Assistant Cost Accountant at Uzima Chicken

About Uzima chicken

Uzima Chicken Ltd is a poultry company dedicated to making farmers healthier and wealthier. Uzima is the leading distributor of high-quality, dual-purpose day-old chicks in East Africa. Uzima plans to transform the poultry industry in Rwanda, providing smallholder farmers with a robust, disease-resistant bird that can thrive in local, rural conditions and is more productive than local birds. Uzima believes its dual-purpose birds can help eliminate poverty and malnutrition across East Africa.

Job title: “Assistant Cost Accountant

Job Location: Kigali ,Rwanda

Type of Position:Open Ended

Division/Department: Finance

Reports to: Senior Accountant

Main staff reports to: None

Summary of Position

The Assistant Cost Accountant is responsible for building, overseeing, and executing all processes related to cost accounting. This includes training junior cost accountants, recording, posting, adjusting, reconciling, and reporting all production-related financial information. Managing these activities include generating regular reports, ensuring compliance with reporting standards.

Key KPIs

• Reconciliation of inventory accounts completed weekly, especially raw materials and finished goods
• Month-end costing reports delivered within deadlines below and inclusive of trend analysis/interpretation, such as:
• Feed Mill Cost Report & Transport Cost Report - 2 business days of close of month
• Breeder Farm Report - 4 business days of close of month
• Hatchery Report - 6 business days of close of month
• Stock takes completed and reports submitted within 5 business days of close of month
• Issues with COGS or costing proactively flagged (e.g., feed costs exceeding sale price, strange production costs after assembly, concerns regarding DOCs, etc)

Key Responsibilities

Costing & Inventory Management

• Raise Purchase Orders for inventory related items, following company SOPs
• Oversee the inventory and costing procedures related to accurately track COGS and managing company inventory
• Conduct random inventory checks and ensure accuracy in inventory reports
• Plan and record variable costs such as purchases of raw material and operations costs.
• Take lead on Feed mill, Breeder farm, Hatchery and other stores weekly and monthly stock counts and reconciliations.
• Work with Production leadership to review production costs on a weekly and monthly basis
• Maintain and review the general ledger and reconcile balance sheet inventory items on a Weekly and Monthly basis
• Ensure implementation of all finance SOPs related to inventory management and controls
• Analyze costs of raw materials and other supplies and create cost-benefit analysis for changing vendors.
• Assisting in month-end and year-end closing by preparing production reports
• Identify and recommend cost-effective solutions to reduce production costs
• Work with Senior Accountants to build and implement cost tracking systems in accounting software.

Reporting

• Produce monthly Breeder farm production report, feed mill production report and Hatchery production report
• Produce weekly and monthly inventory reconciliation reports
• Ensure that all inventory GL lines are reconciled in both Dear and Xero systems

External Stakeholder Management

• Maintain relationships with key business partners and suppliers on reconciliations
• Support in providing information to external auditors during annual audits

Other tasks

• Support Senior Accountant during month end reporting
• Training and management of junior cost accountants or officers
• Be the custodian of inventory record books (Stock cards, dispatch notes, Goods received notes, Goods transfer notes, etc) and ensure their availability at all stock locations
• Carry out any other activities as assigned from time to time

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

Minimum Education and Qualification Required

• Having Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Finance or Accounting
• 2+ years of previous experience; experience in industry procedures, costs, and terms
• Proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite
• Good interpersonal skills and communication with all levels of management
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Ability to work under pressure and overtime;
• Exposure of working with a multi-currency set up;
• Between 25 and 35 years of age.

Skills and Experience

• A team player with leadership abilities and management skills.
• 2+ years of experience in Finance
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities
• Be a person of integrity.
• Have analytical and excellent organizational skills.
• Attention to detail and high level of accuracy
• Cultural awareness and sensitivity

Language Proficiency

Fluency in written and spoken English and Kinyarwanda.

Functional competencies

• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Ability to identify issues, analyze and participate in the resolution of issues/problems. Ability to conduct data collection using various methods.
• Excellent analytical skills for the review and assessments of sites situations
• Computer proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), database applications, spreadsheet and graphics presentations
• Takes responsibility for incorporating gender perspectives and ensuring the equal participation of women and men in all areas of work.

Core Competencies

Transparency: Able to build trust and contribute to informed and responsible decision making by carrying out the work of Uzima in a transparent manner; provides clear guidance to ensure that objectives and desired measurable results are understood by members of the team.

Inclusiveness: Understands and accepts cultural diversity, and provides a tolerant, positive and supportive working environment that fosters respect for diversity, demonstrates ability to work in a multicultural, multi ethnic environment and to maintain effective working relations with people of different nationalities and cultural backgrounds.

Professionalism: Promote the organization’s interests, objectives and values in a diligent and professional manner.

HOW TO APPLY

Interested candidates should address their applications enclosed with a cover letter, Curriculum vitae, academic documents and other relevant certificates to the Managing Director of UZIMA CHICKEN LTD and delivered in a single PDF document to email: “careers@uzimachicken.com” not later than 29^th , August 2024 at 5:00 pm. UZIMA CHICKEN Ltd is an equal opportunity employer, and for the position female candidates are encouraged to apply.

Note: 

• The subject of the email should be mentioned “ Assistant Cost accountant ”
• Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview

 Done at Kigali August 14th,2024