Budget Officer
JOB DETAIL
1. SUMMARY
The mission of the Operations Division of the International Staff is to prepare NATO for the defence of Alliance territory, to respond to crises at home and abroad, and to strengthen the capabilities of partners. The Operations Division advances the core tasks of the Alliance (Collective Defence, Crisis Management, Cooperative Security) by providing policy recommendations, situational awareness, advance planning, well-exercised and executed crisis-response, and outcome-oriented defence and related security cooperation programmes.
The Front Office is responsible for the coordination of activities within and outside the Operations Division and provides support and advice to the Operations Division on organisational, budgetary, administrative, human resource and technical issues, as well as procedural advice to the Committees under the auspices of the Operations Division.
In the Front Office, the Budget Officer is responsible for the preparation, submission, financial management and execution of the Division’s budget. In addition, s/he will be responsible for a wide range of issues related to financial and budgetary matters. The Budget Officer’s responsibilities will include the financial oversight of the extra-budgetary funds (Trust Funds and EBF) managed by the Operations Division, as well as all financial issues related to the management of the NATO Satellite Offices, including the NALT in Kosovo, and staff working for the Operations Division in partner countries. As required, the Budget Officer will undertake ad hoc assignments and special projects.
The incumbent reports to the Executive Officer and will also act as Deputy Executive Officer.
Due to the nature of the work of the Division, adaptability and availability to carry out tasks at short notice and under tight deadlines are major requirements in this particular area of work.
2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE
ESSENTIAL
The incumbent must:
- possess a university degree, preferably in the area of economics or finance;
- have at least 5 years of relevant experience executing similar duties, in particular related to budgeting;
- possess financial management expertise in public/private sector environments;
- be proficient in the use of financial software programmes, databases, and software support packages (ERP or similar, excel etc.);
- have the capacity to learn and adapt to a fast-pace environment;
- possess very good organisational, multi-tasking and time-management skills;
- possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; and I (“Beginner”) in the other;
- be able to travel and work outside normal office hours when necessary.
DESIRABLE
The following would be considered an advantage:
- experience working in a major International Organization or international environment;
- knowledge of the areas of work covered by the Operations Division;
- knowledge of NATO structures, practices and procedures, including the NATO Financial Regulations.
3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES
Expertise Development
Advise and actively contribute to the broad range of initiatives and projects undertaken within the Division in coordination with other Divisions, Independent Offices and International Military Staff (IMS), as required. Provide guidance related to budgetary procedures and financial management. Apply and keep up to date the expertise required to advise the Operations Division on the deployment of business projects, including information systems and other non-technical projects aimed at supporting the Operations Division and its activities. Contribute to the development, and ensure implementation, of policies related to budgets.
Financial Management
In close coordination with the Operations Division’s Senior Management, Directors and Section Heads, Executive Officer and the Office of Financial Controller prepare the Division’s Medium Term Financial Plan, prepare and execute the Division’s annual budget and proposals for changes to the Establishment, and prepare the mid-year Budget review, in accordance with applicable procedures. Ensure close monitoring of budget execution both for the civil budget and for extra-budgetary funds managed by the Division (Trust Funds and EBF). Ensure the financial management, governance and oversight of the programmes funded by extra-budgetary funds managed by the Operations Division; In line with the NATO Financial Regulations, manage the expenditures of the Division including the civil budget of the Situation Centre (SITCEN) and NATO Satellite Offices as appropriate.
Information Management
Prepare correspondence, documents and reports on matters pertaining to the divisional budget and the financial management.
Knowledge Management
Ensure relevant budget and financial management matters are shared with concerned parties within the Division. Inform divisional staff of all procedural and administrative changes, upcoming projects and subjects of interest in a timely fashion. Develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) as necessary, and coordinate the Division’s annual report on target achievements.
Project Management
Work on specific business projects as required. Assume accountability and drive divisional budget management to completion.
Stakeholder Management
Serve as the Operations Division internal and external point of contact for all financial, budgetary related issues affecting the Division. Maintain close contact with colleagues in similar positions to ensure an exchange of information and best practices implementation. Represent the Division and NATO’s interests, as required, in committees, task forces, working groups and conferences, as directed.
Perform any other related duties as assigned.
4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS
The incumbent reports to the Executive Officer, maintains a close relationship with Senior Management of the Operations Division, Directors and Section Heads, Heads of Satellite Offices, as well as with relevant officials in other Divisions and Independent Offices, in particular with the Executive Management Division and the Office of Financial Control for budgetary/financial issues.
Direct reports: N/a
Indirect reports: N/a.
5. COMPETENCIES
The incumbent must demonstrate:
- Analytical Thinking: Sees multiple relationships;
- Achievement: Works to meet standards;
- Clarity and Accuracy: Checks own work;
- Conceptual Thinking: Applies learned concepts;
- Customer Service Orientation: Takes personal responsibility for correcting problems;
- Empathy: Is open to others’ perspectives;
- Impact and Influence: Takes multiple actions to persuade;
- Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation;
- Teamwork: Solicits inputs and encourages others.
7. 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
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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.
