The role

ECMWF is undergoing significant change, and this is a particularly exciting time to be joining the Centre.

ECMWF is looking for an exceptional Accounting Officer to join our Finance team. This position will be based in Reading, UK and will be an integral part of the Finance Section in the Administration Department at ECMWF. You will report directly to the Senior Management Accountant and be part of a highly motivated and competent team.

You will play a key part in the financial processes of ECMWF by taking responsibility for ensuring effective financial control across three duty stations, as well as managing cashflow and investment of both surplus funds and pensions. This role supports all areas of the financial cycle, from setting the budget to preparing monthly management accounts and producing annual financial statements.

This position will be perfect for an individual who embraces change and continuously looks to improve financial controls and processes and will be an exciting challenge for the right person as the finance team embarks on many new initiatives.

About ECMWF

ECMWF is the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. It is an intergovernmental organisation created in 1975 by a group of European nations and is today supported by 34 Member and Co-operating States, mostly in Europe. The Centre’s mission is to serve and support its Member and Co-operating States and the wider community by developing and providing world-leading global numerical weather prediction. ECMWF functions as a 24/7 research and operational centre with a focus on medium and long-range predictions and holds one of the largest meteorological archives in the world. The success of its activities relies primarily on the talent of its scientists, strong partnerships with its Member and Co-operating States and the international community, some of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, and the use of innovative technologies such as machine learning across its operations.

ECMWF has recently become a multi-site organisation, with its headquarters based in Reading, UK, a new data centre in Bologna, Italy, and new offices in Bonn, Germany.

ECMWF has adopted a hybrid organisation model which allows its staff to mix office working and teleworking. This model provides our staff with considerable flexibility to spend time outside or away from their duty station and decide how they wish to manage their professional working time at ECMWF.

For additional details, see www.ecmwf.int/.

About the Finance Section

The Finance Section is part of the Administration Department at ECMWF and has a wide-ranging set of responsibilities all related to the management and control of the finances at ECMWF. This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• ensuring that the highest standards of financial control are implemented and maintained across the Centres 3 sites
• providing decision-making support and analysis to all parts of the organisation through the production of timely and accurate management and financial reports
• ensuring that ECMWF meets its financial obligations under its Convention, regulations and its Council’s decisions
• production of statutory financial records
• managing the relationship with the Centre’s auditors
• production and implementation of the Centre’s annual budget (currently with costs c.£170m)
• maintaining the finances for the Centre externally funded activities including 2 major programmes funded by the European Union ​​​​​​​

Responsibilities

This post is crucial to the development and management of both existing and new systems of control and reporting. The duties and responsibilities are wide-ranging and will include but are not limited to:

Financial reporting and controls

• Responsibility for preparation of Annual Financial Statements of Account with particular emphasis of IPSAS compliance
• ERP Financial Control and Structure Management including:
  • Chart of Accounts
  • Development and maintenance of rules, attributes and relations
  • Year End Rollover
  • Foreign Exchange rates and revaluation overview
• Responsible for maintenance and compliance of both Financial Regulations and Delegation of Authority including full involvement in any proposed changes and preparation of Finance Committee/Council documents as necessary
• Responsible for control and maintenance of the Finance Manual which contains the Centre’s financial processes and procedures

Post Management processes and reporting

• Set up process to manage all posts centrally, ideally developing systems to work with the ERP system
• Develop a flexible funding model that can be used to provide guidelines to management and allow flexibility to move funding for posts within constraints of rules and regulations
• Responsibility for Table of Posts and for maintaining a consolidated view of all posts

Banking & Investments

• Primary contact for all Banking relationships in all three host nations and control of banking activities to include:
  • Primary Approver on all bank payments to include:
    • Weekly supplier payments
    • Monthly salaries and pensions
  • Control for issuance of all purchase cards
  • Responsibility for Cashflow Reporting and Forecasting
  • Responsibility for investment strategy for surplus funds
• Member of ECMWF Pension Scheme Investment Committee (PSIC) and production of Pensions report for PSIC and investing in Pension funds

Other

• Evaluation and advising on financial aspects of core funded procurement bids
• Primary contact for UK Foreign and Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) relationship including
  • Oversight of VAT claim process
  • Responsibility for VAT Exemption Status/Certificates

Education, experience, knowledge and skills (including language)

Education

• Internationally recognised professional accountancy qualification is required, and University degree (EQF Level 6) an advantage

Experience

• Strong demonstrated accounting experience, preferably in an international organisation or in the public sector
• Demonstrated experience in developing and improving financial control processes
• Demonstrated experience in the production of Financial Statement of Accounts and management of cashflow
• Experience of providing statistical analysis, for reporting for key decision-making, including the use of core accounting systems combined with report writers
• A good working knowledge and experience of using and reporting from Business World (previously known as Agresso) would be an advantage
• Knowledge and experience of accounting using the IPSAS framework would be an advantage

Knowledge and Skills

• Excellent working knowledge at advanced level of MS-Office (Word and Excel)
• Fluency in English is essential as candidates will be required to work effectively in English and interviews will be conducted in English
• Fluency in German or Italian would be an advantage

Personal attributes

• Solution-oriented with a strong understanding of how to evaluate the financial, commercial, and strategic implications of ECMWF’s activities
• Good relationship management skills, including the ability to gain credibility with key stakeholders across the organisation and the user community
• Ability to communicate complex financial concepts with scientific and technical staff that do not have a financial background and to develop a common understanding of the issues and potential resolutions
• Excellent writing and presentation skills with an ability to explain financial issues in terms which are accessible and understandable to all
• Capacity to manage a range of conflicting, and urgent issues to tight deadlines
• Strong analytical and excellent organisational skills are essential

Other information

Grade remuneration

The successful candidate will be recruited at the A2 grade, according to the scales of the Co-ordinated Organisations and the annual basic salary will be GBP 68,374.56 NET of tax. ECMWF also offers a generous benefits package, including a flexible teleworking policy. The position is assigned to the employment category STF-C as defined in the ECMWF Staff Regulations. Full details of salary scales and allowances available on the ECMWF website at www.ecmwf.int/en/about/jobs, including the ECMWF Staff Regulations and the terms and conditions of employment.

Starting date: As soon as possible

Length of contract: Four years, with the possibility of further extensions.

Location: The position will be based at ECMWF’s headquarters in Reading, UK.

As a multi-site organisation, ECMWF has adopted a hybrid organisation model which allows flexibility to staff to mix office working and teleworking.

Who can apply

Applicants are invited to complete the online application form by clicking on the apply button.

At ECMWF, we consider an inclusive environment as key for our success. We are dedicated to ensuring a workplace that embraces diversity and provides equal opportunities for all, without distinction as to race, gender, age, marital status, social status, disability, sexual orientation, religion, personality, ethnicity and culture. We value the benefits derived from a diverse workforce and are committed to having staff that reflect the diversity of the countries that are part of our community, in an environment that nurtures equality and inclusion.

Applications are invited from nationals from ECMWF Member States and Co-operating States:

ECMWF Member and Co-operating States are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, North Macedonia, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.

In these exceptional times, we also welcome applications from Ukrainian nationals for this vacancy.

Applications from nationals from other countries may be considered in exceptional cases.