Budget Assistant
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Location:
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Salary:negotiable
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Job type:Full-time
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Posted:3 weeks ago
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Category:Budget and Accounting, Finance
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Deadline:16/04/2023
JOB DESCRIPTION
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SUMMARY
Office of Financial Control (OFC) is responsible for the management and implementation of financial and budgetary control systems for several NATO entities, primarily the Civil Budget. As the custodian of Member Nations’ funds, the OFC provides reliable and value adding financial and procurement services in support of front-line Divisions, enabling them to achieve their objectives. It works to comply with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and other best practices, including the management of enterprise risk.
The OFC is responsible for financial operations and reporting for the: NATO-IS; NATO-wide pension funds and related funds (currently: Defined Benefit Pension Scheme, Defined Contribution Pension Scheme (DCPS) and Retirees Medical Claims Fund (RMCF)); bodies and projects located at NATO Headquarters (HQ) (currently NATO Naval Forces Sensors and Weapons Accuracy Check Site (FORACS), Munitions Safety Information Analysis Centre (MSIAC)); Extra-Budgetary and Trust Funds; and bilateral arrangements, including the Tax Reimbursement Agreement with the United States (U.S.). The NATO-IS budget includes Brussels Headquarters operations as well as NATO Satellite Offices (NASOs).
Standards applicable to NATO in the finance and procurement areas include the NATO Financial Regulations (NFRs), the NATO-IS Financial Rules and Procedures (FRPs), the IPSAS, the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations (CPRs), and the NATO Code of Conduct. NATO IS uses COSO as the reference framework for internal control systems.
NATO (HQ) uses an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution to support the management of resources and daily staff operational activities. The scope of the solution includes financial management (budget and accounting functions), human resources management, procurement, cash management, facilities management and general support functions (e.g. asset management). The Budget, Planning and Analysis (BPA) Section uses also budget planning system Hyperion and Excel Smartview add-in.
The incumbent is responsible for providing administrative, financial, budgetary and operational performance related support to BPA. S/he is accountable for efficiently handling a wide range of support duties of an administrative, budgetary and performance related nature. S/he assists in preparing detailed budgetary and operational performance measurement documents and reports. S/he supports the BPA Officers in their contribution to the development of policies, procedures and plans related to HR, financial, budgetary and OBB related matters.
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QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL
The incumbent must
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have a good general education at least to higher secondary level, preferably complemented with a certificate from an establishment of recognised standing or an equivalent qualification;
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possess at least four years of relevant professional experience;
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have strong computer skills, including the use of budgetary and data management tools for the creation and use of databases and spreadsheets (and especially a detailed knowledge of Excel);
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possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; II (“Elementary”) in the other;
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be willing and flexible to work outside normal office hours, as needed.
DESIRABLE
The following would be considered an advantage:
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a degree in finance, economics or public administration;
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a couple of years’ experience of data management in general;
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previous experience in SharePoint content administration;
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project management experience of small or medium projects;
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budgetary experience in the public sector or in an International Organisation; and,
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experience with an OBB methodology.
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MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES
Financial Management
In collaboration with the BPA team, budget holders and customers, contribute to establishing effective solutions to budgetary, financial, analytical and operational performance measurement issues. Participate in analytical exercises within BPA on all topics.
Knowledge Management
Assist and support the screening, analysis and consolidation of budgetary and operational performance measurement proposals and information received from Divisions and Independent Offices. Provide support in establishing planning scenarios and produce performance related data and information on a recurring and ad hoc basis. Format and assist in the production of HR, financial, budgetary and operational performance measurement related documents in a structured, accurate, clear and transparent way. Perform data analytics tasks in support of assigned tasks.
Information Management
Collect, categorise, and track relevant information required for various tasks and projects. Maintain well-structured paper and electronic filing systems, including using a SharePoint portal. Ensure document and version control on documents produced at project and programme levels and archive old versions. Type and format all kinds of documents, including tables of figures requiring careful presentation using the standard software packages used by NATO (Word, Excel and PowerPoint) and the ERP System. Take minutes at meetings as necessary.
Organisational Efficiencies
Provide constructive suggestions to improve office procedures. Find ways to be faster, better and more effective in managing information and using office tools, with an emphasis on collaborative work applications and tools.
Project Management
Under the supervision of the Section Head and Section Officers, assist in the further development of the OBB framework for the International Staff and the Civil Budget, including its Operational Performance Measurement system. Apply internal cost and budgetary controls and participate actively in the further development of the ERP and its budget planning system (currently Hyperion).
Expertise Development
Liaise with other colleagues to leverage knowledge. Proactively develop skills in areas such as planning and organising, new technology, languages, effective communication and in particular, Office and data analytics software (currently Tableau).
Planning and Execution
Organise own activities and possibly activities of others to accomplish tasks.
Stakeholder Management
Support the whole BPA team in the collaboration with Divisions and/or Independent Offices, national delegations, military representations, partner nations and other NATO entities to ensure that all parties adhere to set procedures and regulations. Communicate data in a clear and concise manner to interested parties ensuring customer needs and organizational requirements are covered. Liaise with points of contact to ensure efficiency in daily management of workload and processes. Be the point of contact for initial requests for information and assistance. Build a network of key contacts across the Organization and maintain all lists of internal and external contacts.
4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS
The incumbent reports to the Head of BPA. S/he will liaise with all International Staff services, senior management and leadership, with national delegations, military representations, partner nations and other NATO entities as needed. The incumbent will be part of a small team and work in close cooperation with all its members.
Direct reports: N/a
Indirect reports: N/a.
5. COMPETENCIES
The incumbent must demonstrate:
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Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work;
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Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibility for correcting problems;
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Empathy: Listens actively;
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Flexibility: Acts with flexibility;
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Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
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Organisational Awareness: Understands the Organization’s structure; and,
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Teamwork: Expresses positive attitudes and expectations of team or team members.
6. CONTRACT
Contract to be offered to the successful applicant (if non-seconded): Definite duration contract of three years’ duration; possibility of an indefinite duration contract thereafter.
Contract clause applicable:
In accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations, the successful candidate will receive a definite duration contract of three years, which may be followed by an indefinite duration contract.
In accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations, the successful candidate will receive a definite duration contract of three years, which may be followed by an indefinite duration contract.
If the successful applicant is seconded from the national administration of one of NATO’s member States, a 3-year definite duration contract will be offered, which may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years subject to the agreement of the national authority concerned. The maximum period of service in the post as a seconded staff member is six years.
Serving staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Régulations.
NOTE: Irrespective of previous qualifications and experience, candidates for twin-graded posts will be appointed at the lower grade. Advancement to the higher grade is not automatic, and will not normally take place during the first three years of service in the post.
Under specific circumstances, serving staff members may be appointed directly to the higher grade, and a period of three years might be reduced by up to twenty four months for external candidates. These circumstances are described in the IS directive on twin-graded posts.
7. RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of NATO member countries. Applications must be submitted using e-recruitment system, as applicable:
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For NATO civilian staff members only: please apply via the internal recruitment portal (link);
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For all other applications: www.nato.int/recruitment
Please note that at the time of the interviews, candidates will be asked to provide evidence of their education and professional experience as relevant for this vacancy.
Appointment will be subject to receipt of a security clearance (provided by the national Authorities of the selected candidate) and approval of the candidate’s medical file by the NATO Medical Adviser.
More information about the recruitment process and conditions of employment, can be found at our website (http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/recruit-hq-e.htm).
8. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
NATO is committed to diversity and inclusion, and strives to provide equal access to employment, advancement and retention, independent of gender, age, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, cultural background, sexual orientation, and disability. NATO welcomes applications of nationals from all member Nations, and strongly encourages women to apply.
Building Integrity is a key element of NATO’s core tasks. As an employer, NATO values commitment to the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability in accordance with international norms and practices established for the defence and related security sector. Selected candidates are expected to be role models of integrity, and to promote good governance through ongoing efforts in their work.
Due to the broad interest in NATO and the large number of potential candidates, telephone or e-mail enquiries cannot be dealt with.
Applicants who are not successful in this competition may be offered an appointment to another post of a similar nature, albeit at the same or a lower grade, provided they meet the necessary requirements.
The nature of this position may require the staff member at times to be called upon to travel for work and/or to work outside normal office hours.
The organization offers several work-life policies including Teleworking and Flexible Working arrangements (Flexitime) subject to business requirements.
Please note that the International Staff at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium is a non-smoking environment.
For information about the NATO Single Salary Scale (Grading, Allowances, etc.) please visit our website. Detailed data is available under the Salary and Benefits tab.
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