Admin/Finance Officer

About the Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University:

The Afghanistan Centre at Kabul University is the premier research institution and archive on Afghanistan in the region, with the most extensive collection of primary resources available in print and digital formats. The mission of ACKU is to promote literacy, facilitate scholarly work, and provide academic research training through its archive, digital library, and outreach and research programs.

ACKU was initially known as the ACBAR Resource & Information Center (ARIC). The concept was envisioned by Louis Dupree and Nancy Hatch Dupree, two of the foremost experts on Afghanistan's history and culture. After the death of Louis in 1989, Nancy continued to work for the protection of cultural heritage through ARIC and later ACKU with a motto of “nation building through information sharing.”

Programs

The Library/Digital Resources

The ACKU library holds an extensive collection of documents on Afghanistan collected from various sources. Currently, it has more than 170,000 documents in Farsi, Pashto, English, and some other local and European languages. Its collection comprises monographs, posters, newspapers, slides, CDs, fact sheets, music recordings, periodicals, and magazines stretching back decades. The primary activities of the ACKU library include acquiring, cataloging, and digitizing the documents and making these accessible to local and international users through user-friendly online databases.

ACKU Box Library Extension

The mission of ABLE is to improve literacy among children and adults by promoting a culture of reading through easy-to-read books and educational material that is locally written and published. Since 1996, ABLE has established 277 libraries in communities across all 34 provinces. These libraries have over 200,000 annual users. ABLE has published 419 books in Farsi, Pashto, and recently in Uzbeki, on a variety of subjects based on user suggestions, of which over 50 titles are for young readers.

Research

ACKU promotes and supports a strong research environment in Afghanistan by training local scholars in research methodology, critical analysis, and academic writing. University students and faculty members are the main beneficiaries of the research courses. An academic research project on the issue of migration was completed at ACKU in collaboration with the City, University of London, in late 2018. In addition, ACKU organizes various events, such as seminars, conferences, and workshops, and hosts sponsored events from partner institutions on its premises. Through this, ACKU aims to provide a platform for Afghan and international scholars to interact and exchange ideas.

Overall Responsibilities

The Admin/Finance officer oversees all financial and administrative activities and ensures compliance with ACKU’s accounting, procurement, reporting requirements, and donor regulations. The Admin/Finance officer reports to the ACKU Program Manager and Executive Director.

Key Responsibilities

Finance:

• • Manage day-to-day accounting functions, including regular cash verification, bank account and balance sheet reconciliations, monthly closing, and timely submission of financial reports to the ACKU management, donors, etc.
  • Ensure expenses are incurred/charged to different donors/grants according to the approved budget(s) and compliance requirements are met per grant agreement and guidelines.
  • Complete monthly balance sheet and budget monitoring reports as per donor requirements.

Reporting and Budgeting:

• • Monthly closing, timely submission of financial report to ACKU management, donors, etc.
  • Ensure on-time monthly submission to ACKU management of all reports.
  • Prepare timely budgets, cash requests for donors, and accounting reports.
  • Monitor grant spending and projections.
  • Assist in the preparation of budgets for all proposals and develop clear and concise narratives.
  • Provide regular and timely budget reports and analysis to the Director and the Program Manager.
  • Liaise with donors on finance and budget issues as required.
  • Preparation and submission of the bi-annual reports to the Ministry of Economy.
  • Preparation and submission of the ACKU Annual Tax return to the Ministry of Finance and follow-up for tax clearances.
  • Follow up for Staff TIN and their salary taxes.
  • Follow up for submission of salary tax and contractual taxes.
  • Review all outgoing budget requests for conformance with all donor requirements as well as all internal policies and procedures.
  • Ensure that all costs are accounted for and recovered to the maximum extent possible in conformance with the donor guidelines.

Staff Management:

• • Supervise staff in the Finance Department. This includes ensuring they are properly trained and know their performance expectations.
  • Carry out staff appraisals for finance staff.
  • Organize and lead orientation and training sessions related to finance.

Audit and Internal Control:

• • Implement and administer ACKU systems for internal control, compliance, accounting data-processing, and financial reporting functions under donor regulations.
  • Develop an internal audit function and perform internal audits and reviews to ensure compliance with the ACKU and donor requirements.

Administration:

• • Manage day-to-day administrative functions, including procurement and transportation. Enforce the policies and procedures of the organization. Make sure that procurements are done in compliance with the set policies and procedures.
  • Manage and maintain updated inventories.
  • Regular follow-up of the ACKU building maintenance

Procurement:

• • Ensure appropriate policies and procedures are followed during procurements.
  • Manage and maintain the inventory ledger and make sure that donors’ guidelines are followed in this regard.
  • Engage as the procurement committee member for all of the ACKU bids.

Liaison and Compliance:

• • Liaise with different government offices and ensure that ACKU’s policy and procedures comply with the Afghan government’s laws. 
  • Assist the Director and Program Manager with Admin, Finance, and other related issues.

Human Resource:

• • Follow up with the ACKU HR officer for his/her daily activities.
  • Check monthly timesheets and attendance sheets.
  • Get regular follow-up on the staff leave record with the HR staff.

Other Responsibilities

• • Maintain an up-to-date, accurate accounting system, including computer data entry and paper file system.
  • Ensure local taxation law and any other legal requirements are fully complied with.
  • Other appropriate duties as assigned by the Director and the Program Manager.

• This position requires a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration (BBA). Candidates with an MBA, ACCA, and CPA certificates are preferred.
• Strong knowledge of accounting software (QuickBooks).
• At least 5 years of working experience in a non-profit organization in a similar capacity.
• Fluent in English, Dari, and Pashto.
• Strong problem-solving and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions based on accurate and timely analysis.

Interested individuals in Afghanistan are invited to submit their CVs and cover letters outlining their interest and suitability for the position.

The email's subject line should include the position title and vacancy number (Admin/Finance Officer ACKU-VA#2026002).