Finance Lead- Baraza Media Lab

About Baraza Media Lab

Since 2019, Baraza Media Lab has provided a space for networking, collaborating, and experimenting among Kenya’s media practitioners. As a vibrant media and creative hub, BML fosters a dynamic community of storytellers, journalists, creators, technologists, and media professionals by providing a platform for knowledge sharing, innovation, training, convenings, incubation, and ecosystem-building.

As BML scales its programming, partnerships, hubs, and donor-funded work, the organization is strengthening its finance, procurement, and operational controls to support transparency, value for money, accountability, compliance, and audit readiness.

Purpose of the Role

The overall purpose of the Finance Lead role is to coordinate and strengthen BML’s finance and accounting function by ensuring that financial reporting and accounts payables are accurate, audit-ready and processed in a timely manner in line with approved policies, budgets, donor compliance expectations, and internal controls.

The role will support financial reporting, vendor management, documentation, supplier follow-up, fixed asset and inventory controls, and financial reporting. The Finance Lead will work closely with Procurement, Operations, Programs, HR, and hub teams to ensure timely and accurate reporting across the organization.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Oversee comprehensive reporting for all disbursements, including payroll, payables, and petty cash, ensuring accurate classification across the financial statements.

• Guarantee that every expenditure is precisely allocated to the appropriate ledger, geographic location, funding stream, and cost category.

• Ensure the Aged Payables report within the accounting system remains current, providing a clear view of vendor obligations, advances, and outstanding durations.

• Manage prepayment amortization schedules and execute journal entries in strict accordance with established accounting principles.

• Facilitate vendor management processes, encompassing supplier registration, banking detail validation, database maintenance, and payment status updates.

• Record all supplier invoices accurately, verifying alignment with specific purchase orders and ensuring procurement has authorized payment based on successful delivery of goods or services.

• Initiate all vendor payments and expense claims through the accounting system and banking platforms before final authorization.

• Prepare and review monthly bank reconciliation, investigate variances and ensure all reconciling items are promptly resolved and appropriately documented. 

• Support month-end accounting close activities including journals, accruals, prepayments and balance sheet reconciliation. 

• Conduct follow-ups for vendor receipt submission via Zoho Finance to verify successful fund transfers.

• Confirm that all organizational spending adheres to current Kenyan statutory regulations.

• Ensure timely and accurate preparation, filing and payment of all applicable statutory obligations including PAYE, VAT, withholding tax and other relevant taxes and maintain complete supporting records 

• Maintain audit-ready documentation, including purchase orders, supplier invoices, withholding tax certificates, banking transaction records and vendor receipts and support external, donor and statutory audits ensuring timely resolution of audit queries and findings. 

• Proactively identify and report financial risks, procedural gaps, potential fraud, or any instances of regulatory non-compliance.

• Assist in the execution of controls related to procurement, inventory management, and asset tracking.

• Manage all supplier data and internal records with the highest levels of integrity, fairness, and professional confidentiality.

Requirements

Qualifications, Skills and Competencies Required

1. Hold a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Accounting, or a related discipline from an accredited institution.

2. Possess at least 5 to 7 years of professional experience, specifically in finance support, accounts payable, or financial reporting.

3. Holding professional accountancy certifications or related qualifications will be considered an asset.

4. Demonstrate a thorough grasp of supplier management, payables workflows, internal controls, recordkeeping, and vendor payment cycles.

5. Demonstrate a thorough grasp of financial reporting standards and methodologies concerning fixed assets, leasing, prepaid expenses, and accrual accounting.

6. Proven track record in managing accounts payable functions is highly preferred.

7. Proficiency in ERP and accounting platforms such as QuickBooks, Zoho, SAP, or Microsoft Dynamics is advantageous.

8. Exhibit exceptional skills in negotiation, communication, coordination, and organizational follow-up.

9. Maintain the highest standards of accuracy, integrity, confidentiality, and meticulous attention to detail.

10. Ability to thrive within a fast-paced media hub, collaborating across departments in a donor-funded environment.

11. Expertise in problem-solving and analysis, with a capacity to proactively flag control gaps, documentation issues, or financial risks.