financial statements and managing compliance across multiple jurisdictions is strongly preferred
• Comfort operating independently as the sole or lead finance representative in-country
• Experience of working with external auditors
• Strong IT literacy skills, particularly working with Google Sheets
• Strong skills in presentation of financial data and information
• Strong sense of autonomy and responsibility in executing tasks
• Experience in tax and regulatory requirements within payments or fintech across Africa is considered an advantage
• Strong communication and presentation skills
• Strong decision-making and problem-solving skills
• Ability to cultivate strong relationships across functions as well as with external stakeholders
• Fluency in English and French (written and spoken) is essential.

Benefits

• 35 days of paid leave per year (inclusive of public holidays) and more.