Finance and Administration Officer

1. Reporting Line:

The Finance and Administration Officer reports to Head of Finance Section.

2. Main Tasks and Responsibilities:

· To assist the Head of Finance in maintaining the financial and accounting operations of the Mission;

· To develop policies for accounting and control of Mission finances in close cooperation with the Head of Finance;

· To identify needs of goods and/or services required for improving the efficiency of the unit and to define them technically for procurement;

· To contribute to coordinating the Section’s activities and operations related to the area of finance and administration, in particular the budget, procurement, verification, audit and contract management;

· To ensure the sound and effective financial management, including the preparation of the budget and follow-up of its implementation;

· To develop policies for the imprest accounts, in close cooperation with the authorising, and the accounting officer;

· To define procedures for the imprest accounts, payments, payroll, petty cash, claims and other financial functions in a multicurrency system;

· To verify the legality and regularity of transactions prior to authorising transactions (i.e. commitments and payments);

· To ensure the reporting, verifying the integrity of the imprest accounts, their accuracy and their on-time delivery;

· To implement audit recommendations and ensure the effectiveness of internal controls;

· To identify areas of risk and take appropriate measures for limiting the financial risk, especially concerning the physical and the electronic security of funds, of documents (running and archived) and of transactions;

· To liaise and cooperate on financial issues with the relevant EU bodies and all relevant actors (banks etc.) under the supervision of the Head of Section.

3. General Tasks and Responsibilities:

· To identify and report on lessons learned and best practices within the respective area of responsibility;

· To contribute and ensure timely reporting on activities within the respective area of responsibility;

· To take account of gender equality and human rights aspects in the execution of tasks;

· To undertake any other related tasks as requested by the Line Manager(s).

4. Essential Qualifications and Experience:

· Successful completion of university studies of at least 3 years attested by a diploma OR a qualification in the National Qualifications Framework which is equivalent to level 6 in the European Qualifications Framework OR a qualification of the first cycle under the framework of qualifications of the European Higher Education Area, e.g. Bachelor’s Degree OR equivalent and attested police or/and military education or training or an award of an equivalent rank AND

· A minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience, after having fulfilled the education requirements.

5. Essential Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

· Knowledge of relevant accounting rules;

· Knowledge of accounting software.

· Experience in dealing with internal and external parties and the ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality;

6. Desirable Qualifications and Experience: **

· Specialised training/course (including University) in finance, accounting, economics or business administration.

· Member of a corps or body within EU member states public institutions having functions of this nature and/or certification as a Certified Public Accountant or Chartered Accountant;

· Knowledge of current technologies used for Finance/Accounting like an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System;

· International experience, particularly in crisis areas with multinational and international organisations.

· The experience should be on the field of finance, economics, accounting or business administration.

7. Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

· Professional accounting/audit certification;

· International experience, particularly in crisis areas with multinational and international organisations;

· Knowledge of relevant EU rules and regulations.