We are Europe’s research laboratory for the life sciences – an intergovernmental organisation performing scientific research in disciplines including molecular biology, physics, chemistry and computer science. We are an international, innovative and
interdisciplinary laboratory with more than 1900 employees from many nations, operating across six sites, in Heidelberg (HQ), Barcelona, Hinxton near Cambridge, Hamburg, Grenoble and Rome.
Based in Heidelberg, Germany, EMBL’s Budget Office is responsible for the financial administration of around 330 research grants, including assistance in budget preparation, monitoring and controlling expenditure against awarded budget and timely preparation and submission of financial reports to grant giving bodies.
Your role
Reporting to the Budget Office Deputy Head, you will be joining a team of 9, working closely with the Grants Services team and our Scientific groups, in addition to external funding agencies and auditors.

In this exciting new role, you will be back-filling for members of the team heavily involved in the implementation of Workday. You will have a broad range of responsibilities focusing on financial grant reporting and the management of internal and external budgets. Your responsibilities will include, but not be limited, to the following:

• Acting as the primary post-award contact for Principal Investigators, project managers and funding bodies
• Preparing and submitting financial reports for grants in line with compliance requirements from various funders
• Performing quality checks to ensure completeness, accuracy and conformance of expenditure with the Funding agency’s rules
• Supporting budget holders in efficient management of their budgets by providing accurate and timely financial data
• Providing proactive support and financial advice related to grants and internal budgetary issues to assist stakeholders in decision making
• Interpreting contractual documentation and analysing and applying the funders’ financial rules and regulations
• Contributing to the preparation of the Laboratory’s annual budget
• Supporting and administering internal and external audits
• Participating in ad-hoc projects during the implementation of Workday as our new ERP system

In this varied position you will also have the chance to support the implementation of improvement projects and ad hoc assignments.

You have

• A university degree in accountancy and finance, or equivalent experience
• Previous management accounting experience with a flair for budgetary control
• A knowledge of financial reporting principles
• Experience using ERP systems; SAP and Workday would be highly advantageous
• Fluency in English is required; German would be a strong advantage

As our ideal candidate, you will be a skilled project financial controller with a University degree in Finance and solid experience in accounting/controlling. You should possess sound knowledge of budgetary control, basic accounting concepts and financial reporting principles. You are a team player but also able to work independently. We are looking for a candidate with good communication and interpersonal skills as well as solid knowledge of the usual office software packages, especially Excel. Experience with modern ERP systems is a prerequisite, preferably with Workday and SAP while knowledge of SAP Business Objects is highly desirable. Fluency in English is required and a good working knowledge of German will be considered a strong advantage.

You might also have

• Professional accounting qualifications
• Grants administration experience within an international organisation or an organisation engaged in research would be an advantage
• Knowledge of French and Spanish is also advantageous
• SAP Business Objects experience, experience working in Workday

** Don’t meet every single requirement? We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply nevertheless.
Contract duration: Please note that this is a limited project related appointment for 2 years.
Grading: 6; depending on experience and qualifications (monthly salary starting from €4,459 after tax, excl. pension & insurances) + benefits
Why join us
EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation.
We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Enjoy lots of benefits:

• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, long-term care, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances
• Flexible working arrangements
• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)
• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to public holidays
• Relocation package including installation grant (if applicable)
• Campus life: Free shuttle bus (select sites), on-site library, subsidised on-site gym and cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)
• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances
• Benefits for international newcomers: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance.

What else you need to know

• International applicants: We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions. Visit our

International Applicants
page,
-

Diversity and inclusion: At EMBL, we strongly believe that inclusive and diverse teams benefit from higher levels of innovation and creative thought. We encourage applications from women, LGBTQ+ & individuals from all nationalities.

• How to apply: To apply please submit a cover letter and a CV through our online system. We aim to provide a response within two weeks after the closing date.

Closing Date
02/03/2025

• Acting as the primary post-award contact for Principal Investigators, project managers and funding bodies
• Preparing and submitting financial reports for grants in line with compliance requirements from various funders
• Performing quality checks to ensure completeness, accuracy and conformance of expenditure with the Funding agency’s rules
• Supporting budget holders in efficient management of their budgets by providing accurate and timely financial data
• Providing proactive support and financial advice related to grants and internal budgetary issues to assist stakeholders in decision making
• Interpreting contractual documentation and analysing and applying the funders’ financial rules and regulations
• Contributing to the preparation of the Laboratory’s annual budget
• Supporting and administering internal and external audits
• Participating in ad-hoc projects during the implementation of Workday as our new ERP syste