Accounts Payable & Reporting Specialist

Position Overview

Zanaco Bank Plc is inviting applications from suitably qualified and experienced individuals for the following job aimed at contributing to the Bank’s strategic vision, in the Finance Division under the Finance Operations at Head Office – Support Functions:

Role Description

Job Purpose:

The role provides operational and analytical support to Accounts Payable and Financial Reporting by maintaining general ledger integrity, preparing reconciliations, and supporting accurate daily, weekly, and monthly reporting in line with IFRS, internal policies, and regulatory requirements.

Job Responsibilities:

• Track, validate, and support timely processing of supplier, statutory, staff, and other payment requests.
• Prepare reconciliations, schedules, variance analyses, and financial statement workings to support accurate reporting and audit readiness.
• Support income recognition, balance sheet reporting, and accounting model maintenance for fees, investments, impairments, and leases.
• Maintain strong financial controls by resolving exceptions, preserving audit trails, escalating risks, and contributing to process improvements.

Financial Reporting Support

• Perform daily trial balance reviews and monitor general ledger integrity in collaboration with the Financial Accountant, Accounts Payable Accountant, and Financial Controls and Revenue Assurance teams to support daily, weekly, and monthly reporting.
• Investigate, follow up on, and ensure timely resolution of exceptions that compromise the integrity of the general ledger.
• Ensure all manual journals are properly tracked through a journal tracker, adequately supported, reviewed, and approved before posting to the general ledger.
• Prepare accurate schedules, analyses, and supporting workings for daily, weekly, and monthly reporting requirements.
• Support accurate expense recognition and reporting in compliance with IFRS and internal accounting policies.
• Provide timely variance analyses and explanations for movements in expense and payable balances on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.
• Prepare accurate assigned financial statement workings and schedules within agreed reporting timelines and respond promptly to review queries to minimize post-review adjustments.

Payments and Accounts Payable

• Track and monitor payment submissions to ensure all payment requests are processed within agreed service level agreements (SLAs) through a daily payments tracker.
• Prepare weekly and ad hoc reports on payment exceptions, delayed payments and approvals, accelerated payments, and other exceptional payment activities.
• Support supplier, statutory, and staff-related payments accurately and in compliance with approved policies, procedures, and delegated authority limits.
• Validate payment documentation, ensuring accurate general ledger coding, correct cost centre allocation, and appropriate tax treatment (VAT, withholding tax, and statutory deductions).
• Prepare payment schedules and supporting documentation for review and approval.

Income and Accounts Receivable

• Fees and commission analysis: Perform reconciliations and trend analyses of fees and commission income to ensure accurate recognition and reporting.
• Arrangement fees model and accounting: Apply and maintain the arrangement fee amortisation model, ensuring correct income recognition.
• Investment securities model and accounting: Maintain amortised cost schedules and record interest income and valuation movements for investment securities in line with accounting standards.
• Impairment model and accounting: Support the calculation, booking, and analysis of expected credit loss impairments in accordance with applicable impairment models.
• Leases model and accounting: Maintain lease accounting records and process right-of-use asset and lease liability calculations in compliance with lease accounting standards.

Reconciliations

• Prepare and maintain supplier, accounts payable, suspense, accrual, and other assigned balance sheet reconciliations.
• Ensure reconciliations are accurate, supported, and up to date at all times.
• Investigate reconciling items, aged balances, and mis postings, and process corrective journals where required.
• Escalate complex, recurring, or unresolved reconciliation issues in line with agreed procedures.
• Monitor accounts payable balances to ensure completeness, accuracy, and timely settlement of obligations.
• Support month-end and year-end close by ensuring balances are reconciliation-ready.
• Maintain clear documentation and audit trails for reconciliations and balance movements.
• Identify recurring issues and support improvements to reconciliation and payables processes.

Risk, Process and Continuous Improvement

• Identify operational risks within financial reporting and accounts payable processes and escalate them appropriately.
• Identify process inefficiencies and support automation and continuous operational improvement initiatives within the procure-to-pay and reporting processes.
• Support compliance with policies and procedures and contribute to the strengthening of controls.

Any other duties as assigned by superiors.