Senior Project Accountant - Beijing

Greenpeace stands for positive change through action: the courage, independence and global reach to defend nature and promote peace.

Thank you for your interest in applying for this junior accountant role. We hope that this pack gives you an insight into us and our work, plus details of the job and the people you’ll be working with. Everyone who works for Greenpeace is passionate about what we’re trying to achieve. We have big ambitions for our work and we believe it’s an immensely rewarding and inspiring place to work.

Who We Are

Mission of Greenpeace

Greenpeace stands for positive change through action to defend the natural world and promote peace.

History of Greenpeace

In 1971, motivated by their vision of a green and peaceful world, a small team of activists set sail from Vancouver, Canada, in an old fishing boat. Their goal was to protest peacefully against U.S nuclear testing in Amchitka, a tiny island off the West Coast of Alaska. Amchitaka is one of the world's most earthquake-prone regions and home to endangered animals.

Greenpeace has been in East Asia since 1997 to fight climate change, stop toxic pollution, ensure food security, end illegal deforestation and defend the oceans.

Greenpeace has offices in Hong Kong, Beijing, Taipei and Seoul. Environmental problems know no borders, and Greenpeace recognizes the importance of regional offices that work together to achieve effective solutions for a sustainable future.

Surging economic development in East Asia has brought widespread prosperity, but has also taken a severe environmental toll, both regionally and in the world. Greenpeace is committed to ensuring a green development pathway together with the people of China Mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.

The Finance Team

We are the team which deals with numbers and loves numbers. Some people may think our work is boring, but we enjoy our work. If you are truly love numbers, highly detailed oriented and organized, very serious toward work, have strong integrity, understand accounting principles and are willing to sit at a computer for longer hours, please join us.

The Post of Senior Project Accountant

This role is international orientated. You will work with people located in different regions. You will be a financial advisor of international project teams.

Who We Are Looking For

• Bachelor Degree in Accounting/Finance or relevant field.  
• A minimum of seven years’ experience with hands on accounting and taxation work from an international organization/company
• Excellent PC skills particular in MS Excel, word, PowerPoint and accounting software application   
• Highly detailed oriented and organized in work, strong work ethic.
• Strong numerical sense, good problem solving skills / analytical mind-set
• Self-motivated with strong sense of responsibility, capable to meet tight deadlines
• Excellent command of spoken & written English and Chinese is a must 
• Good interpersonal skills, independent, proactive, strong analytical mind and able to work under pressure.
• Experience in project management, project accounting
• Cost accounting and International NGO accounting experience is a plus.
• Funding management experience is a big plus.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job title: Senior Project Accountant Beijing Office
Valid from: 15 November 2014
Job grade: 4
Reports to: Deputy Finance Director
Line manages: 0

Overall purpose of the job

Coordinate with Greenpeace International, Greenpeace NROs and Fundraising Department in overseeing the financial aspects of cluster projects and other projects

Ensure that all the projects have adequate financial planning, qualified resources, reporting tools and accountability agreement throughout the project

Prepare project budget reports, funding management report; keep financial tracks on all the projects and related funding

Reconcile funding management report with actual spending and booking

Scope

70% of time will work on project finance and funding management; 30% of time will work other ad hoc projects and taxation. This position involves a lot of reconciliations and follow ups.

Major functions / responsibilities

Conceptual tasks, Strategy development and/or Project management

• Understand accounting and taxation principles and know how to use these principles in day to day work
• Initiate discussion with project leaders about financial aspect of MoU
• Cooperate with project leaders, GPI finance team, and Fundraising team to develop the project resources plan
• Help to develop distributed campaign financial procedures and processes

Implementation

• Writing up the finance directory of participating NROs (name of NRO, NPFC and national authoriser)
• Establish the detailed project budget using the templates of the Finance Toolkit and template provided by foundation
• Consolidate NRO's reports, establish global monthly project financial reporting for sharing with project leaders and involved NROs. The monthly reports should incorporate clear variance analyses and forecasts for the project lifetime.
• Prepare periodical presentations of the project finance management (including budget control and forecast) in terms that can be understood by non-finance project staff

Support/ Coaching/ Leadership

• Provide organizational direction to NRO financial staff involved in the project (planning, reporting, monitoring, meeting, security, confidentiality, documentation …)
• Be a financial advisor that people listen to, develop and maintain influential working relationships both with the project leaders and the NRO's finance officers. Through clear, meaningful and useful communications, raise the profile of finance to such a level within the project team that professional budget management can be achieved.
• Support the project leaders when collecting contributions from other NROs
• Coordinate input, expenditures & questions from NROs including financial issues

Compliance/ Keeping Framework Conditions

• Support the project leader in ensuring the project is fully funded and that this is reflected in the MoU and project documentation. Review the MoU before it is signed and report any abnormality to the parties involved
• Ensure the budget is developed in collaboration with the project leader and Fundraising Department
• Control that there are adequate financial systems and controls in place and that financial procedures and policies (including the Finance Toolkit) are being followed.
• Track the expenditures from spending NRO's (monthly reporting) and teams.
• Collect a narrative from the NROs if over/underspent and regularly check with the PL.
• Keep in touch with GPI for progress of funding (have all NROs paid their share) and feedback to Project Leader
• Monitor all cluster financials, review monthly reporting and check plausibility, report to project leader
• Follow up pending issues and reconcile funding management with actual spending and booking
• Update budget forecast and initiate change of funding agreement in due time when necessary.
• Ensure that terms and conditions of the MoU are respected and that relevant and proving documentation will be provided to the NRO's according to their statutory or legal needs.

Competency profile

Organization competencies

• Professionalism
• Achievement
• Interpersonal relationship
• Knowledge sharing
• Values diversity
• Innovation

Functional competencies

Technical

• Knowledge and/or experience in PowerPoint
• Fluency in written and spoken English
• Knowledge and/or experience in Excel

Method related

• Attention to details
• Work under pressure
• Time management
• Training skills (teach, mentor and coach)
• Presentation and reporting skills

Social/self competencies

• Being a team player
• Build and manage relationships with other departments within the organization
• Tact and diplomacy

Leadership competencies

• Planning & Organizing
• The highest level of integrity
• Proactiveness
• Discretion and confidentiality
• Promote teamwork
• Positive / constructive thinking
• Office based in Beijing, PR China
• The position works in a standard office environment
• Willingness to travel

Attitude

• The highest level of integrity
• Proactiveness
• Discretion and confidentiality
• Promote teamwork
• Positive / constructive thinking

Specific Work Environment

• Office based in Beijing, PR China
• The position works in a standard office environment
• Willingness to travel

CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

WORKING HOURS

Conditioned working hours is 37.5 hours/ week from Monday to Friday.

LEAVE

INSURANCE

Greenpeace offers Social Insurance, Housing Provident Funds, and supplementary commercial insurance package during employment. Further details about these benefits will be provided if appointed.

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

Greenpeace offers a combination of in house and external training opportunities throughout the year. Greenpeace also offers study leave for courses related to your work and assistance is available for relevant further education qualifications. For further information on learning and development opportunities please speak to the Staff Development Team.

HOW TO APPLY

Please send your CV, a covering letter written both in English and Chinese to

CLOSING DATE: 28/12/2014

Your CV should outline your skills and experience, and include contact details of two referees. We will not take up references until a job offer has been made.

Your covering letter is the most important part of your application. It should be used to tell us how you meet the selection criteria listed on the person specification. Draw particular attention to experience, skills, achievements and knowledge gained in past employment or other activities which are relevant to the job. It may be easiest to use the headings relating to the requirements detailed in the person specification and demonstrate how you meet them. Please ensure your covering letter is no more than 4 pages long (4 sides of A4).

As we receive a large number of applications for our advertised vacancies we are unable to respond to those applicants who have not been shortlisted and we apologise for this in advance.

Getting to the Greenpeace office

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3/F, Julong Office Building, Block 7, Julong Garden, 68 Xinzhong Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing, China.

Beijing Subway:

Line 2 Chaoyangmen Station, Dongsishitiao Station both within 10/15 minutes walking distance of our office.

Beijing Buses:

The 3, 113, 115, 118, 416, 431, 701, 758, Te 16 buses all stop at the Dongsishitiaoqiaodong station

The75, 101,109, 110, 112, 420, 650 buses all stop at Chaoyangmenwai station

Both stations within 10/15 minutes walking distance of our office.