Job description: Accountant in Malawi
Duties, requirements, interview questions and a template ready for you to advertise your vacancy today.
Role summary
An accountant records the transactions of the business, reconciles its accounts and turns the figures into financial statements that owners and lenders can rely on. The role keeps tax returns accurate and on time, protects the company from penalties and shows where cash is being made or lost. In a small business the accountant is often the only person who sees the whole financial picture.
Main duties
- Record sales, purchases, expenses and journal entries in the accounting system on a daily basis
- Reconcile bank accounts, supplier statements and customer balances every month and clear the differences
- Prepare the month-end close, including accruals, prepayments, depreciation and stock adjustments
- Produce the income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement for management review
- Calculate and file indirect tax, income tax and withholding returns within the statutory deadlines
- Review payroll figures and post salaries, deductions and employer contributions to the ledger
- Maintain the fixed asset register and support the periodic stock count with valuation checks
- Prepare schedules and supporting documents for external auditors and respond to their queries
- Monitor cash flow weekly and warn management early about shortfalls or overdue receivables
Typical requirements
- Degree or diploma in accounting, finance or a related field
- Professional accounting qualification, or progress towards one, and registration with the professional body where the country requires it
- Two or more years of experience handling a full set of books up to financial statements
- Working knowledge of accounting software and advanced Excel, including pivot tables and lookups
- Up-to-date knowledge of local tax rules and of the applicable accounting standards such as IFRS
- Availability to work extended hours during month-end, year-end and tax filing periods
Key skills
Vacancy template ready to copy
Replace the fields in square brackets with your company details.
Accountant — [Company name]
At [Company name] we are looking for an accountant to take ownership of our books at our office in [City]. The role covers day-to-day bookkeeping, month-end close, tax returns and management reports, working directly with the owners and with our external auditors.
Responsibilities
- Record sales, purchases, expenses and journal entries in the accounting system on a daily basis
- Reconcile bank accounts, supplier statements and customer balances every month and clear the differences
- Prepare the month-end close, including accruals, prepayments, depreciation and stock adjustments
- Produce the income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement for management review
- Calculate and file indirect tax, income tax and withholding returns within the statutory deadlines
- Review payroll figures and post salaries, deductions and employer contributions to the ledger
- Maintain the fixed asset register and support the periodic stock count with valuation checks
- Prepare schedules and supporting documents for external auditors and respond to their queries
- Monitor cash flow weekly and warn management early about shortfalls or overdue receivables
Requirements
- Degree or diploma in accounting, finance or a related field
- Professional accounting qualification, or progress towards one, and registration with the professional body where the country requires it
- Two or more years of experience handling a full set of books up to financial statements
- Working knowledge of accounting software and advanced Excel, including pivot tables and lookups
- Up-to-date knowledge of local tax rules and of the applicable accounting standards such as IFRS
- Availability to work extended hours during month-end, year-end and tax filing periods
What we offer
- Salary: [Salary]
- Benefits: [Benefits]
- Location: [City]
Interested in this vacancy? Apply today.
How to hire an accountant
Define the scope of the books
State in the advert whether the role closes the accounts alone or supports a senior accountant. A bookkeeper and an accountant who closes the books unaided are different hires, and vague adverts attract both and satisfy neither.
Test with a real reconciliation
A thirty-minute exercise with a bank statement and a ledger extract containing three deliberate errors reveals more than any CV. Strong candidates find the errors and explain how each one arose.
Name the software that is used
Experience with the same accounting package shortens onboarding considerably. Where the system is uncommon, it is better to ask for experience migrating between packages than to demand an exact match.
Verify the professional registration
Where the country requires registration to sign statements or returns, confirm it directly with the professional body before making an offer. A membership number on a CV is not proof of good standing.
Check references on deadlines
Ask previous employers specifically whether month-end closes and tax returns went out on time. Technical knowledge is common; reliable delivery under a statutory deadline is what separates candidates.
Interview questions for accountant roles
Could you walk me through your month-end close, step by step?
What to look for: A clear sequence with reconciliations, accruals and review, and a realistic number of days to close.
How did you handle a bank reconciliation that would not balance?
What to look for: A methodical search by date and amount, not forcing the difference into a suspense account.
What would you do if a director asked you to record a personal expense as a business cost?
What to look for: Professional firmness: explains the tax consequence and proposes the correct treatment without confrontation.
Which accounting systems have you used, and what did you automate in them?
What to look for: Concrete examples such as bank feeds, recurring journals or import templates, not just a list of names.
Could you describe a tax return you prepared and how you checked it before filing?
What to look for: Reconciles the return to the ledger and keeps working papers that somebody else could follow.
How have you prepared for an external audit?
What to look for: Schedules ready in advance, organised supporting documents and a calm attitude to auditor queries.
What would you do on discovering an error in a period that had already been closed and reported?
What to look for: Reports it immediately, quantifies the impact and corrects it transparently instead of hiding it in later months.
How would you explain a fall in gross margin to an owner with no finance background?
What to look for: Plain language, focus on causes such as price, mix or cost, and a suggested action.
Shortlist better with the Saplic ATS
Posting the vacancy is the first step. The Saplic recruitment system organises everything that comes afterwards.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the requirements for an accountant in Malawi?
The most common ones in vacancies are: degree or diploma in accounting, finance or a related field; professional accounting qualification, or progress towards one, and registration with the professional body where the country requires it; two or more years of experience handling a full set of books up to financial statements.
Is it better to hire an in-house accountant or use an external firm?
An external firm suits a business with few transactions that only needs compliance. Once invoicing, payroll and supplier payments happen every day, an in-house accountant repays the salary through faster information and tighter cash control. Many small companies combine both: an in-house accountant for the books and a firm for the annual audit.
What practical test can be given to an accountant candidate?
A short case works best: a trial balance with a few errors, a bank statement to reconcile and one question on the tax treatment of a common transaction. It should take under an hour and be marked on reasoning as well as on the final figures.
How much does it cost to advertise accountant vacancies on Saplic?
Nothing. Posting the vacancy is free and no credit card is required. The recruitment system for organising the people who apply is free as well.