Financial Assistant

To be considered eligible to take part in this selection procedure, on the closing date for the submission of applications candidates must satisfy all the eligibility criteria as specified below:

• be a national of a Member State participating in the Agency;
• be entitled to his/her full rights as a citizen;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed on him/her by the laws concerning military service;
• produce the appropriate character references as to his/her suitability for the performance of his/her duties (extract from the “judicial record” or certificate of good conduct will be requested prior to recruitment);
• be physically fit to perform his/her duties;
• have a thorough knowledge (minimum level C1 oral and written) of one of the languages of the participating Member States and a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2 oral and written) of another of these languages to the extent necessary to discharge his/her duties;
• have no personal interest (financial, family relationship, or other) which could be in conflict with disinterested discharge of his/her duties within the Agency;
• hold, or be in a position to obtain, a valid Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (national or EU PSC at SECRET UE/EU SECRET level). Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (PSCC) means a certificate issued by a competent authority establishing that an individual is security cleared and holds a valid national or EU PSC, and which shows the level of EUCI to which that individual may be granted access (SECRET UE/EU SECRET), the date of validity of the relevant PSC and the date of expiry of the certificate itself. Note that the necessary procedure for obtaining a PSCC can be initiated on request of the employer only, and not by the individual candidate;
• have a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma; or a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education, and appropriate professional experience of at least three years; or, where justified in the interests of the service, professional training or professional experience of an equivalent level.

Only diplomas that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are the subject of equivalence certificates issued by the authorities in the said Member States shall be taken into consideration. In the latter case, the authority authorised to conclude contracts of employment reserves the right to request proof of such equivalence.

For diplomas awarded in non-EU countries, a NARIC recognition is required: https://www.enic-naric.net/

Qualifications/diplomas awarded until 31/12/2020 in the United Kingdom are accepted without further recognition. For diplomas awarded after this date (from 01/01/2021), a NARIC recognition is required.

It should be noted that due to the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union on 31/01/2020, candidates from the United Kingdom who do not hold the nationality of another participating EU Member State, are not eligible.

For native English speakers, your ability to communicate in another EU language will be tested during the selection process. To assess your foreign language levels, see: https://europa.eu/europass/en/common-european-framework-reference-langu…

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

(1) Professional

Candidates will be required to demonstrate the following qualifications:

• a university degree in finance or business administration or other relevant domain;
• at least two (2) years of professional experience directly relevant to the tasks described under section "4. DUTIES", preferably in a multinational work environment;
• proven hands-on experience in the processing of financial transactions in financial systems;
• very good administrative skills and ability to work accurately under tight deadlines;
• very good working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications;
• very good knowledge of written and spoken English.

(2) Personal

All staff must be able to fit into the Agency's way of working (see para. 2). Other attributes important for this post include:

• ability to work in a team and independently in their area of responsibility;
• strong motivation and willingness to perform general administrative duties;
• ability to work effectively in a multinational environment;
• excellent organisational skills;
• strong analytic and problem-solving skills;
• result-oriented;
• flexibility, tact and pleasing disposition, with a strong sense of duty and responsibility;
• very good interpersonal and customer service skills;
• ability to adapt to a quickly changing working environment;
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.

Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• knowledge and experience with the use of ABAC Workflow;
• certified training or official qualification in business finance or accounting;
• professional experience in a similar role in an EU Agency or Institution.

We are looking for a motivated and competent Financial Assistant.

Under the supervision of the Head of Finance, the jobholder will be responsible for/contribute to the following activities:

• prepare and initiate budgetary commitments, as well as recoveries in the dedicated financial systems, namely ABAC and MS Dynamics AX;
• register and initiate invoices and payments in the dedicated financial systems, namely ABAC and MS Dynamics AX;
• process and initiate cost claims and requests for reimbursement, including analysing and reviewing supporting documents for compliance with policies and rules;
• register and initiate legal entity and bank account records in the above financial systems, including verification of supporting documentation;
• initiate and actively monitor progress of financial workflows in the digital workflow system;
• provide general administrative support, including document archiving, drafting and formatting of financial documents, communication and reports;
• contribute to the documentation of financial processes and procedures of the Agency;
• provide support and guidance to Agency’s staff on day-to-day financial matters;
• provide support on budgetary & accounting closing and reporting tasks;
• take on other tasks as deemed necessary in the interest of the service.

Duties may evolve according to development of the EDA’s structure and activities, and the decisions of EDA management.

Candidates must submit their application electronically solely via the EDA website. Applications by any other means (hard copy or ordinary e-mail) will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted no later than midnight. Candidates are reminded that the on-line application system will not accept applications after midnight (Brussels time, GMT+1) on the date of the deadline.

When applying, candidates from Ministries of Defence or other governmental entities are encouraged to inform their national administration.

A selection panel will be appointed. Please note that the selection panel's internal proceedings are strictly confidential and that any contact with its members is forbidden.

Each application will be screened based on the requirements of the job profile stated in the vacancy notice. The most suitable applicants will be called for an interview and a written test. Candidates may also be requested to take part in an assessment centre, participating in a number of individual and group activities related to the competences required for the post.

If recruited, you will be requested to supply documentary evidence in support of the statements that you make for this application. Do not send any supporting or supplementary information until you have been asked to do so by the Agency.

Please note that once you have created your EDA profile, any correspondence regarding your application must be sent or received via your EDA profile. For any prior enquiry, please refer to the FAQ (Frequently asked questions) section, or send an e-mail to recruitmenteda [dot] europa [dot] eu (recruitment[at]eda[dot]europa[dot]eu).

The Financial Assistant will be appointed by the Chief Executive.

Recruitment will be as a member of the contractual staff of the Agency for a four-year period. Renewal is possible within the limits set out in the EDA Staff Regulations. The successful candidate will be recruited as Contract Agent, Function Group III.

The pay for this position consists of a basic salary of 3.204,55€ supplemented with various allowances, including as applicable expatriation or family allowances. The successful candidate will be graded on entry into service according to the length of his/her professional experience. Salaries are exempted from national tax, instead an Agency tax at source is paid. For further information on working conditions please refer to: https://eda.europa.eu/jobs/what-we-offer

Failure to obtain the requisite security clearance certificate before the expiration of the probationary period may be cause for termination of the contract.

Candidates are advised that part of the recruitment process includes medical analyses and physical check-up with the Agency’s Medical Adviser.

Applications are invited with a view to establish a reserve list for the post of Financial Assistant at EDA. This list will be valid until 31/12/2025, and may be extended by decision of the Chief Executive. During the validity of the reserve list, successful candidates may be offered a post in EDA according to their competences in relation to the specific requirements of the vacant post. Inclusion on the reserve list does not imply any entitlement of employment in the Agency.