Purpose of the position

The purpose of this position is to reinforce the quality and consistency of financial administration associated with village-level PPB funding while easing routine operational demands on the Landscape Accountant.

The Assistant Accountant will provide practical and supportive accounting assistance that promotes sound financial practices and reduces fiduciary exposure within the Direct Financing arrangement.

Scope of work and key tasks

The Assistant Accountant will be responsible for the following duties:

• Support financial administration at village level through hands-on guidance.
• Assist village personnel to accurately capture receipts and payments in simple financial records.
• Carry out regular field follow-up visits to:
  • Review financial records.
  • Check documentation.
  • Resolve issues on site.
  • Confirm that expenses incurred correspond to the approved work plan.
  • Ensure expenses are within funding parameters.
• Assist in providing practical demonstrations at village level to strengthen understanding of basic accounting processes.
• Assist in organizing financial and administrative papers using straightforward and workable filing approaches.
• Review financial and technical supporting documents submitted by villages before the release of subsequent funding instalments.
• Help maintain a structured repository of financial documents at program level.
• Assist with the preparation of periodic financial reports and simple year-end financial overviews related to Direct Financing.
• Flag emerging issues, irregular patterns, or documentation gaps to the Landscape Accountant.
• Support the implementation of corrective measures identified during reviews.
• Undertake additional finance-related duties as assigned by the Landscape Accountant in support of project delivery and landscape projects.

Expected outputs

The Assistant Accountant will be expected to deliver the following outputs:

• A brief monthly report summarizing field support activities and follow-up actions.
• Monthly reports that:
  • Identify financial and technical gaps in supported villages.
  • Explain measures taken to address identified gaps.
  • Provide an overall assessment of improvements in financial and technical capacity within the villages.
• Improved clarity, completeness, and organization of village financial records in line with organizational requirements.
• Detection and resolution of documentation gaps.
• Improved readiness and traceability of financial documents.
• Timely and quality quarterly financial reports relating to Direct Financing.
• Reduced financial risks to a tolerable rate based on the determined materiality level.
• Improved financial capacity of village actors.
• Improved independence of village actors in fund management.

Qualifications and experience

Applicants should have the following qualifications and experience:

• University degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a relevant discipline.
• At least one year of applied experience in financial administration or bookkeeping.
• Exposure to NGO, community-based, or public-sector financial environments is an added advantage.
• Ability to travel frequently to field locations.
• Commitment to WWF’s four core values:
  • Courage
  • Respect
  • Integrity
  • Collaboration

Core competencies

The ideal candidate should demonstrate the following competencies:

• Strong numerical accuracy and care in handling financial information.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to communicate financial matters clearly to non-specialists at community level.
• Supportive and solution-oriented approach to capacity strengthening.
• Professional integrity, teamwork, discretion, and accountability.
• Working knowledge of spreadsheet and word-processing software.

Review and performance management

The Assistant Accountant will work under the day-to-day guidance of the Ruvuma Landscape Accountant.

Performance will be reviewed periodically based on:

• Quality of support provided.
• Improvement in financial organization at field level.
• Adherence to WWF financial principles.
• Delivery of agreed outputs.

Working relationships

Internal working relationships

The Assistant Accountant will interact and work closely and regularly with:

• Programme Accountant
• Senior Finance Officer
• Project Manager
• Tanzania Country Office staff

• Supporting financial administration at village level through hands-on guidance.
• Assisting village personnel to accurately record receipts and payments in simple financial records.
• Carrying out regular field follow-up visits to review records, check documentation, resolve issues on site, and confirm that expenses correspond to the approved workplan and remain within funding parameters.
• Providing practical demonstrations at village level to strengthen understanding of basic accounting processes.
• Assisting in organizing financial and administrative documents using simple and workable filing approaches.
• Reviewing financial and technical supporting documents submitted by villages before the release of subsequent funding instalments.
• Helping maintain a structured repository of financial documents at program level.
• Assisting with the preparation of periodic financial reports and simple year-end financial overviews related to Direct Financing.
• Flagging emerging issues, irregular patterns, or documentation gaps to the Landscape Accountant.
• Supporting the implementation of corrective measures identified during reviews.
• Undertaking additional finance-related duties assigned by the Landscape Accountant in support of project delivery and landscape projects.

• Strong numerical accuracy and care in handling financial information.
• Strong communication skills, including the ability to communicate financial matters clearly to non-specialists at community level.
• Supportive and solution-oriented approach to capacity strengthening.
• Professional integrity, teamwork, discretion, and accountability.
• Working knowledge of spreadsheet and word-processing software.

• University degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a relevant discipline.
• At least one year of applied experience in financial administration or bookkeeping.
• Exposure to NGO, community-based, or public-sector financial environments is an added advantage.
• Ability to travel frequently to field locations.
• Commitment to WWF’s four core values: Courage, Respect, Integrity, and Collaboration.