Senior Accountant

Position Overview

The Senior Accountant – Disbursement & Payroll provides oversight and end-to-end management of payroll processing, vendor disbursements, payment approvals, and ledger reconciliations. This role balances high-level technical execution with informal team leadership, ensuring accurate compensation delivery for a diverse international and local workforce, rigorous compliance with federal tax regulations, and seamless year-end closing execution. Acting as an essential internal quality checkpoint, this position is responsible for informally reviewing and validating accounting packages before final submittal to the Finance Director.

Core Responsibilities

1.End-to-End Payroll Administration

•Multi-Tier Payroll Management: Prepare, process, and certify monthly payrolls and earning statements for local hire categories (Support Staff, Educational Assistants, and Faculty) ensuring strict alignment with contract terms and approved scales.

•International Remittance Processing: Set up overseas hire accounts, maintain ACH/Wire templates, and coordinate international USD salary transfers.

•Variance & Account Analysis: Reconcile monthly payroll registers against prior-month baselines, investigate variances, resolve staff payroll portal inquiries, and draft comprehensive reconciliation reports.

•Third-Party Disbursements: Process and transfer payroll-generated liabilities including provident funds, housing, labor union dues, credit association loans, and statutory deductions.

1. Disbursements, Accounts Payable & Bank Reconciliations

•Internal Controls & 3-Way Matching: Review and certify check payments, employee expense reimbursements, contract disbursements, and online foreign supplier payments utilizing strict 3-way matching protocols (PO, receiving report, invoice).

•Multi-Account Reconciliations: Conduct and review monthly bank reconciliations across all operational bank accounts; actively investigate uncollected deposits, transit items, and clearing accounts while ensuring proper journal entries are backed by bank advice.

•Data Integrity Checks: Validate transactional data entry accuracy (QuickBooks, BT, Zemen, and NR checks) against approved payment templates before posting.

1. Statutory Compliance, Close Processes & Reporting

•eTax System Management: Prepare, organize, and submit monthly withholding tax, income tax, and pension allocations via the Ministry of Revenue eTax portal.

•Audit & Close Support: Execute quarterly and year-end closing journal entries; compile audit packages and serve as the main operational contact for external auditors.

•Work Tracking: Formulate detailed individual work plans and pipeline updates for regular review with the Finance Director.

Minimum Job Requirements

1. Education & Experience

•Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field (Master’s Degree preferred).

•Experience: Minimum of seven (7) years of progressive accounting experience, with at least three (3) years in a supervisory or middle-level management position.

1. Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSAs)

Advanced Technical Competency & Financial Problem Solving

• System Mastery & Data Modeling: In-depth knowledge of basic and GAAP accounting procedures; excellent skills in QuickBooks and Advanced MS Excel (expert use of database concepts, filtering, and mathematical, logical, statistical, and financial functions for complex data modeling). Experience with PowerSchool or institutional databases is a major asset.
• Tax & Statutory Compliance: Deep familiarity with financial statements, governmental accounting theory, and Ethiopian Labor Law (contract terms, overtime, leaves, severance, and terminal benefits); direct experience navigating the Ministry of Revenue eTax service system for withholding, income tax, and pension management.
• Advanced Analytical Mindset: Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities with a proven capability to independently untangle complex ledger discrepancies, investigate multi-account bank reconciliation variances, and manage intricate data tracking sheets.

Strategic Organization, Precision, & Supervisory Execution

• Quality Review & Peer Mentorship: Proven capability to informally review the work of staff accountants for accuracy and data integrity; acting as a mentor, providing constructive feedback, spotting entry errors, and ensuring high-quality outputs across the finance department.
• High-Level Precision: Excellent attention to detail, highly organized, and detail-oriented with an absolute degree of accuracy in auditing high-volume datasets, spot-checking 3-way invoice matching (PO, receiving report, invoice), and intercepting calculation errors before disbursement.

Deadline Prioritization: Superior time management skills to seamlessly balance competing priorities, coordinate multi-currency payment/payroll cycles, and independently drive month-end and year-end closing deadlines.

•Autonomy, Drive & Agility: Self-motivated, a proactive self-starter, and able to work independently under minimal supervision while successfully navigating a challenging, fast-paced, and fluid school environment.

• Adaptability & Resilience: Adaptable and open to driving process improvements, showing a proactive "can-do" positive attitude alongside a structural willingness to work overtime or respond to emergencies as needed during peak fiscal audit and tax seasons.

Communication & Collaboration

• Assertive Interpersonal Skills: Effective communication and interpersonal skills; excellent written and verbal fluency to craft precise responses to tax bureau queries, manage vendor inquiries tactfully, resolve staff payroll portal discrepancies, and interface confidently with financial directors and external auditors.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Teamwork: Ability to collaborate across departments and work as part of a team in a cooperative, multicultural international school environment; proven capability to guide, mentor, and build capacity with junior finance team members.

How To Apply

If you meet the qualifications and are interested in this exciting opportunity to contribute to our dynamic Finance department, please submit your resume and cover letter to hr@icsaddis.org by Nov 06, 2026.

Note: copies of transcripts, academic degrees, or recommendation letters should not be included with your application. You will provide the documents upon request.

SALARY: As per ICS salary scale.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

Child Protection – Safe Recruitment Practices As part of our recruitment practices at our school, employees are required to possess and validate appropriate qualifications for all positions. For all potential hires, we communicate directly with previous references to ensure due diligence within the recruitment process. Once at school, ICS has a professional code of conduct, including Child Protection training reviewed with employees and signed annually. ICS Addis is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All employees are responsible for recognizing, responding to, and reporting concerns in accordance with ICS safeguarding procedures, and for actively participating in required child protection training and practices. Background checks and reference verification are conditions of employment. Highly qualified candidates may be interviewed as applications are received. ICS reserves the right to make an appointment if an outstanding applicant is identified early in the search process.