Finance & Admin Associate – Lusaka

About Fresh Life

Fresh Life is founding partner of The Sanergy Collaborative and an award-winning social enterprise dedicated to transforming urban sanitation in fast growing cities in Africa. Operating in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Eldoret, and Lusaka, Zambia, we provide non-sewered, end-to-end sanitation solutions that ensure urban residents living in informal settlements can access dignified sanitation services.

Our work is aligned to SDG 6 and we partner with the government to develop and deliver safe sanitation and waste management for urban residents. Fresh Life has been operational since 2011, and currently serves 300,000 urban residents daily across 4 cities. We safely remove approx. 20,000T of sanitation waste per year, and mitigate 30,000 tons of CO2 equivalent from being released into the atmosphere.

We have built a diverse team of 400+ professionals committed to making sanitation accessible for all. Our work has been recognized globally by the Bill & Melinda GatesFoundation and Fast Company as one of the world’s most innovative organizations doing social good.

About the role

We are seeking a dynamic and detail-oriented Finance & Admin Associate to join our Zambia team. In this role, you will play a key part in driving financial integrity and operational efficiency across our Zambia operations.

Working closely with our Kenya Finance team, you will be responsible for supporting budget preparation and monitoring, ensuring compliance with internal financial policies and donor regulations. Your role will span cash and asset management, data entry in Odoo, procurement and inventory management, statutory compliance, and logistical coordination.

You will also provide financial insights to support effective project implementation, while overseeing record-keeping, IT support coordination, and other operational functions as needed.

Duties and Responsibilities

Authorization and Documentation

• Ensure all float and petty cash disbursements are properly authorized and fully supported by documentation.

• Collaborate with operational teams to ensure all incurred expenses comply with accounting policies and are backed by relevant documents.

• Follow up with procurement for prepaid accounts to create the bills.

Payment and Billing Preparation

• Prepare bank upload files on payment days and ensure accuracy.

• Process and post vendor bills in the system, confirming that each is supported with proper invoices, ETRs, and/or contracts.

• Record and post daily cash transactions, including matching of receipts to ensure up-to-date accounts receivable (AR).

• Generate ETRs in accordance with the organization’s tax policy.

• Issue customer invoices in coordination with the Customer Support/Sales team

Reconciliation and Review

• Conduct weekly reviews of employee petty cash accounts, follow up on missing receipts, and prepare bills to support account reconciliation.

• Reconcile revenue-related trial balances and prepare required reports, including monthly revenue analysis and toilet register.

• Reconcile Odoo system records with Airtel Money sales transactions.

• Support audit processes by providing reconciliations and required schedules.

Process Evaluation & Continuous Improvement

• Identify root causes of recurring errors and collaborate with team members to implement preventive measures.

• Review and update work instructions regularly in response to process changes or confirmation results.

• Propose improvements to finance forms, templates, and documentation processes as guided by the monthly AP/AR plan.

Tax and Schedule Management

• Maintain and reconcile tax ledgers across the accounting system and the Zambia Tax Online platform.

• Prepare and file statutory returns (ZRA, NAPSA, NHIMA, Workers Compensation), ensuring timely compliance.

• Work closely with the Sales team to gather supporting documentation from past-due customers to facilitate collections.

• Ensure that all organizational registration requirements with relevant authorities remain current and renewed as required.

Procurement, Inventory & Asset Management

• Maintain the fixed asset register and perform regular stock control updates in accounting records.

• Support the procurement process by ensuring proper documentation and inventory tracking.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.

• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience, preferably within the NGO or development sector.

• Strong experience in using financial and ERP systems, including Odoo and comparable accounting software.

• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and Google Workspace (G Suite).

• Mandatory active membership with the Zambia Institute of Chartered Accountants (ZICA).