Group Finance and Payroll Officer

Position Summary

Odunela Group is recruiting a Group Finance and Payroll Officer to provide controlled payroll, bookkeeping and finance-administration services across Group companies and projects. The successful candidate will prepare payroll, maintain finance records, administer invoices and receivables, support reconciliations, monitor expenditure and budgets, and prepare reliable management-finance information.

This role does not carry unrestricted payment authority. The officer must understand and preserve segregation between transaction preparation, approval, payment release, reconciliation and review.

Principal Responsibilities

The Group Finance and Payroll Officer will:

1. prepare monthly payroll schedules from approved employee and attendance information;
2. calculate or record approved salaries, allowances, deductions and other payroll adjustments;
3. maintain payroll working papers, employee deduction records and payroll-control evidence;
4. prepare payroll variance reports and escalate unexplained changes;
5. coordinate payroll approval and maintain evidence of authorised release;
6. support statutory deduction, tax and pension administration under the direction of retained professional advisers;
7. maintain bookkeeping records in ERPNext or other approved finance systems;
8. create and maintain customer invoices from approved supporting information;
9. administer receivables records and follow up overdue balances through approved procedures;
10. prepare supplier-payment schedules without independently approving or releasing payment;
11. verify that invoices are supported by authorised purchase, delivery and approval records;
12. administer employee expenses and approved reimbursements;
13. support bank, supplier, customer and ledger reconciliations;
14. maintain finance-control records, exception logs and correction evidence;
15. support budget preparation and monitor actual expenditure against approved budgets;
16. identify unusual expenditure, duplicate invoices, unsupported transactions and control exceptions;
17. prepare monthly management-finance information for the Group Shared Services Manager and authorised management;
18. coordinate with the external accountant and tax adviser;
19. maintain financial records in accordance with approved retention and access requirements;
20. support intercompany or project cost-allocation records;
21. supervise the finance elements of the Finance and Procurement Administration Apprentice’s work.  

Essential Requirements

Applicants should demonstrate:

1. A degree, diploma, professional training or equivalent practical experience in accounting, finance, payroll, business administration or a related discipline;
2. practical experience in payroll preparation, bookkeeping or finance administration;
3. experience maintaining ledgers, invoices, reconciliations and supporting records;
4. competence with spreadsheets and digital accounting or ERP systems;
5. strong numerical accuracy and attention to detail;
6. understanding of basic internal controls and segregation of duties;
7. ability to identify incomplete or unusual financial transactions;
8. ability to maintain confidential payroll and employee information;
9. reliable written reporting and document management.

Desirable experience

Advantageous experience includes:

1. ERPNext Accounts or another recognised accounting system;
2. Nigerian payroll, PAYE, pension or statutory-deduction administration;
3. accounts receivable;
4. expense and supplier-payment administration;
5. multi-company accounting support;
6. budget monitoring;
7. management reporting;
8. startup or shared-services finance operations.

Personal Qualities

The role requires integrity, accuracy, discretion, numerical discipline, willingness to challenge unsupported payments, accountability for errors and respect for approval boundaries.

Selection Process

Assessment will ordinarily include application review, screening interview, practical payroll and reconciliation exercise, finance-control interview, final interview, references and verification.

Application Requirements

Applicants should submit:

1. A concise cover statement;
2. Current CV detailing within it:
3. an example of a payroll, reconciliation or finance-control process personally administered or improved;
4. the applicant’s contribution and measurable result;
5. contact details for two professional referees.

YOUR APPLICATION WOULD BE REJECTED IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY WITH THIS APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS.

Equal Opportunity Policy

Odunela Group assesses applicants on competence, integrity, evidence, suitability and the approved requirements of the position.

Candidate Privacy

Applicant information will be processed for recruitment, verification and employment-administration purposes in accordance with the candidate privacy information available through the Odunela Group career portal.