JOB DESCRIPTION

Budget Officer

Budget Officer

Function group/grade

FG IV

Type of contract

Contractual agent

Ref.

FRA-CA-BO-FGIV-2025

Deadline for applications

27/11/2025 13:00

Place of employment

Vienna, AUSTRIA

Contract duration

3 years. The contract may be renewed.

Monthly basic salary

€4,319.72

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) is organising a selection procedure to draw up a reserve list for the profile of Budget Officer (function group FG IV) in the Administration Unit. The selection procedure is published inter-agency and externally.

Background

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) provides independent, evidence-based advice to policy-makers, to help ensure full respect for fundamental rights across the EU, for everyone. To this end, the Agency collects and analyses information and data on a range of fundamental rights issues, provides assistance and expertise to EU institutions and to EU Member States’ governments, raises rights awareness, communicates its findings and strengthens cooperation and ties between fundamental rights actors.

The Administration Unit

The Administration Unit is responsible for supporting the operational work of the Agency, enhancing its ability to function as a best practice, knowledge-based, lean and service-oriented public body. It provides core support services to the Agency, including in the areas of finance, human resources, IT and facilities.

Duties

This Budget Officer is responsible for planning, monitoring and reporting on the annual budget of FRA. They will:

•          ​Support the planning and preparation of the annual and multi-annual budget of FRA, covering administrative and operational expenses;
•      Monitor the consumption of commitment and payment appropriations using the Agency’s financial system and prepare periodic reports comparing budget plans to actual spending;
•          Prepare forecasts and budget scenarios using known and unknown variables and give advice on the implications for budget management and implementation;
•         Support the needs of the Agency with the creation and maintenance of databases or relevant IT tools for budget management, seeking to automate wherever possible;
•          Advise and support management and units on budgetary issues and procedures;
•      Verify and/or initiate, if applicable, budgetary and financial transactions, ensuring compliance with the financial rules and regulations and established procedures;
•          Ensure the carry-over of appropriations;
•          Assist in the development of financial procedures and the of templates and other standard documents;
•          Contribute to drawing up Annual Activity Reports (AAR) and providing information for internal audits and the Court of Auditors;

Provide support to the Accountant in management of the Agency’s accounts and be capable of deputising during periods of absence.

Duties applicable to all staff:

•         Perform any other related duties assigned by the manager.

Eligibility requirements

Only candidates who meet all of the following eligibility criteria by the deadline for submission of applications will be marked as eligible. Candidates who do not meet one or more criteria will not be considered further:

General conditions[1]

•           Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union and be entitled to full rights as a citizen;
•           Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the laws concerning military service;
•           Meet the character requirements as to suitability for the performance of the duties involved[2];
•           Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post[3].

      Education and experience[4]

A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies of at least three years attested by a diploma in one of the following fields: Finance, Accountancy, Economics, or Business/Public Administration.

Language skills

•            Have a thorough knowledge (level C1) of English, as this is the working language of FRA, and
•            Have a satisfactory knowledge (minimum level B2) of another language of the EU.

The levels indicated correspond to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages[5].

Selection criteria

In order to select the best-qualified candidates for the test and interview phase, FRA will assess the following essential and advantageous criteria.

Please note that all essential criteria are mandatory. If a candidate scores zero on any individual essential criterion, their application will not be assessed further.

The following criteria will be considered as essential:

•                      Proven experience of at least 4 years in a budget or financial assistant/management position;
•                     Demonstrated experience in budget reporting and monitoring, including in particular advising stakeholders or management on risks, planning needs and implementation prospects;
•                     Proven experience in report automation and data visualisation, with tools such as Microsoft PowerBI and Power Query;
•                     Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel.

The following criteria will be considered as advantageous:

•                      Sound knowledge of the EU Financial Regulations and budgetary rules and procedures;
•                      Familiarity with ABAC/SUMMA;
•                      Knowledge of Business Objects;
•                      Experience in accounting.

In addition to the essential and advantageous criteria, candidates invited to the interview and test phase will also be assessed behavioural competencies relevant for the position. In particular, the successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate:

•          Strong organisational, time management and work planning skills;
•          An ability to think creatively to solve problems or find solutions within the boundaries of the regulations;
•          Clear communication skills and the ability to present complex information in an accessible way to non-technical audiences;
•          A sense of teamwork, flexibility and adaptability.

Selection criteria

In order to select the best-qualified candidates for the test and interview phase, FRA will assess the following essential and advantageous criteria.

Please note that all essential criteria are mandatory. If a candidate scores zero on any individual essential criterion, their application will not be assessed further.

The following criteria will be considered as essential:

•                      Proven experience of at least 4 years in a budget or financial assistant/management position;
•                     Demonstrated experience in budget reporting and monitoring, including in particular advising stakeholders or management on risks, planning needs and implementation prospects;
•                     Proven experience in report automation and data visualisation, with tools such as Microsoft PowerBI and Power Query;
•                     Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel.

The following criteria will be considered as advantageous:

•                      Sound knowledge of the EU Financial Regulations and budgetary rules and procedures;
•                      Familiarity with ABAC/SUMMA;
•                      Knowledge of Business Objects;
•                      Experience in accounting.

In addition to the essential and advantageous criteria, candidates invited to the interview and test phase will also be assessed behavioural competencies relevant for the position. In particular, the successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate:

•          Strong organisational, time management and work planning skills;
•          An ability to think creatively to solve problems or find solutions within the boundaries of the regulations;
•          Clear communication skills and the ability to present complex information in an accessible way to non-technical audiences;
•          A sense of teamwork, flexibility and adaptability.

Engagement and conditions of employment

A contract as a member of the contract staff will be offered pursuant to Article 3(a) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union for a period of 3 years. The contract may be renewed.

The successful candidate will be recruited in grade FG IV. The basic monthly salary for the grade FG IV ranges from €4,319.72 (grade 13) to €6,256.88 (grade 16) depending on the number of years of professional experience.

In addition to the basic salary, staff members may be entitled to various allowances, in particular a household allowance, expatriation allowance (16% of basic salary + household allowance), dependent child allowance and education allowance. The salary is subject to a Union tax deducted at source and it is exempt from national taxation.

FRA also offers a comprehensive welfare package including pension scheme, medical, accident and occupational disease insurance coverage, unemployment and invalidity allowance and travel insurance.

Moreover, FRA offers support for international schooling and has policies on teleworking and flexitime in its attempt to reconcile work and private life.

Under certain circumstances, in particular where staff members are obliged to change their place of residence in order to take up employment, the Agency may also reimburse various expenses incurred on recruitment, notably removal expenses.

Additional information can be obtained from the website of the European Commission.

For any further information on the contractual and working conditions please refer to the Staff Regulations of Officials of the European Union and the Conditions of Employment of other Servants.

Submission of applications and deadline

Candidates are requested to submit their application electronically through the Agency’s website. Only online completed applications submitted in English via the e-recruitment system will be accepted. 

Applications must be sent no later than 27 November 2025 at 13:00 CET (Central European Time).

Information concerning the status of the selection procedure can be found on our website.

In case you experience technical problems during your application please contact [email protected].

Please note that due to the large number of applications we receive, the system may face problems in processing data when reaching the deadline for submission of applications. We therefore advise to apply well ahead of the deadline.