Accountant

This role is responsible for supporting the end to end accounting process in the country, including month and year end close, and ensures consistent, accurate and robust financial accounting processes in line with accounting practices and corporate policies. This is a supporting role in the Financial Controlling and Accounting process which is a key function in the new organisational structure emerging from the Financial Transparency recommendations.

Context and environment

The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We are on the ground in six continents and over 100 countries, bringing international opportunity to life, every day. 

The Finance function is structured along functional lines with the aim of embedding the ‘three lines of defence’ model at its heart, clearly separating the financial control (first line) and risk and assurance (second line) functions, ensuring the integrity of our results and the strength of our controls.

This will allow the organisation to focus more easily on business decision making, strategic planning, budgeting and forecasting based on accurate monthly results.

Main duties

• Complete all financial tasks required for the financial month-end pre-closing steps and provide support as required for the financial month-end closing steps.
• Complete all financial tasks required for the financial year-end pre-closing steps and provide support as required for the financial year-end closing steps.
• Maintain financial records as per corporate policy and internal audit.
• Provide support as required on accounting transactions and adjustments (accruals, deferrals and provisions), including Intercompany accounting.
• Provide support as required with manual journals and off-system payments requests ensuring accuracy and compliance with relevant policies.
• Assist with reconciliation of all relevant accounts and ensure that this is completed to corporate standards.
• Assist Senior Accountant with preparation of local Tax submissions and other statutory returns.
• Complete Travel & Expenses audits as per policy addressing issues in a promptly manner.
• Assist Senior Accountant / Financial Controller with provision of information to internal / external auditors.
• Assist in the implementation of audit recommendations.
• Complete Exams income reconciliations.
• Be responsible for ensuring integrity of cash collection process.
• Be responsible for ensuring integrity of customers refund process.
• Support the income reconciliation process by extracting relevant reports.
• Ensure compliance with treasury policy.
• Submit relevant documents to local bank as requested including bank mandates updates.
• Ensure that local external accounting requirements are adhered to.
• Co-operate with local accounting company and assist by providing the necessary reports and documentation.
• Co-operate with local Payroll Company and assist with preparation of payroll journal.
• Assist with preparation of local Tax submissions and other statutory returns.
• Assist with the implementation of audit recommendations.

We offer:

• Guaranteed 13th salary, equal to the full amount of one monthly salary for a full year of service (or proportionate amount for less than 1 full year of service), and paid in November
• Full-time working hours per week, of which 36 office hours and 4 hours for travel to work (recognised in total as standard full-time working hours as per Bulgarian Labour Code)  
• 23 days of annual leave + 12 non-working days for public holidays + 6 days of leave annually for medical reasons (unsupported by a medical certificate)   
• Health insurance, covering several expenses (such as medical examinations, prescribed medicines and hospital stay), for you and your immediate family members   
• Regular on-the-job plus dedicated training opportunities   
• Special conditions for British Council language courses and exams for you and immediate family members Opportunity to benefit from British Council’s Professional Development scheme to partially cover study costs . 

Applications must be submitted online via the British Council Jobs Portal. Please note that we do not accept CVs.

The closing date for applications is Sunday 1 September 2019. Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interviews. If you have any questions about the working conditions and the requirements of the job please write to Petya Getovska, Finance Manager, at Petya.Getovska@britishcouncil.bg 

The British Council is committed to a policy of equal opportunity and welcomes applicants from all sections of the community. We work to ensure that people are not unjustifiably discriminated against on the basis of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, religion or belief, sexual orientation or any other irrelevant grounds. We guarantee an interview to disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria. 

The British Council believes that all children have potential and that every child matters everywhere in the world. The British Council affirms the position that all children have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse as set out in article 19, UNCRC; 1989.