Financial Officer

The European Defence Agency (EDA) was established on 12 July 2004, and is governed by Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/1835 defining the statute, seat and operational rules of the European Defence Agency. The Agency has its headquarters in Brussels.

The main task of EDA is to support the Council and the Member States in their effort to improve the Union's defence capabilities in the field of crisis management and to sustain the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) as it currently stands and as it develops in the future.

The Agency is structured into four directorates. The Corporate Services Directorate (CSD) and three operational directorates: Industry, Synergies and Enablers (ISE); Capability, Armament & Planning (CAP); Research, Technology and Innovation (RTI).

The Agency is an “outward-facing” organisation, constantly interacting with its shareholders, the participating Member States, as well as with a wide range of stakeholders. It works in an integrated way, with multi-disciplinary teams representing all of the Agency’s functional areas, to realise its objectives. Its business processes are flexible and oriented towards achieving results. Staff at all levels need to demonstrate the corresponding qualities of commitment, flexibility, innovation, and team-working; to work effectively with shareholders and stakeholder groups, formal and informal; and to operate without the need for detailed direction.

We are looking for a dynamic hands-on finance professional with a track record in managing the financial aspects related to the implementation of the Agency’s general budget and the processing of related financial transactions. In addition, the successful candidate will act as an expert reference point on day-to-day financial operations to staff members and budget holders for the Agency’s general budget matters. Solution-orientation and service-mindedness are a must.

Under the supervision of the Head of Finance Unit, the jobholder will be responsible for administrative and financial tasks related to the preparation and implementation of the Agency’s general budget consisting of an administrative component (personnel & functioning costs) and an operational component, and provide support and assistance in the execution of all financial transactions related to the Agency’s general budget domain. In particular, the main duties are:

• prepare, review & manage all financial aspects related to the establishment and implementation of provisional commitments and budgetary commitments related to specific contracts;
  
• initiate and/or verify resulting financial transactions (adjustments, payments, recovery orders, de-commitments, etc.) in the Agency’s systems, ensuring that transactions are financially and procedurally correct, including assurance of completeness & correctness of supporting documentation;
  
• verify compliance of financial transactions and sound financial management;
  
• support the planning, monitoring and internal/external reporting on financial aspects related to the Agency’s general budget implementation;
  
• ensure proper document management related to all financial transactions and reports;
  
• organising & follow-up of audits, including the preparation of files in the context of internal and external audits;
  
• contribute to the continuous improvement & maintenance of financial systems, processes, policies and procedures, including training material;
  
• advise and provide day-to-day support on financial matters to colleagues;
  
• take on additional tasks as required 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.

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 their full rights as citizens;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed on their by the laws concerning military service;
• produce the appropriate character references as to their suitability for the performance of their duties (extract from the “judicial record” or certificate of good conduct will be requested prior to recruitment);
• be physically fit to perform their 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 their duties;
• have no personal interest (financial, family relationship, or other) which could be in conflict with disinterested discharge of their 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 education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma or be a graduate of a national or international Defence College.

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-language-skills

A. Essential

Only applications meeting all essential selection criteria will be assessed.

(1) Professional

Candidates will be required to demonstrate the following qualifications:

• a University degree (or equivalent academic level degree) in finance, business administration, or other domain relevant to this post;
  
• at least 3 years of relevant professional experience in the last 5 years (acquired after the award of the qualification required as a condition of eligibility), having the aforementioned duties as principal tasks;
  
• solid hands-on experience in the financial management of an organisation’s general budget (administrative, as well as operational budget) and the processing of related financial transactions;
  
• excellent knowledge in applying the EU Financial Regulation, in particular regarding the financial aspects related to EU procurement rules, demonstrated through proven work experience;
  
• a very good command of written and oral 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;
  
• ability to work effectively in a multinational environment;
  
• excellent organisational skills;
  
• result-oriented;
  
• strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
  
• strong motivation to perform general administrative duties;
  
• excellent communication and interpersonal skills;
  
• ability to adapt to a quickly changing working environment;
  
• genuine commitment to the Agency's objectives.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• professional experience as financial initiating agent and/or financial verifying agent on general budget matters (administrative, as well as operational budget) within another EU Agency or EU Institution;
• very good knowledge and experience with the use of ABAC (or SUMMA/SAP) as user or key user;
• work experience in EU grant management in the context of EDF or Horizon Europe;
• further documented training in accountancy or finance.

Selected candidates will be required to make a declaration of commitment to act independently in the Agency’s interest and to make a declaration in relation to interests that might be considered prejudicial to their independence.

EDA, whose staff are governed by its own Staff Regulations, offers specific conditions of employment with regards to contract duration and pension arrangements.

CONTRACT DURATION

The Financial Officer 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 only once for an additional period of 5 years, within the limits set out in the EDA Staff Regulations. The successful candidate will be recruited as Contract Agent, grade FGIV. In line with EDA's Staff Regulations, the Agency does not offer inter-Agency mobility.

FINANCIAL ENTITLEMENTS

The pay for this position consists of a basic salary of 4.319,72€ supplemented with various allowances including, as applicable, expatriation or family allowances. Successful candidates are graded on entry into service according to the length of their professional experience. Salaries are exempted from national tax, instead an Agency tax at source is paid.

PENSION ARRANGEMENTS SPECIFIC TO EDA

Prospective staff members considering a career at the European Defence Agency (EDA) should be aware that EDA has its own pension provisions and is not part of the EU institutions' pension scheme (PSEUI).

In addition, EDA staff have several flexible options regarding their pension contributions at the end of their contract, under certain conditions, such as:

• transfer to a public pension scheme;
• transfer to a private pension scheme;
• direct payment as a severance grant.

For further information on working conditions please refer to: https://eda.europa.eu/jobs/what-we-offer

EDA is an equal opportunities employer and accepts applications without distinction on the grounds of age, race, political, philosophical or religious conviction, sex or sexual orientation and regardless of disabilities, marital status or family situation.

Applications are invited with a view to establish a reserve list for the post of Financial Officer at EDA. This list will be valid until 31/12/2026, 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.

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. 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 [email protected].

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.

EDA will not accept any phase of the selection & recruitment process prepared or assisted, in whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, including and without limitation to chatbots, such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (Chat GPT), or other language generating tools. EDA reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared, in whole or in part, by means of such generative or creative AI tools may be rejected without further consideration at EDA’s sole discretion, and EDA reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.

If recruited, candidates will be requested to supply documentary evidence in support of the statements made in their application. They should not send any supporting or supplementary information until asked to do so by the Agency. Candidates are advised that part of the recruitment process includes medical analyses and physical check-up with the Agency’s Medical Adviser.

Staff members employed at EDA require a Personnel Security Clearance Certificate (PSCC). The process to obtain a PSCC can be initiated only by EDA on behalf of the staff member. Failure to obtain the requisite security clearance certificate before the expiration of the probationary period may be cause for termination of the contract.

Please note that EDA will not return applications to candidates. The personal information EDA requests from candidates will be processed in line with Regulation (EU) N° 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) 45/2001 and Decision No. 1247/2002/EC.

The purpose of processing personal data which candidates submit is to manage applications in view of possible pre-selection and recruitment at EDA. More information on personal data protection in relation to selection and recruitment can be found on the EDA website: http://www.eda.europa.eu/jobs/dataprotection