NATO BODY/Post duty location: ACO/Allied Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC), Torrejon, Spain
POST NO. OKT GXBX 0020
TITLE: Staff Officer (Fiscal and Accounting)
DIVISION: Command Group
NATO GRADE: G-15
SECURITY CLEARANCE: NATO S E C R E T
1. Post Context/Post Summary
The Allied Combined Air Operations Centre (CAOC) to plan, direct, task, coordinate, supervise, assess and report on air operations of all allocated assets in peace, crisis and conflict in accordance with the Commander Allied Air Command’s directives.The SADC will conduct the basis mission of the CAOC, to include Air Policing. The D-AOC is available to be deployed to contribute to the formation of a JFAC.
The Command Group is responsible to COM AIRCOM for the command and control of all NATO and national forces placed under the CAOC authority. It is responsible for Air Policing in its assigned Air Policing Area.Liaises with the appropriate land and maritime forces, and coordinates between national and NATO Agencies.
The Finance and Contracting Office is responsible for financial planning, budget execution, acquisition support and reporting.
The incumbent is responsible to assist the Director of A8/AIRCOM Financial Controller in the daily budget execution of its financial activities to ensure the integrity of CAOC's financial controls, accounting, reporting, travel orders and claims processing to ensure that proposed commitments are within the available funds, for the purpose approved in the budget, in accordance with all NATO relevant rules and supported by adequate justification and documentation.
2. Principal Duties
The incumbent's duties are:
- Controls and administers the finance operations of the CAOC.
-Determines the propriety of all requests to commit and to expend budget funds by screening requirements for eligibility and affordability.
-Manages the proper execution of the assigned CAOC budget allocations.
-Ensures that proposed commitments are within the available funds, for the purpose approved in the budget, in accordance with all relevant rules or regulations and supported by adequate justification and documentation.
-Ensures that the CAOC’s financial data, documents, records and fiscal accounts are correctly maintained to reflect approved budgetary credits, commitments, payments, unliquidated commitments, holding funds and negotiable documents and sums receivable.
-Analyses the status of funds to determine utilization, trends and to recommend the reallocation of budget authorizations to meet the CAOC’s peacetime and wartime requirements.
-Advises the senior management and the fund managers on finance matters, the efficient use of resources and the cost effectiveness and affordability, and affordability of new policies, plans and requirements and the effect that they will have on the current fiscal year’s budget.
-Proponent for the local Standard Operating Policy and Procedures or supplements for CAOC’s Travel on International Duty directive, Hospitality Policy Supplement, and Financial Management Guide of Fund Managers.
-Provides financial management training for the CAOC’s fund managers, travel coordinators and CAOC BUDFIN staff.
-Initiates procedures to facilitate day-to-day financial management administration.
-Represents the CAOC at internal and external financial meetings, working groups and conferences.
-Assist in preparation of the CAOC budget, the CAOC CRP and the CAOC MYRs for screening by AIRCOM.
-Provides guidance and advice to the Commander and the Staff of the HQ on all CAOC financial matters.
-Supervises the application of internal control, finance and accounting, budgetary policies and controls within CAOC.
-Establishes inputs into NATO's automated finance accounting system to execute the international budgets and exercise budgets.
-Prepare periodic financial reconciliations and inputs relating to CAOC for AIRCOM financial statement and disclosure notes, and other reports.
-Establishes local CAOC finance policies related to budget execution, accounting, IPSAS and advice on correct application of the financial procedures.
-Assist AIRCOM A8 in training CAOC finance staffs and Property Accounting Officer (PAO) in International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) accounting and providing status reports.
-Assist the AIRCOM A8 in conducting reviews and analysis of CAOC financial data and takes or coordinates corrective action to resolve errors and imbalances.
-Assist the AIRCOM A8 Branch Head (Financial Accounting) and ACO in executing accounting principles, procedures and coordinates routine and non-routine accounting matters impacting the annual AIRCOM financial position and/or performance with other CAOC staff elements and other NATO entities.
-Coordinates with AIRCOM A8 and executes the CAOC’s year-end financial procedures with local staffs and provides inputs to AIRCOM A8.
-Due to the limited size of the CAOC BUDFIN branch, the incumbent will be required to assist and/or temporarily perform the major responsibilities of other branch members while they are out of the office.
3. Special Requirements and Additional Duties
The employee may be required to perform a similar range of duties elsewhere within the organisation at the same grade without there being any change to the contract
The incumbent may also be directed to undertake operational duties supporting AIRCOM in its Air Power projection role, and when HQ AIRCOM executes its role as the NATO Command Structure (NCS) Joint Force Air Component (JFAC). Operational duties take precedence over peacetime tasks and may include frequent training activities, temporary duty (TDY) assignments, and deployments within and outside NATO boundaries. Operational duties may exceed 30 days and may be conducted on short notice; acceptance of the contract constitutes agreement to deploy when required.
The work is normally performed in a Normal NATO office working environment / Secure office environment with artificial light and air (e.g. Bunker).
Normal Working Conditions apply. The risk of injury is categorised as No risk / risk might increase when deployed.
4. Essential Qualifications
a. Education/Training
University Degreein finance, accounting, business administration, economics, public administration, management or related disciplineand 2 years function related experience, or Higher Secondary education and completed advanced vocational trainingin that discipline leading to a professional qualification or professional accreditation with 4 years post related experience.
Formal training in accounting or financial management
b. Professional/Experience
Professional experience in accounting, finance, or business management
Minimum of 4 years' successful performance in a finance-related field in a management position, which must include at least 2 years of supervisory duties.
Knowledge and experience in government or commercial accounting.
Knowledge and experience in computerised finance systems operation and accounting software.
c. Language
English - SLP 3333 - (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)
NOTE: The work both oral and written in this post and in this Headquarters as a whole is conducted mainly in English.
5. Desirable Qualifications
a. Professional Experience
Professional experience in administration management in a supervisory role
Professional experience in accounting, finance, or business management.
Minimum of 6 years' successful performance in a finance-related field in a management position, which must include at least 2 years of supervisory duties.
Extensive experience with operation of automated accounting systems used in the public or private sector.
In-depth knowledge of office automation software packages (i.e. Microsoft Office).
Experience and knowledge in the application of NATO financial rules and regulations.
Experience with the NATO automated finance system and/or Oracle Financials
b. Education/Training
An advanced University degree in management information systems, accounting, finance, business administration, management, or related field.
Professional accounting certification.
-NATO automated financial systems and/or Oracle financials courses.
-NATO International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) course – Advanced
• Course: ETE-FI-2708 - Resource Management Education Programme (RMEP) Course
c. Language
Host Nation Language functional proficiency is desirable.
6. Attributes/Competencies
• Personal Attributes: The incumbent will be expected to apply technical finance and accounting functional expertise and sound judgment to solve the majority of problems which emerge on a routine and non-routine basis. He/she will deal with both professionals and technicians that require tact, patience and, persuasive communication and interactive skills. He/she must have an ability to interpret directives and to recommend policies and implement rules and procedures on matters of finance, accounting and property administration. Must be a self-starter, who is able to anticipate problems and analyze a wide range of complex and dissimilar situations where conflicting policies, and technical restraints.Creative thinking, analytical reasoning, and sound judgment are required in developing solutions to frequent and dissimilar problems. The incumbent must be able to communicate verbally and written with a wide range of personnel from internal and external NATO organisations, national support units, CAOC senior officers and local businesses. Integrity, loyalty creditability, attention to details and accuracy are essential.
Managerial Responsibilities: Acts as CAOC subject matter expert in oversight, guidance, advice, problem solving, assistance and coordination in the functional area of budget execution, financial reporting and accounting. In the absence of the Budget Chief (Budget and Finance) provides financial oversight, advice, problem-solving, assistance and coordination on a broad spectrum of CAOC financial matters with CAOC management, fund managers, property accounting officer(s), exercise or PwP activities project officers. Dependent upon the requirements may be required to direct and supervise the work priorities of an adhoc or permanent team within the functional area
• Professional Contacts: There is a wide variety of internal and external contact with NATO organizations, HQ personnel, HQ AIRCOM, Host Nation and business organizations that require adaptive thinking, understanding, sensitivity, tact, and persuasion. Assists and manages procurement actions between contractors and users/requesters through established CPAs (Contract Purchase Agreements).
• Contribution To Objectives: Allocates and manages financial resources in support of the headquarters’ missions and priorities.The successful accomplishment of the financial administration is considered a vital contribution to the successful achievement of objectives, financial credibility and the smooth daily operations of the Headquarters and subordinate activities. The policy and procedures developed by the fiscal officer impacts a wide range of support activities across the Headquarters. Proactive analysis of financial statements, trends and detailed coordination with fund managers is imperative to the efficient use of limited resources. Provides financial approval to actions that lead to legal liabilities against the headquarters and NATO. Reviews all requests to commit HQ funds. Incumbent decision authority permits the approval commitments up to two times Established Financial Limit (EFL) A plus the authorization of payments and collections. The incumbent contributes significantly to the effective financial management, participation in solving financial problems and the accurate accounting of international funds on behalf of NATO nations and military commanders. In doing so, the incumbent is the final checker in the process to cost-effectively utilized limited funds. The incumbent contributes to mission objectives by establishing, monitoring and improving the supply, travel, procurement, and fiscal procedures along with the HQs wide use of the automated financial accounting system. Budfin branch also provides direct support of smooth, daily operational mission objectives through support to various peace-time and deployed Headquarters activities, Exercises and PwP activities, which frequently are conducted out of country, and travel requirements for CAOC individual travellers. Failure to fully achieve success in all aspects of this effort would have a negative effect on achievement of the Commander’s plans, policies, and objectives in all functional elements of the Headquarters. The successful accomplishment of these tasks will directly contribute to the Commander’s ability to exercise C3 functions in accordance with his operational and funding priorities
• Supervisory Responsibilities: Dependent on requirements may be required to direct and supervise the work priorities of a CAOC “ad hoc” or permanent team
This post reports to: OAC BXFX 0010 - Branch Head (Finance and Accounting) - A3/G17 and OKT GXBX 0010 - Office Head (Finance and Purchasing) - OF-4
7. CONTRACT
The successful candidate will receive a three-year definite duration contract which may be followed by an indefinite duration contract.
The basic entry-level monthly salary for a NATO Grade G15 in Spain is Euro 6,239.02 which may be augmented by allowances based on the selected staff member’s eligibility, and which is subject to the withholding of approximately 20% for pension and medical insurance contributions.
8. HOW TO APPLY: Important notice to candidates on use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):As part of our commitment to a fair and merit-based recruitment process, detection of AI usage at any stage of the process (including AI-generated application forms) will result in the immediate disqualification of your application.You are welcome to use AI tools for basic spell-checking/grammar correctness only. We appreciate your integrity and look forward to assessing your genuine skills and experience.
HQ JFC Naples uses NATO Talent Acquisition Platform.
In order to apply for this vacancy, please visit the platform at: https://nato.taleo.net/careersection/2/jobsearch.ftl?lang=en, and search for vacancies within HQ JFC Naples with duty location Torrejon, Spain. Note that once you created your profile, it may be used for other similar vacancies within NATO.
Employment pre-requisites:
Candidates are invited to submit their applications only if:
They are nationals of a NATO member country
They are over 21 and under 60 years of age at the time of taking up their appointments. Appointments of definite duration may be offered to candidates of 60 years of age or more, provided that the expiry date of the contract is not later than the date at which the candidate attains the age of 65.
Additional information:
A NATO security clearance and approval of the candidate’s medical file by the NATO Medical Adviser are essential conditions for appointment to this post. Applicants are not required to possess a clearance at the time of applying, but they must be eligible for a clearance. HQ JFC Naples will take action to obtain the required security clearance from the successful candidates’ national authorities. The selected candidate will be affiliated to the NATO Defined Contribution Pension Scheme (DCPS).