Finance & Administration Officer - Foundation Uganda Support Centre

About the Organisation

The Cotton On Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Cotton On Group and works to create a future where every young person has the chance to succeed. Since 2007, support from the team and customers has helped raise more than $200 million. The Foundation delivers programs around the world focused on three core areas: holistic education, mental health, and the environment.

This opportunity sits within the Cotton On Group Foundation and is based in Uganda.

Role Overview

The Finance & Administration Officer will support country programs in Cotton On Foundation Uganda by ensuring that financial operations, administration, and reporting are handled in line with legal requirements, sound accounting practices, and the organisation’s ethical standards. The role requires close attention to financial compliance, internal procedures, and project implementation support, with a practical, hands-on approach to day-to-day operations.

The position contributes directly to projects that aim to improve lives and support communities, while helping ensure that all financial and administrative activity is properly controlled and documented.

Benefits

• Working week runs from Monday to Friday.
• Opportunity to build a career across local and global roles within the group’s seven brands.
• 24/7 wellbeing assistance covering mental health, relationships, family matters, and more.
• Paid parental leave to support employees returning to work after becoming parents.

Key Responsibilities

• Maintain accurate bookkeeping records, ensuring all financial documents are fully supported, approved, coded, and filed correctly.
• Keep cheque books, cheque lists, petty cash records, LPOs, and budget approval sign-offs up to date and properly managed.
• Prepare and update the monthly cashbook in Excel to track cash and bank balances.
• Use the Great Plains system to enter transactions accurately and generate required reports.
• Prepare cheques for payment against the relevant vouchers and mark vouchers and supporting papers as paid in line with Uganda financial procedures.
• File payment vouchers in numerical order with correct coding, complete backup documents, and accurate records.
• Maintain a cheque disbursement register showing all cheque issuances.
• Verify payroll processing, including timely payment of PAYE, LST, and NSSF statutory deductions.
• Ensure the organisation complies with taxation, returns, fees, and other statutory financial obligations.
• Offer financial guidance to staff and partners when required.
• Keep a well-organised physical and digital archive of financial records dating back to July 2014 in a secure location.
• Check that financial and procurement approvals are in place and documented so the Finance and Administration Manager can confirm expenditure is within budget.
• Support smooth operations by monitoring daily transactions and flagging issues that require attention.
• Prepare petty cash replenishment requests and ensure sufficient cash availability.
• Reconcile petty cash and supervise the Administration Assistant in managing petty cash.
• Maintain a petty cash ledger showing all fund movements.
• Prepare and consolidate the monthly cash forecast for COF Uganda.
• Update the manual cashbook at the start and end of each business day.
• Process advance payments for travel allowances, per diem, and travel advances.
• Manage banking, balances, foreign exchange, cash flow, and monthly bank reconciliations efficiently and on time.
• Deduct employee and employer NSSF contributions and remit them accordingly.
• Transfer staff salaries to the correct bank accounts.
• Ensure timesheets are completed accurately and submitted on time for payroll processing.
• Assist the Finance and Administration Manager with preparations for internal and external audits.
• Support collaboration with auditors to help achieve a successful audit outcome.
• Prepare timely financial reports, including annual financial statements for review by the Finance and Administration Manager.
• Produce monthly budget-versus-actual expenditure reports for management review.
• Review financial statements and reports from partner organisations and join physical verification exercises when needed.
• Support annual and quarterly budgeting and reporting for Cotton On Foundation Uganda.
• Assist the Finance & Admin Manager with all finance- and budget-related tasks.
• Help ensure program outputs and deliverables are achieved on time, within budget, and with low fiduciary risk.
• Keep administrative, information, and communication systems functional and current.
• Oversee the organisation’s physical assets.
• Supervise the Administration Assistant and Office Attendant.
• Carry out any additional tasks assigned by the Finance and Administration Manager.

Additional Information

The role is aligned to the organisation’s compliance objectives, which require working within applicable laws, governance rules, regulations, and organisational agreements, while maintaining a duty of care and full accountability. The target is 100% compliance.

Cotton On is a global fashion and lifestyle retailer with a diverse workforce and a strong emphasis on inclusion. The organisation encourages people from all backgrounds to apply and offers support for candidates who may need assistance to fully participate in the recruitment process.

About the Group

The Cotton On Group is an Australian-founded global retailer with seven brands, operations across 19 countries, and around 1,500 stores. The wider business is powered by approximately 20,000 team members and focuses on making a positive difference in people’s lives. The founding Cotton On brand has become a global fashion destination with more than 600 stores worldwide, offering womenswear, menswear, and accessories.