The post of Finance Agent will be situated in one of the participating HOME agencies, i.e. CEPOL (Budapest, Hungary), EUAA (Malta), EUDA (Lisbon, Portugal), eu-LISA (Tallinn, Estonia or Strasbourg, France), Europol (The Hague, The Netherlands) or Frontex (Warsaw, Poland).
Purpose of the post:
The incumbent will be responsible for performing a wide range of financial administration tasks in one of the following areas (where applicable): tender & procurement, contracts management, budgetary planning and reporting, non-grant financial administration and/or grant administration within the Agency’s centralised or decentralised entity fulfilling such tasks. The post holder will work with other members of such entity and liaise with other internal and/or external stakeholders of various nature.
This role may also be performed in the framework of projects funded by external assigned revenue.
Reporting lines:
The incumbent will report to a Specialist, Senior Specialist, Head of Sector or Head of Unit, depending on the organisational set-up of the Agency.
Equal opportunity
The EU is an equal opportunity employer. Europol accepts applications without distinction on grounds of gender, sexual orientation, national, ethnic or social origin, religion or beliefs, family situation, age, disability, or other non-merit factors. All employment decisions are based on business needs, job requirements and qualifications, experience and skills.
Europol lives diversity and provides an inclusive work environment to all. Europol strives to recruit, develop and retain a diverse and talented workforce through application of equal opportunity and impartiality.
2. Functions and duties:
The incumbent carries out the following main functions and duties:
- Collect, compile, update and present (financial) data from a variety of sources and prepare inputs for advices, reports, agreements, contracts and/or recommendations;
- Prepare audit processes including compilation of supporting documentation and direct contact with auditors financial and/or administrative matters;
- Prepare advice on applicable processes, policies and procedural mechanisms to ensure compliance with the Agency’s internal control framework, standards, practices, rules and regulations;
- Perform the financial actor role of Initiating Agent within the financial circuit of the Agency, using financial administration software, upon appointment by the Authorising Officer;
- Respond to requests for information and ensure timely and effective completion; process incoming documents and log where necessary; monitor and follow up on pending items, actions and requests;
- Maintain effective communication with internal and external stakeholders;
- Prepare contributions to and co-deliver trainings in the area of responsibility;
- Perform any other duties in the area of competence as assigned by line management.
The functions and duties may also be associated with a project funded by external assigned revenue. In the case of a project funded by external assigned revenue, the duties would be of a limited duration in time.
3. Requirements - Eligibility criteria
a. Candidates must
- Be a national of one of the Member States of the European Union) and enjoy full rights as a citizen;
- Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws on military service;
• Produce appropriate character references as to his or her suitability for the performance of the duties;
- Be physically fit to perform the duties pertaining to the position (prior to appointment the successful candidate will be medically examined by one of the institution’s medical officers in order that the institution may be satisfied that the candidate fulfils the requirements of Article 12(2)(d) of the Conditions of Employment of Other Servants of the European Union (CEOS);
- Produce evidence of a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the Union and a satisfactory knowledge of another language of the Union to the extent necessary for the performance of the duties.
b. Candidates must
- Have a level of post-secondary education attested by a diploma. When the official duration of the post-secondary education is less than 3 years, the difference shall be deducted from the professional experience as indicated below:
Duration of the education Professional experience
More than 6 months and up to 1 year 3 years
More than 1 year and up to 2 years 2 years
More than 2 years 1 year
OR
- Have a level of secondary education attested by a diploma giving access to post-secondary education and relevant professional experience of at least 3 years.
4. Requirements - Selection criteria
a. Professional experience
Essential:
- Working experience in one or more of the following areas:
o Tender and procurement
o Contract Management
o Budgetary planning and reporting
o Non-grant related or grant related financial processes and/or financial administration;
- Experience in preparing and drafting financial reports;
- Experience in working with financial administration software.
Desirable:
- Experience in preparing and delivering trainings for various audiences.
b. Professional knowledge
Essential:
- Knowledge in one or more of the following areas:
o Tender and procurement
o Contract management
o Budgetary planning and reporting
o Non-grant related or grant related financial processes and financial administration
- Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel;
- Ability to understand, interpret and apply financial regulations, policies and procedures.
c. General competencies
Essential:
Communicating:
- Very good communication skills in English, both orally and in writing;
- Very good drafting skills.
Analysing & problem solving:
- Keen eye for detail with the ability to maintain standards of accuracy under pressure of tight deadlines;
- Good analytical and problem-solving skills including the ability to anticipate potential problems, determine and implement solutions;
- Competent user of Microsoft Office applications (MS Word, PowerPoint and Outlook) and the internet.
Delivering quality and results:
- High degree of commitment and flexibility;
- High level of customer and service-orientation.
Prioritising and organising:
- Good administrative and organisational skills.
Resilience:
- Ability to work well under pressure, both independently and in a team;
- Good interpersonal skills, including the ability to effectively liaise with other departments, groups and teams as well as with external partners.
Living diversity:
- Ability to work effectively in an international and multi-cultural environment.