private company

Chief Accountant — (FMCG Manufacturing)

Department: Finance & Administration

Reports to: Finance Controller

Location: Thika, Kenya

Role summary

The Chief Accountant is a senior finance professional responsible for accurate, timely financial reporting, statutory compliance, cost accounting for manufacturing operations, and strong internal controls. This role leads the accounting team and partners closely with operations, procurement, sales and management to ensure reliable financial information, drive cost efficiency, and support business decision-making for a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) manufacturing business.

Key responsibilities

1. Financial reporting & month end close

• Lead and own the month-end and year-end close processes to ensure timely and accurate financial statements (balance sheet, P&L, cash flow) prepared in accordance with IFRS and company policy.
• Prepare management accounts with clear variance analysis and commentary for senior management.
• Coordinate the consolidation of financial data across the plant, sales and distribution units (if applicable).
• Reconcile all balance sheet accounts (bank, intercompany, receivables, payables, inventory, fixed assets) each period.

2. Cost accounting & manufacturing costing

• Maintain and continuously improve standard costing and absorption costing methods appropriate for biscuit manufacturing.
• Record and analyse production variances (material, labour, overhead) and work closely with Production and Supply Chain to investigate and reduce wastage, yield losses and quality rejects.
• Calculate and maintain product cost per SKU and provide regular margin analysis by product line and customer channel.
• Ensure accurate accounting for work-in-progress (WIP), finished goods, scrap and by-products.

3. Budgeting, forecasting & financial planning

• Lead the annual budgeting process for the accounting scope and support cross-functional budget inputs from production, procurement and sales.
• Drive monthly/quarterly forecasting, cash flow projections, and rolling forecasts; highlight and explain key assumptions and risks to management.

4. Tax, statutory compliance & payroll

• Ensure timely and accurate submission of statutory returns and payments, including VAT, PAYE, corporate tax, withholding tax, NSSF, NHIF and other relevant statutory filings and remittances in Kenya.
• Manage PAYE and payroll accounting processes in collaboration with HR and payroll providers to ensure correct payroll accruals and reporting.
• Liaise with external tax advisors and regulatory bodies (e.g., KRA) on audits, enquiries and tax planning matters.

5. Treasury & cash management

• Manage daily cash and bank reconciliations, ensure adequate bank controls and oversee cashflow monitoring and short-term funding requirements.
• Administer company bank accounts, signatories and banking arrangements; liaise with banks on facilities and reconciliations.

6. Internal controls, policies & audit

• Design, document and maintain accounting policies, internal controls and SOX-lite controls (or local equivalent) appropriate for an FMCG manufacturing environment.
• Coordinate with internal and external auditors during interim and final year audits and ensure prompt resolution of audit findings.
• Drive improvements to reduce control gaps and automate manual, repetitive accounting tasks.

7. Systems, process improvement & ERP

• Own accounting-related configurations and master data in the ERP system and work with IT/ERP teams during upgrades and implementations.
• Identify and implement process improvements, automation (e.g., bank feeds, automated reconciliations), and reporting enhancements (Power BI / analytics) to raise efficiency and data quality.

8. Team leadership & development

• Supervise, mentor and develop the accounting team (senior accountants, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cost accountants, payroll clerks); provide coaching, performance management and career development.
• Allocate work, set priorities and ensure the team meets reporting deadlines and quality standards.

9. Cross-functional collaboration & commercial support

• Act as a finance business partner to Operations, Sales, Procurement and Supply Chain; provide commercial analysis for pricing, promotions, trade spend and new product introductions.
• Support ad-hoc financial modelling, feasibility studies and project accounting for CAPEX and factory investments.

Qualifications & experience

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or related discipline. A professional qualification is required — CPA (Kenya), ACCA, CIMA or equivalent.
• Minimum 6–10 years of progressive accounting experience with at least 3 years in a senior accounting role; prior experience in manufacturing and/or FMCG is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with Kenyan statutory requirements (KRA, PAYE, VAT, NSSF, NHIF), financial reporting under IFRS and corporate tax processes.
• Experience with ERP accounting modules (examples: SAP, Oracle, Sage X3, Tally, Odoo) and strong Excel skills (pivot tables, advanced formulas, Power Query). Knowledge of Power BI or other reporting tools is an advantage.

Technical skills & knowledge

• Strong knowledge of cost accounting methodologies, inventory valuation (FIFO/weighted average), and production variance analysis.
• Solid understanding of fixed asset accounting, depreciation methods, and CAPEX capitalization policies.
• Ability to prepare and interpret financial statements and management reports with actionable insights.
• Demonstrable experience managing statutory audits and liaising with external auditors and tax consultants.

Core competencies & behavioural skills

• Analytical thinker with strong attention to detail and problem-solving orientation.
• High level of integrity, ethical standards and confidentiality.
• Excellent communication skills — able to explain financial concepts to non-finance stakeholders.
• Strong leadership and people management skills; ability to build and motivate a high-performing team.
• Ability to work under deadlines and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced FMCG environment.

Key performance indicators (KPIs)

• Timeliness of financial close (e.g., number of days from period end to management accounts).
• Accuracy of monthly forecasts vs actuals and variance explanations.
• Inventory accuracy and reduction in variances/wastage (kg or value basis) year-on-year.
• Audit outcomes: number and severity of audit findings; timely closure of audit issues.
• Compliance: zero or timely statutory filing breaches and penalties.
• Cost improvement initiatives delivered (e.g., reduction in cost per unit, improved yields).
• Team development: staff turnover in accounting, training completion and cross skilling metrics.

Working conditions

• Role requires regular presence at the factory/plant to interact with Operations and Supply Chain teams; occasional travel between head office and plant locations may be required.
• Standard office hours with occasional extended hours at month-end, quarter-end and year-end.

Authority & decision rights

• Approve journal entries within designated materiality thresholds; approve expense and supplier invoices within delegated limits.
• Recommend accounting policy changes to Finance Manager/Director; sign off reconciliations and financial reports prior to management review.

• Lead and own the month-end and year-end close processes to ensure timely and accurate financial statements (balance sheet, P&L, cash flow) prepared in accordance with IFRS and company policy.
• Prepare management accounts with clear variance analysis and commentary for senior management.
• Coordinate the consolidation of financial data across the plant, sales and distribution units (if applicable).
• Reconcile all balance sheet accounts (bank, intercompany, receivables, payables, inventory, fixed assets) each period.
• Maintain and continuously improve standard costing and absorption costing methods appropriate for biscuit manufacturing.
• Record and analyse production variances (material, labour, overhead) and work closely with Production and Supply Chain to investigate and reduce wastage, yield losses and quality rejects.
• Calculate and maintain product cost per SKU and provide regular margin analysis by product line and customer channel.
• Ensure accurate accounting for work-in-progress (WIP), finished goods, scrap and by-products.
• Lead the annual budgeting process for the accounting scope and support cross-functional budget inputs from production, procurement and sales.
• Drive monthly/quarterly forecasting, cash flow projections, and rolling forecasts; highlight and explain key assumptions and risks to management.
• Ensure timely and accurate submission of statutory returns and payments, including VAT, PAYE, corporate tax, withholding tax, NSSF, NHIF and other relevant statutory filings and remittances in Kenya.
• Manage PAYE and payroll accounting processes in collaboration with HR and payroll providers to ensure correct payroll accruals and reporting.
• Liaise with external tax advisors and regulatory bodies (e.g., KRA) on audits, enquiries and tax planning matters.
• Manage daily cash and bank reconciliations, ensure adequate bank controls and oversee cashflow monitoring and short-term funding requirements.
• Administer company bank accounts, signatories and banking arrangements; liaise with banks on facilities and reconciliations.
• Design, document and maintain accounting policies, internal controls and SOX-lite controls (or local equivalent) appropriate for an FMCG manufacturing environment.
• Coordinate with internal and external auditors during interim and final year audits and ensure prompt resolution of audit findings.
• Drive improvements to reduce control gaps and automate manual, repetitive accounting tasks.
• Own accounting-related configurations and master data in the ERP system and work with IT/ERP teams during upgrades and implementations.
• Identify and implement process improvements, automation (e.g., bank feeds, automated reconciliations), and reporting enhancements (Power BI / analytics) to raise efficiency and data quality.
• Supervise, mentor and develop the accounting team (senior accountants, accounts payable, accounts receivable, cost accountants, payroll clerks); provide coaching, performance management and career development.
• Allocate work, set priorities and ensure the team meets reporting deadlines and quality standards.
• Act as a finance business partner to Operations, Sales, Procurement and Supply Chain; provide commercial analysis for pricing, promotions, trade spend and new product introductions.
• Support ad-hoc financial modelling, feasibility studies and project accounting for CAPEX and factory investments.

• Strong knowledge of cost accounting methodologies, inventory valuation (FIFO/weighted average), and production variance analysis.
• Solid understanding of fixed asset accounting, depreciation methods, and CAPEX capitalization policies.
• Ability to prepare and interpret financial statements and management reports with actionable insights.
• Demonstrable experience managing statutory audits and liaising with external auditors and tax consultants.
• Analytical thinker with strong attention to detail and problem-solving orientation.
• High level of integrity, ethical standards and confidentiality.
• Excellent communication skills — able to explain financial concepts to non-finance stakeholders.
• Strong leadership and people management skills; ability to build and motivate a high-performing team.
• Ability to work under deadlines and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced FMCG environment.
• Experience with ERP accounting modules (examples: SAP, Oracle, Sage X3, Tally, Odoo) and strong Excel skills (pivot tables, advanced formulas, Power Query). Knowledge of Power BI or other reporting tools is an advantage.

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or related discipline. A professional qualification is required — CPA (Kenya), ACCA, CIMA or equivalent.
• Minimum 6–10 years of progressive accounting experience with at least 3 years in a senior accounting role; prior experience in manufacturing and/or FMCG is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with Kenyan statutory requirements (KRA, PAYE, VAT, NSSF, NHIF), financial reporting under IFRS and corporate tax processes.