Senior Accountant

Senior Accountant

Mercy Ships is an international charity that brings hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor through state-of-the-art hospital ships. Since 1978, our volunteer crew—made up of medical professionals and skilled workers from over 60 nations—has delivered free surgeries and medical care to over 2.8 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa, transforming lives one patient and one port at a time. Join our global team of over 3,000 volunteers and help us change lives daily.

About this role

The Senior Accountant serves as a core member of the onboard ship Finance team, with a particular focus on process automation, documentation improvements, collaboration across departments, and mentoring ship and onshore teams. This role plays a key part in optimizing communication, operational effectiveness, and system improvements across the fleet.

What you will contribute

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

• Lead efforts to streamline and automate finance processes, enhancing efficiency and accuracy across ship-based and land-based operations.
• Drive continuous improvements in finance processes across the fleet to ensure modern and scalable systems are in place.
• Collaborate with the Mercy Ships International Support Center and each ship to unify fleet-wide financial procedures; ensure consistency across all operations.
• Enhance the onboarding experience for the Finance Team by creating resources that reduce learning curves and ensure quick adoption of best practices.
• Support internal controls by assisting with reviewing, implementing, and testing controls to increase operational effectiveness and risk management.

Training and Capacity Building Responsibilities:

• Share in delivering finance education and training for incoming volunteers, enhancing their technical accounting skills and preparing them for success.
• Identify opportunities for professional development within the team and contribute to upskilling efforts across the organization.

For This Role, You Will Need

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.

• Successful completion of Mercy Ships On Boarding program
• Supportive of Mercy Ships mission and vision and committed to its core values
• Demonstrate initiative and the ability to prioritize tasks, solve problems autonomously, and achieve objectives with minimal supervision
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel (SLOOKUP, IF functions, Pivot tables) required; experience in Microsoft PowerQuery highly beneficial
• Experience in a multi-currency environment (USD, GBP, Euro, etc.); some knowledge of retail sales and inventory is a plus
• At least five years’ experience with Microsoft Office or Google Suite
• Strong verbal and written skills, including experience in articulating and communicating strategies and business plans
• Financial leadership experience preferred, with a demonstrated ability in managing and leading teams in dynamic environments
• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or an equivalent field of study is required
• Minimum three years’ experience as an Accountant

The experience of a lifetime is calling.

More than 1,200 volunteers from over 60 nations serve with Mercy Ships each year.

At Mercy Ships, we are proud to be recognized around the world for the life-changing surgeries and training we deliver. We could not achieve this without our dedicated community of talented volunteers.

Imagine finishing your shift and stepping onto deck as the sun sets—knowing that today you’ve helped transform the lives of those who need it most. Apply now to start a journey that will reshape the lives of those you serve — and your own.