Financial Officer

1. EUSPA AND THE HIRING DEPARTMENT

The European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) provides safe, secure, and innovative satellite navigation and communication services for Europe. We advance the commercialisation of Galileo, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), and Copernicus data and services, while engaging in secure SATCOM (GOVSATCOM & IRIS²), and operating the Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) Front-Desk. Our work strengthens European autonomy in space technologies, fosters innovation, and supports critical sectors such as transport, agriculture, and economic development across the EU. For more information on the EUSPA and the EU Space Programme, click here.

At EUSPA, we aim for our workforce to be representative of European society and strongly welcome applications from all qualified candidates. We actively seek to create a workplace where each staff member feels valued and respected, can give their best and can develop to their full potential. We believe that diversity drives excellence, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to our shared mission.

To promote diversity and establish a geographically balanced pool of candidates, we strongly encourage applicants from Member States which are lesser represented in the Agency workforce to apply. These Member States are currently Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden. Recruitment will however remain strictly based on the merits of all applicants and no advantage will be given and no positions will be reserved for nationals of any specific Member State.

The Finance Department supports the Agency in achieving its goals, particularly regarding all matters related to budgeting and financial management and reporting. The Finance Department is part of the EUSPA’s administration platform, under the steering and supervision of the Head of Administration.

The position requires permanent relocation to the Agency’s headquarters in the heart of Europe – Prague – a location with excellent connections to numerous major European cities. The capital of the Czech Republic, in the banks of the Vltava River, is famous for its cultural life, renowned musical life, historic buildings, magical bridges, and recognised museums and monuments.

2. TASKS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

We are looking for a Financial Officer who will be responsible for complex financial reporting, verifying financial transactions and coordinating internal and external audits. They will report to the Head of Department (or their assignee) and will be entrusted with the following main tasks and responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain the appropriate financial databases, both in relation to entrusted budget (worth ~€9B in current financial perspective with ~1.1B from previous financial perspective still to be managed) and core budget (worth ~€500M in the current financial perspective);
• Produce and distribute the required financial reports, maintain proper archives, records and databases;
• Analyse, review and process complex financial transactions including the implementation of commitments, amendments, payments and recovery of amounts;
• Manage the review of the financial aspect of upcoming contracts and amendments;
• Coordinate the Year-end closure exercise, interfacing with the various contract managers in order to collect and validate inputs while providing guidance regarding cost recognition eligibility;
• Coordinate the end-to-end cycle of internal and external audits including liaison with relevant counterparts in other EU bodies, and prepare the necessary input for such audits, together with the tracking, implementation and follow-up of relevant findings and observations;
• Ensure the elaboration of processes, procedures, reports and tools for improving financial management activities;
• Contribute to the preparation of the implementation of the regulatory tasks entrusted to the Agency (such as EU Space Act);
• Coach EUSPA staff on financial procedures;
• Provide financial advice and ensure the correct implementation of the EU Financial Regulation;
• Liaise with other departments, notably in the area of Administration, and contract managers to ensure the execution of related corporate tasks, such as planning, reporting, administration, financial budget management, risk management;
• Perform other activities as required by the Head of the Finance Department.

3. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

We welcome applications from all candidates who meet the following eligibility criteria, on the closing date for application:

1. Have a level of education which corresponds to completed university studies5 attested by a diploma when the normal period of university education is four years or more

   OR

   A level of education which corresponds to completed university studies attested by a diploma and at least one year of appropriate professional experience when the normal period of university education is three years

2. In addition to the above, appropriate professional experience6 of at least six years after obtaining the required diploma

3. Be a national of a Member State of the European Union, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland

4. Be entitled to their full rights as a citizen

5. Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by the applicable laws concerning military service

6. Meet the character requirements for the duties involved7

7. Have a thorough knowledge (minimum C1 level) of one of the languages of the European Union8 and a satisfactory knowledge (minimum B2 level) of another language of the European Union8

8. Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post9

Temporary agents (2f) from EUSPA and other EU agencies are also invited to apply in accordance with the following EUSPA rules:

https://www.euspa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/2024-04/conditions_of_employment_of_temporary_staff_ta.pdf. The grade bracket applicable for internal and inter-agency mobility is AD7 – AD8.

[5] Only study titles that have been awarded in EU Member States or that are subject to the equivalence certificates issued by the authorities in the said Member States shall be taken into consideration. Qualifications/diplomas awarded in the United Kingdom until 31/12/2020 are accepted without further recognition. For diplomas awarded in the United Kingdom after this date (from 01/01/2021), a NARIC recognition is required: https://www.enic-naric.net/.

[6] Only appropriate professional experience acquired after achieving the minimum qualification stated in point.1 shall be considered. Where additional periods of training and study are accompanied by periods of professional activity, only the latter shall be considered as professional experience. Compulsory military service or equivalent civilian service accomplished after achieving the minimum qualification stated in point.1 shall be taken into consideration. Internships will be taken into consideration, if they are paid. Professional activities pursued part-time shall be calculated pro rata, on the basis of the percentage of full-time hours worked. A given period may be counted only once.

[7] Prior to the appointment, the successful candidate will be asked to provide a Police certificate confirming the absence of any criminal record.

[8] The languages of the EU are: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish. The level shall be determined according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

[9] Before a successful candidate can be appointed, they will be medically examined by a selected medical service so that the Agency will be satisfied that they fulfill the requirement of Article 28(e) of the Staff Regulation of Officials of the European Union.

4. SELECTION CRITERIA

All eligible applications that meet the criteria outlined above will be fairly and objectively assessed against the selection criteria based solely on the information candidates provide in their applications. The Selection Board responsible for this selection will determine the criteria to be assessed in the various phases of the selection procedure (assessment of the application forms, interview and written test) prior to being granted access to the names of the applicants.

The selection is based on a comparative assessment of eligible candidates against all the selection criteria. Even candidates who do not excel in every single criterion may still be successful in the overall assessment and are therefore encouraged to apply.

When completing the online application, please clearly highlight your relevant skills and experiences that demonstrate how your profile aligns with the requirements below.

Professional experience and expertise

1. Experience relevant to the tasks described, in particular handling complex financial transactions and/or financial audits;
2. Experience with leading and delivery of complex financial reporting and data-processing;
3. Proven advanced Excel skills;
4. Knowledge or experience in project or programme management & control is considered an asset;
5. Experience in SAP S/4 HANA is considered an asset;
6. Experience in procurement and contract management;
7. Excellent command of both written and spoken English;

Required competencies

1. Motivation for the post;
2. Effective communication;
3. Result orientation, prioritising and organising;
4. Transversal collaboration and working in teams.

We warmly encourage candidates from all backgrounds, experiences, and identities to apply. Your unique perspective and talents are valued and essential to our success.