Senior Commitment Control Officer (FMG/AT 2)

Job Purpose

Reporting to the Director, Management Accounts, the incumbent is directly responsible for the maintenance of an effective cash management system and for controlling expenditure within the limits of the approved budget and warrant allocation in respect of the Ministry’s Recurrent and Capital A and B heads. 

Key Responsibilities

Technical/Professional: 

• Participates in the allocation of carry-on warrant based on inescapable expenditure participates in the allocation of the approved budget in accordance with initial commitment plans; 
• Maintains a detailed commitment control register in two parts to indicate the funds available under the plan of priorities, the payment made, the un-discharged commitment and the balance available on the voted provisions and on the warrants; 
• Blocks figures to various activities as required; 
• Examines commitment requisition from programme managers against available cash and commitment planning and enters in registers if commitment is in order. If otherwise return to source stating reason(s) for non-acceptance; 
• Enters discharge when payment of commitments are processed and posts all expenditure vouchers to register, providing progressive balances under the Financial Management Information System; 
• Submits monthly or weekly analytical reports to the relevant officers to enable the review of un-discharged commitment (including unpaid bills) against the warrant issued to date and against likely future warrant releases based on the pattern of releases to date;
• Return of funds; 
• Advises the Director of budget off-track situations and recommends where virement can be exercised; 
• Alerts the Director of imminent excesses on voted provisions; 
• Periodically reviews initial commitment plans and adjusts to reflect the changing pattern in the level of funds released through warrant; 
• Prepares monthly and quarterly statement for submission to the Ministry of Finance and Planning and the Director, Budget and Commitment Control. 
• Assist in the commitment planning process and in the determination and classification of commitments according to the following categories such as, inescapable, priority and other;
• Assists the Directors of Management and Financial Accounts in the planning and utilization of available cash based on the level and categories of outstanding commitments;
• Advises the Director of Management Accounts of slow moving activities and projects from which funds can be vired to satisfy the need of activities/projects that are urgently in needs of funds; 
• Receives commitment requisition from Programme Managers; 
• Ensures the proper maintenance of the Commitment Control Register for the ministry’s Recurrent, Capital A and B heads by ensuring that warrant allocations and commitments are posted correctly and promptly; 
• Submits monthly report to the Director of Management Accounts on the position un discharged commitments; 
• Posts commitments, warrant allocation and other Journals on the FINMAN for all Heads of Estimates; 
• Checks the monthly departmental status reports and monthly reports for undischarged commitments prior to submission to Director of Management Accounts; 
• Other such duties and responsibilities assigned from time to time. 

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Competencies

Core 

• Good interpersonal and people management skills; 
• Excellent oral and written communication skills; 
• Good customer relations skills; 
• Sound integrity/ethics exercised in the performance of duties. 

Functional 

• Excellent technical skills; 
• Excellent planning and organizing skills; 
• Skilled in operating a computerized accounting system

Minimum Required Qualification and Experience

• AAT Level 2; or 
• ACCA-CAT Level B/Level 2; or 
• NVQJ Level 2, Accounting; or 
• Certificate in Accounting from an accredited University; or 
• Completion of second year of the BSc. Degree in Accounting/Management Studies with Accounting or BBA Degree at an accredited University; or 
• ASc. Degree in Business Studies/Business Administration/Management Studies; or
• ASc. Degree in Accounting from the Management Institute for National Development (MIND); or 
• Certificate in Government Accounting Level 2.

Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.