- International Staff, NATO HQ
- Brussels, Belgium (Remote)
- Full-time
Programme Financial Manager
- International Staff, NATO HQ
Brussels, Belgium
Full-time
Published:
Application Deadline: March 16, 2025
- International Staff, NATO HQ
Brussels, Belgium
Full-time
Published:
Application Deadline: March 16, 2025
SUMMARY:
The Office of Financial Control (OFC) is responsible for the management of financial and budgetary control systems for several NATO entities, primarily the NATO International Staff (IS) civil budget. As the custodian of member Nations’ funds, the OFC provides reliable and value adding financial and procurement services in support of front-line Divisions, enabling them to achieve their objectives. It works to comply with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and other best practices, including the management of enterprise risk.
The OFC is responsible for procurement, financial operations, budgeting and reporting for: the NATO IS civil and reimbursable budgets (including satellite offices); all NATO-wide pensions and related funds; bodies and projects located at NATO HQ (NHQ) for which OFC is responsible for providing procurement, budgetary, financial and accounting services. The OFC is also responsible for providing procurement, cash management, finance and accounting support to a number of extra budgetary funds (including trust funds) and bilateral arrangements, including the Tax Reimbursement Agreement with the United States (U.S.). The NATO-IS budget includes Brussels Headquarters operations as well as NATO Satellite Offices (NASOs). The Office of Financial Control is organised around five functions, with a Front Office overseeing these functions:
The Programmes, Finance and Control section is part of the Control, Accounting and Finance (CAF) branch and is responsible for the review and verification of non-procurementrelated transactions such as grants, cooperative agreements, and similar types of arrangements for both NATO IS civil budget and Extra-Budgetary Funds (EBFs). It ensures that appropriate credits are committed to cover the financial liabilities associated with this type of transaction and that transactions are properly justified and documented. It also supports the Financial Controller in the process of development or concurrence of policies, documents, reports and procedures relating to non-commercial arrangements and EBFs. Through the ‘Ukraine Comprehensive Assistance Package Trust Fund’ (UCAP TF), NATO provides Ukraine with short-term non-lethal military assistance as well as long-term capacity-building support. Through the Defence Capacity Building (DCB TF), NATO enhances the institutional and defence capabilities of multipe NATO-DCB Partner nations with planning and programme activities in the areas of capacity-building, governance and institutions, training and education, and civil emergency response.
The incumbent has primary responsibility for providing long-term financial and planning advice to the UCAP and DCB TF stakeholders for the full range of UCAP and DCB Programmes, including Multi-Year Projects. The incumbent leads the programme forecasting, planning, and management of resources, including responsibilities for reporting on the status of short, medium and long-term projects. The post ensures consistency of spend within the programme against project objectives, and value for money from project implementers and leads on the financial aspects of the management of contracts with service providers, in particular ensuring payments are made in line with agreed contracts; supports programme and project managers with finding solutions to financial and compliance related challenges, meeting client and organisational needs; provides regular and ad hoc briefings to senior management, Allies and others as needed on financial aspects of the UCAP and DCB TF; drafts and implements financial management policy for UCAP and DCB TF and ensuring compliance with regulations, policies and procedures.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
Essential
The incumbent must:
Desirable
The following would be considered an advantage:
MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES:
Expertise Development
Support the Financial Controller in the shaping of OFC business processes to align them with best practices and generally accepted standards applicable to the administration and financial control of non-procurement related transactions of UCAP and DCB. Stay abreast of significant policy, methodological and technical developments relevant to the post’s duties.
Financial Management
Manage financial operations related to the UCAP and DCB TF. Answer queries concerning UCAP TF, applicable financial and funding arrangements. Prepare UCAP and DCB TF financial reports and conduct periodic closures of accounts. Contribute to the production and preparation of financial statements and management reporting requests (e.g. budget execution reporting). Lead the medium and long term budget planning and resource management operations for UCAP and DCB TF, translating programmatic ambitions into financial forecasts and active follow-up on resource avaialability and required actions.
Planning and Execution
Ensure that optimised processes and documented procedures are in place to review, execute and record accurate and timely transactions and arrangements in accordance with relevant standards (NATO Financial Regulations, EBF Overarching Guidance, IPSAS, CPRs, etc). Oversee processes that are required to document fund availability, ensuring the propriety of proposed expenditures and checking the financial viability of required payments and receipts in accordance with the NATO Financial Regulations and the Financial Rules and Procedures.
Organisational Efficiencies
Lead and drive the relevant financial operations, processes and procedures to identify opportunities for the improvement of efficiency, effectiveness and control. Support efforts undertaken to implement new tools and solutions for the management of non-procurement related transactions related to the UCAP and DCB TF.
Stakeholder Management
Establish and maintain effective working relationships across the OFC and with representatives of the Parent Division for the UCAP and DCB TF (Operations Division). Maintain regular contacts with other stakeholders such as representatives of national delegations of NATO member and partner nations and the Office of the Legal Advisor. Liaise with stakeholders and provide advice on solutions to business needs, associated financial risks and mitigation measures at an early stage of programme planning, and relevant policies and procedures. Maintain stakeholders’ confidence by being responsive to their queries and needs, respecting deadlines, showing professional competence, attending to detail, and maintaining confidentiality when appropriate whilst respecting the prevailing NATO Financial regulations.
Project Management
Represent OFC in meetings of project management and steering boards. Contribute and support UCAP and DCB TF programmatic activities and initiatives as expert in financial management, financial risks, and financial regulations and procedures. Work in close coordination with colleagues in the OFC and other areas of the NATO HQ to clarify financial management and procedural issues relating to non-procurement related transactions and project activities at all stages of project development and execution.
Policy Development
Lead and drive policy and governance development in the areas of programme and project management, development and negotiation of UCAP and DCB TF related arrangements (e.g., grants, cooperative agreements and EMAs) and management of the UCAP and DCB TF. Establish and document the related internal control activities and procedures.
People Management
Oversee the UCAP and DCB TF Officer. Encourage initiative, and support creativity. Regularly discuss performance and provide feedback and coaching. Establish effective communication and working relationships. Share relevant information about relevant best practices. Promote integrity, professionalism, and accountability through a sound and inclusive leadership culture. Perform any other related duty as assigned.
INTERRELATIONSHIPS:
The incumbent reports to the Branch Head, Control Account & Finance. They are supported by the UCAP and DCB TF Officer and they work closely with OFC Section Heads as well as internal clients, national delegations of NATO and with staff in Divisions, Independent Offices and Agencies.
COMPETENCIES:
The incumbent must demonstrate:
CONTRACT:
Contract to be offered to the successful applicant (if non-seconded): Definite duration contract of three years; possibility of renewal for up to 3 years.
Contract clause applicable
USEFUL INFORMATION REGARDING APPLICATION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS:
Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of NATO member countries. Applications must be submitted using e-recruitment system, as applicable:
Before you apply to any position, we encourage you to click here and watch our video providing 6 tips to prepare you for your application and recruitment process. Do you have questions on the application process in the system and not sure how to proceed? Click here for a video containing the information you need to successfully submit your application on time.
More information about the recruitment process and conditions of employment, can be found at our website (http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/recruit-hq-e.htm).
Appointment will be subject to receipt of a security clearance (provided by the national Authorities of the selected candidate), approval of the candidate’s medical file by the NATO Medical Adviser, verification of your study(ies) and work experience, and the successful completion of the accreditation and notification process by the relevant authorities.
NATO will not accept any phase of the recruitment and selection prepared, in whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, including and without limitation to chatbots, such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (Chat GPT), or other language generating tools. NATO reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared, in whole or in part, by means of such generative or creative AI applications may be rejected without further consideration at NATO’s sole discretion, and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
For information about the NATO Single Salary Scale (Grading, Allowances, etc.) please visit our website. Detailed data is available under the Salary and Benefits tab.
The Office of Financial Control (OFC) is responsible for the management of financial and budgetary control systems for several NATO entities, primarily the NATO International Staff (IS) civil budget. As the custodian of member Nations’ funds, the OFC provides reliable and value adding financial and procurement services in support of front-line Divisions, enabling them to achieve their objectives. It works to comply with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) and other best practices, including the management of enterprise risk.
The OFC is responsible for procurement, financial operations, budgeting and reporting for: the NATO IS civil and reimbursable budgets (including satellite offices); all NATO-wide pensions and related funds; bodies and projects located at NATO HQ (NHQ) for which OFC is responsible for providing procurement, budgetary, financial and accounting services. The OFC is also responsible for providing procurement, cash management, finance and accounting support to a number of extra budgetary funds (including trust funds) and bilateral arrangements, including the Tax Reimbursement Agreement with the United States (U.S.). The NATO-IS budget includes Brussels Headquarters operations as well as NATO Satellite Offices (NASOs). The Office of Financial Control is organised around five functions, with a Front Office overseeing these functions:
- Budget Planning and Analysis (BPA) and Procurement;
- Control, Accounting and Finance (CAF) including Missions (Duty Travels);
- Treasury;
- Strategic Analysis and Reporting (SAR);
- ERP Competency Centre.
The Programmes, Finance and Control section is part of the Control, Accounting and Finance (CAF) branch and is responsible for the review and verification of non-procurementrelated transactions such as grants, cooperative agreements, and similar types of arrangements for both NATO IS civil budget and Extra-Budgetary Funds (EBFs). It ensures that appropriate credits are committed to cover the financial liabilities associated with this type of transaction and that transactions are properly justified and documented. It also supports the Financial Controller in the process of development or concurrence of policies, documents, reports and procedures relating to non-commercial arrangements and EBFs. Through the ‘Ukraine Comprehensive Assistance Package Trust Fund’ (UCAP TF), NATO provides Ukraine with short-term non-lethal military assistance as well as long-term capacity-building support. Through the Defence Capacity Building (DCB TF), NATO enhances the institutional and defence capabilities of multipe NATO-DCB Partner nations with planning and programme activities in the areas of capacity-building, governance and institutions, training and education, and civil emergency response.
The incumbent has primary responsibility for providing long-term financial and planning advice to the UCAP and DCB TF stakeholders for the full range of UCAP and DCB Programmes, including Multi-Year Projects. The incumbent leads the programme forecasting, planning, and management of resources, including responsibilities for reporting on the status of short, medium and long-term projects. The post ensures consistency of spend within the programme against project objectives, and value for money from project implementers and leads on the financial aspects of the management of contracts with service providers, in particular ensuring payments are made in line with agreed contracts; supports programme and project managers with finding solutions to financial and compliance related challenges, meeting client and organisational needs; provides regular and ad hoc briefings to senior management, Allies and others as needed on financial aspects of the UCAP and DCB TF; drafts and implements financial management policy for UCAP and DCB TF and ensuring compliance with regulations, policies and procedures.
QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE:
Essential
The incumbent must:
- Have a university degree (or equivalent level of qualification) from an institute of recoginsed standing in economics, accounting, business administration, public administration, finance, management, or related discipline;
- Have 5 years of experience in fields relevant to this post, such as financial management, resource management, programme management, budgeting, accounting, and controlling, acquired in international organizations, governmental or non-governmental organizations, and multinational organizations;
- Have practical experience drafting and implementing financial management policy and ensuring compliance with regulations, policies and procedures;
- Be able to interpret laws, executive orders and directives and to formulate policies and implementing rules and procedures on matters of finance, procurement and property administration;
- Have proven experience in the use of ERP systems such as Oracle e-Business Suite or SAP;
- Have ability to communicate complex financial data to wider audiences;
- Possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; and II (“Elementary”) in the other.
Desirable
The following would be considered an advantage:
- Knowledge of and/or experience in the NATO financial processes and regulations applicable to appropriated and non-appropriated funds;
- Familiarity with or knowledge of the organisation and operation of NATO, more particularly the NATO International Staff;
- Experience in risk management applied to the management third-party agreements, trust funds, grants or other types of financial assistance and cooperative programmes and activities;
- Current project management certification in methodologies such as Prince2 or Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP);
- Detailed working knowledge of commercial and/or government accounting standards, principles and procedures (e.g., IPSAS, IFRS).
MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES:
Expertise Development
Support the Financial Controller in the shaping of OFC business processes to align them with best practices and generally accepted standards applicable to the administration and financial control of non-procurement related transactions of UCAP and DCB. Stay abreast of significant policy, methodological and technical developments relevant to the post’s duties.
Financial Management
Manage financial operations related to the UCAP and DCB TF. Answer queries concerning UCAP TF, applicable financial and funding arrangements. Prepare UCAP and DCB TF financial reports and conduct periodic closures of accounts. Contribute to the production and preparation of financial statements and management reporting requests (e.g. budget execution reporting). Lead the medium and long term budget planning and resource management operations for UCAP and DCB TF, translating programmatic ambitions into financial forecasts and active follow-up on resource avaialability and required actions.
Planning and Execution
Ensure that optimised processes and documented procedures are in place to review, execute and record accurate and timely transactions and arrangements in accordance with relevant standards (NATO Financial Regulations, EBF Overarching Guidance, IPSAS, CPRs, etc). Oversee processes that are required to document fund availability, ensuring the propriety of proposed expenditures and checking the financial viability of required payments and receipts in accordance with the NATO Financial Regulations and the Financial Rules and Procedures.
Organisational Efficiencies
Lead and drive the relevant financial operations, processes and procedures to identify opportunities for the improvement of efficiency, effectiveness and control. Support efforts undertaken to implement new tools and solutions for the management of non-procurement related transactions related to the UCAP and DCB TF.
Stakeholder Management
Establish and maintain effective working relationships across the OFC and with representatives of the Parent Division for the UCAP and DCB TF (Operations Division). Maintain regular contacts with other stakeholders such as representatives of national delegations of NATO member and partner nations and the Office of the Legal Advisor. Liaise with stakeholders and provide advice on solutions to business needs, associated financial risks and mitigation measures at an early stage of programme planning, and relevant policies and procedures. Maintain stakeholders’ confidence by being responsive to their queries and needs, respecting deadlines, showing professional competence, attending to detail, and maintaining confidentiality when appropriate whilst respecting the prevailing NATO Financial regulations.
Project Management
Represent OFC in meetings of project management and steering boards. Contribute and support UCAP and DCB TF programmatic activities and initiatives as expert in financial management, financial risks, and financial regulations and procedures. Work in close coordination with colleagues in the OFC and other areas of the NATO HQ to clarify financial management and procedural issues relating to non-procurement related transactions and project activities at all stages of project development and execution.
Policy Development
Lead and drive policy and governance development in the areas of programme and project management, development and negotiation of UCAP and DCB TF related arrangements (e.g., grants, cooperative agreements and EMAs) and management of the UCAP and DCB TF. Establish and document the related internal control activities and procedures.
People Management
Oversee the UCAP and DCB TF Officer. Encourage initiative, and support creativity. Regularly discuss performance and provide feedback and coaching. Establish effective communication and working relationships. Share relevant information about relevant best practices. Promote integrity, professionalism, and accountability through a sound and inclusive leadership culture. Perform any other related duty as assigned.
INTERRELATIONSHIPS:
The incumbent reports to the Branch Head, Control Account & Finance. They are supported by the UCAP and DCB TF Officer and they work closely with OFC Section Heads as well as internal clients, national delegations of NATO and with staff in Divisions, Independent Offices and Agencies.
- Direct reports: 1;
- Indirect reports: N/A.
COMPETENCIES:
The incumbent must demonstrate:
- Achievement: Creates own measures of excellence and improves performance;
- Analytical Thinking: Sees multiple relationships;
- Clarity and Accuracy: Monitors others’ work for clarity;
- Conceptual Thinking: Applies learned concepts;
- Customer Service Orientation: Makes things better for the customer;
- Impact and Influence: Uses indirect influence;
- Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
- Teamwork: Solicits inputs and encourages others.
CONTRACT:
Contract to be offered to the successful applicant (if non-seconded): Definite duration contract of three years; possibility of renewal for up to 3 years.
Contract clause applicable
- This post is required for a limited period to support a project. As employment in this post is of limited duration, the successful applicant will be offered a definite duration contract of 3 years’ duration , which may be renewed for a period of up to 3 years if required to support this project;
- If the successful applicant is seconded from the national administration of one of NATO’s member States, a 3 years definite duration contract will be offered, which may be renewed for a period of up to 3 years if required to support this project, and subject also to the agreement of the national authority concerned;
- Serving staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.
USEFUL INFORMATION REGARDING APPLICATION AND RECRUITMENT PROCESS:
Please note that we can only accept applications from nationals of NATO member countries. Applications must be submitted using e-recruitment system, as applicable:
- For NATO civilian staff members only: Please apply via the internal recruitment portal (link);
- For all other applications: www.nato.int/recruitment.
Before you apply to any position, we encourage you to click here and watch our video providing 6 tips to prepare you for your application and recruitment process. Do you have questions on the application process in the system and not sure how to proceed? Click here for a video containing the information you need to successfully submit your application on time.
More information about the recruitment process and conditions of employment, can be found at our website (http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natolive/recruit-hq-e.htm).
Appointment will be subject to receipt of a security clearance (provided by the national Authorities of the selected candidate), approval of the candidate’s medical file by the NATO Medical Adviser, verification of your study(ies) and work experience, and the successful completion of the accreditation and notification process by the relevant authorities.
NATO will not accept any phase of the recruitment and selection prepared, in whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, including and without limitation to chatbots, such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (Chat GPT), or other language generating tools. NATO reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared, in whole or in part, by means of such generative or creative AI applications may be rejected without further consideration at NATO’s sole discretion, and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- NATO is committed to diversity and inclusion, and strives to provide equal access to employment, advancement and retention, independent of gender, age, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, cultural background, sexual orientation, and disability. NATO welcomes applications of nationals from all member Nations, and strongly encourages women to apply;
- Building Integrity is a key element of NATO’s core tasks. As an employer, NATO values commitment to the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability in accordance with international norms and practices established for the defence and related security sector. Selected candidates are expected to be role models of integrity, and to promote good governance through ongoing efforts in their work;
- Due to the broad interest in NATO and the large number of potential candidates, telephone or e-mail enquiries cannot be dealt with;
- Applicants who are not successful in this competition may be offered an appointment to another post of a similar nature, albeit at the same or a lower grade, provided they meet the necessary requirements;
- The nature of this position may require the staff member at times to be called upon to travel for work and/or to work outside normal office hours;
- The organization offers several work-life policies including Teleworking and Flexible Working arrangements (Flexitime) subject to business requirements;
- Please note that the International Staff at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium is a non-smoking environment.
For information about the NATO Single Salary Scale (Grading, Allowances, etc.) please visit our website. Detailed data is available under the Salary and Benefits tab.
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