Head of Finance Unit

The European Defence Agency 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.

The Corporate Services Directorate (CSD) provides critical business support to EDA operations by delivering high-quality corporate services under 5 dedicated units, namely: Human Resources; Procurement and Contract Management; Finance; IT and Information Management together with Security and Infrastructure Management. Additionally, the EDA Legal Team provides legal, data protection and institutional advice and checks to its management relating to the fulfilment of Agency objectives. The EDA Programme Manager and Corporate Projects Officer provides a leadership role in, and a focal point for, good practice in Project, Programme and Risk Management. Finally, the Record Manager is responsible for the effective and appropriate management of information produced and/or received by the organisation.

CSD processes are geared towards efficient and optimal use of resources, leveraging good practice and technological solutions while ensuring sound financial management, transparency and accountability; outward focus and commitment to continuous improvement are the hallmarks of CSD.

Under the supervision of the Director Corporate Services, the Head of the Finance Unit is accountable for financial operations of the Agency and for the proper control and efficient functioning of his/her Unit. He/she is in particular responsible for the following:

Finance

• plan, coordinate and manage the Agency’s budgets (functioning, operational, ad hoc, additional revenue etc.);
  
• manage the call for contribution processes for the general budget and various programmes managed by the Agency;
  
• coordinate and contribute to the preparation of the Agency’s annual accounts;
  
• ensure the legality and regularity of the financial transactions in accordance with the EU Financial Regulation and EDA Financial Rules;
  
• ensure that the Agency’ financial circuits provide the necessary level of assurance in terms of compliance and sound financial management;
  
• record the financial transactions in an optimised, accurate and timely way and verify and, where appropriate authorise within the limits of his/her delegation, the commitments and payments;
  
• ensure consistency of relevant policies and guidelines from a financial management perspective;
  
• ensure the functionality of relevant internal control systems, conduct ex-ante and ex-post evaluations and elaborate the methodology, policies, processes, guidance documents and templates;
  
• conceive further development of the Agency’s financial information systems; support the Director in the internal and external audit processes; deal with audits and follow up on audit findings and recommendations and all related compliance issues in the Unit area;
  
• prepare required reports to various stakeholders (e.g. Agency Management Board, Steering Board);
  
• follow relevant financial regulations and instructions and their changes and deliver advice/training to the Management and EDA staff, while maintaining a continuous and effective communication and working relationship.

Management

• lead the development and implementation of EDA’s work program in the areas of responsibility by defining the Unit’s priorities and the necessary coordination with other Units/Directorates;
  
• manage and coordinate the human resources of the Unit, so that people are well motivated, act professionally and deliver consistently high performance within sound ethical principles;
  
• represent the Unit and EDA at relevant internal and external meetings in order to support and promote EDA’s decisions, proposals and values;
  
• act as the main channel for the exchange of information between senior and middle management and the staff members of the Unit.

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 his/her full rights as a citizen;
• have fulfilled any obligations imposed on him/her by the laws concerning military service;
• produce the appropriate character references as to his/her suitability for the performance of his/her duties (extract from the “judicial record” or certificate of good conduct will be requested prior to recruitment);
• be physically fit to perform his/her duties;
• have a thorough knowledge of one of the languages of the participating Member States and a satisfactory knowledge of another of these languages to the extent necessary to discharge his/her duties;
• have no personal interest (financial, family relationship, or other) which could be in conflict with disinterested discharge of his/her 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 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 appropriate professional experience of at least one year when the normal period of university education is at least three years or be a graduate of a national or international Defence College; or where justified in the interests of the service, professional training of an equivalent level;

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.

A. Essential

(1) Professional

The candidate will be required to demonstrate that he/she has:

• a university degree in Finance, Auditing, Business Administration, Economics, Accounting, and/or in any other relevant field;
  
• at the closing date for applications, a total professional experience of at least twelve (12) years acquired after the award of the qualification required as a condition of eligibility, of which at least 5 years in a managerial role (Head of Unit, Head of Sector, Programme Leader or equivalent);
  
• proven experience in the identified duties;
  
• sound knowledge of financial rules and regulations of the European Union and of the financial IT tools/methodology used (e.g. ABAC);
  
• high degree of organisational skills, accuracy and ability to analyse, compile and summarize complex financial information;
  
• proven capacity to work in an international environment;
  
• excellent communication skills in written and spoken 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:

• very good leadership and management skills; ability to motivate a team in a European, multicultural and multilingual environment;
  
• ability to work effectively and inclusively with a range of internal and external stakeholders;
  
• ability to remain effective under a heavy workload and to meet programmatic deadlines consistently;
  
• strong analytic and problem solving skills;
  
• well-organised, thorough and accurate;
  
• excellent negotiation and problem-solving skills;
  
• excellent customer service skills;
  
• integrity and ability to deal with confidential matters professionally;
  
• genuine commitment to the Agency’s objectives.

B. Desirable

The following will be considered an advantage:

• professional experience related to the aforementioned position in the international public sector, preferably in a European Institution or Agency.

The Head of Finance Unit 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 his/her independence.

The Head of Finance Unit will be appointed by the Chief Executive.

Recruitment will be as a member of the temporary staff of the Agency for a four-year period. Renewal is possible within the limits set out in the EDA Staff Regulations. The successful candidate will be recruited as Temporary Agent, grade AD10.

The pay for this position consists of a basic salary of 9.117,48€ supplemented with various allowances, including as applicable expatriation or family allowances. The successful candidate will be graded on entry into service according to the length of his/her professional experience. Salaries are exempted from national tax, instead an Agency tax at source is paid.