Accountant at USAID Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities in Ukraine

Background:

USAID Agriculture Growing Rural Opportunities in Ukraine (AGRO) Activity is a seven-year cooperative agreement between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Chemonics International, Inc. USAID AGRO Activity began on November 15, 2019.

The AGRO Activity aims to accelerate the economic development of rural Ukrainian communities with the greatest need through a better governed agricultural sector that encourages more productive, modern, and profitable micro, small, and medium agricultural enterprises (MSMEs) that are successfully integrated into competitive markets both in Ukraine and internationally.

The Activity objectives are aligned with the three elements of the market systems conceptual framework: the core value chain, supporting functions, and rules and regulations.

To effectively address the food crisis that emerges in Ukraine and internationally caused by Russia’s unprovoked and brutal full-scale war against Ukraine, AGRO works for the restoration of the agricultural sector, in particular its modernization, efficiency improvement, and diversification, which contributes to the long-term economic recovery of Ukraine and the improvement of global food security.

Chemonics-implemented AGRO is one of the executors of the USAID Agriculture Resilience Initiative (AGRI-Ukraine), aimed to strengthening Ukraine’s agricultural resilience and ensuring food security.

AGRO operates utilizing the market system development conceptual approach (beamexchange.org).

In 2023, the estimated cost of the Activity was extended to $205 million, and its implementation period was extended through November 13, 2026. AGRO employs  85 long-term CCN employees.

Position Description:

To contribute to achieving AGRO’s overall goals, the Accountant is to manage, in particular, VAT exemption procedures, vendors settlement reconciliation, short term personnel agreements, petty cash, and accounting, inclusing salary-related, files. The Accountant will work to ensure that the financial and operational systems are compatible with standard accounting practices and follow Chemonics and USAID policies, procedures, and regulations.

Principal Duties and Obligations (Essential Functions):

As Accountant, the Employee is responsible for the following principle duties and obligations:

Prepares the following VAT exemption – related documents:

• VAT reports to USAID and the local tax authority;
• VAT exemption documents;
• supporting backup documents as per US and Ukrainian governments’ regulations.
• Responsible for completeness and accuracy of accounting – related supporting documents in particular, vendors’ and service providers’ invoices, contracts, GDNs, acts of acceptance; regular (not less rarely than once per calendar year) reconciliation of vendors’ and service provider’s settlement accounts;
• Ensures the accuracy and allocation of transactions
• Responsible for completeness and accuracy of accounting – related supporting documents
• Maintains transparent and audit-proof record keeping systems per Chemonics policies
• Establish contacts with the General Direction of Inpredkadry and bank. Resolve organizational issues in the operation of the project (staff hiring procedures, staff personal bank accounts maintenance, etc.).
• Maintain personnel records for local staff (long-term and short-term). Coordinate with GDIP-Inpredkadry on Personnel issues and requests including hiring, dismissal, vacation and sick leave.
• Collect all staff timesheets and leave requests, check and submit to COP / DCOP. Enter timesheet data into Time Calculation file.
• Responsible for review of STCs’ timesheets, compensation payments calculation for submitting to GDIP and preparing all required support documents for making payments to STCs.
• Interacts with banks and other officials on an as-needed basis.
• Manage electronic bank payments through the project’s Client-Bank or Internet-Bank account.
• Shares guidelines on use of and adherence to the USAID / Chemonics accounting policies and procedures among the AGRO Activity’s staff; liaisons between Chemonics HO and the Project’s staff on specificity of application of the policies and procedures
• Applies a working knowledge of applicable Ukrainian and U.S. laws and regulations to project financial activities. Keeps track of latest changes in Ukrainian labor, tax, and accounting legislation

Manages petty cash:

• Conducts pay-out transactions
• Maintains petty cash payout tracker
• Applies for petty cash replenishment when needed
• Receives petty cash funds from the bank for the Project’s office needs
• Prepares petty cash reconciliation
• Manages and traces travel advances

• Performs any other financial tasks assigned by the Chief Accountant / Finance and Administration Director / Deputy Chief of Party / Chief of Party or her/his designate or independently which are consistent which are consistent with his/her qualifications, this Scope of Work and the general requirements of the AGRO Activity.
• Maintains comprehensive audit-proof accounting files. Collect missing (if any) related supporting documents: original vendors’ and service providers’ invoices, contracts, GDNs, acts of acceptance.
• Keeps and monitors maintenance of a system for filing and archiving of all relevant financial, contractual, and personnel documentation, including scanning files.
• Enters timesheet data into Time Calculation file. Ensure all Payroll sheets are signed by staff and filed properly to salary transactions.
• Assists chief accountant / deputy chief accountant and project staff in performance of day-to-day Field Office activities, including preparing financial and personnel documents.
• Provides cost reimbursements during events, if any (collect supporting documents, prepare and check financial documents and reimbursement procedures).

Terms of work, SOW Timing and Reporting Relations:

One-year fixed term employment agreement with possible extension each work year up to the end of the Project implementation (November 13, 2026), subject to availability of respective tasks in the successive Annual Work Plans of the Project.

Accountant works in a Finance and Administration Team under a direct supervision of, and reports to the Finance and Administration Director or his/her designee, or other person(s) as designated by the Chief of Party.

Work place location: Kyiv Office (Kyiv, Ukraine, remotely if required).

Periodic travel to other parts of Ukraine.

Required Skills and Qualifications:

To perform this job successfully, the Employee must be able to perform each essential duty, obligation and responsibility satisfactorily. The qualifications listed below are representative of the required knowledge, skills and/or abilities needed to perform the principal duties.

• Minimum two (2) years accounting experience, preferably with USAID- or other donor-funded projects in a similar position in terms of the job tasks and responsibilities outlined above.
• Masters’ or equivalent degree in accounting, finance or economics.
• Proven ability to work professionally, constructively and collaboratively as part of a team, meet deadlines, communicate effectively, and deal with diverse partners in a challenging environment.
• Ability to manage daily activities and achieve expected results without direct oversight.
• Native speaker of Ukrainian.
• English sufficient for professional purposes and to understand written communications related to the work of the Activity such as emails.
• Experienced user of MS Office 365 applications.
• Demonstrated success working in a multinational, multilingual team under pressure and tight deadlines.

Standards of Business Conduct

Compliance with Chemonics International’s standards of business conduct is required. The successful candidate agrees to perform her/his duties faithfully and to the best of her/his ability, to comply with local laws and customs, and to conduct her/himself in a manner consistent with Chemonics’ standards of business conduct and appropriate to Ukraine. Chemonics’ standards of business conduct are available in Chemonics’ field office or upon request. If a candidate encounters ethical questions or issues when interacting with Chemonics, such as conflicts of interest, bribery or kickbacks, gifts, plagiarism, etc., please consult with the AGRO Activity’s COP.

Application Instructions

Send electronic submissions by January 31, 2025. No telephone inquiries, please. Only finalists will be contacted.

Chemonics is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in its selection and employment practices on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, or other non-merit factors.

2025-01-16T15:14:44.000 2025-01-31T23:59:59.000 Full time / Повна зайнятість TELECOMMUTE Україна Кімонікс Інтернешнл Інк. Програма USAID з аграрного і сільського розвитку (АГРО)