Head of Accounting at NATO

Brussels, Brussels-Capital, Belgium -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

10 Aug, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

12 May, 26

Experience

10 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Financial Management, Accounting Policy Development, IPSAS, IFRS, ERP Systems, People Management, Project Management, Budgetary Control, Strategic Leadership, Financial Integrity, Oracle e-Business Suite, SAP, Analytical Thinking, Conceptual Thinking, Stakeholder Collaboration, Compliance

Industry

IT Services and IT Consulting

Description

1. 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) and its civil budget. The incumbent provides strategic and operational leadership for the Accounting Service to ensure the Organization’s financial integrity. The incumbent is responsible for financial and accounting transactions of the Civil Budget and other NATO budgets and they lead the development of accounting policies and procedures. When required, they might deputize for the Financial Controller or Branch Head in line with the delegated authority. 2. QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE The incumbent must: • hold a university degree in economics, accounting, business administration, public administration, finance, management or related discipline, and have a professional accounting certification issued by a recognised chartered institute of accountants; • have at least 8 years’ relevant experience in an International Organisation, government or commercial accounting, including experience in managing or leading teams; • have proven experience in dealing with sophisticated, high-end ERP systems such as Oracle e-Business Suite or SAP; • possess the following minimum levels of NATO’s official languages (English/French): V (“Advanced”) in one; IV (“Upper-Intermediate”) in the other. The following would be considered an advantage: • experience in policy review and/or development; • familiarity with the organisation and operation of NATO; and • have demonstrated knowledge and experience in the use of IPSAS, IFRS or equivalent accounting standards. • possession of a valid professional accounting certification issued by a recognised chartered institute of accountants. 3. MAIN ACCOUNTABILITIES Project Management: Direct, coordinate, and oversee multiple accounting and finance-related initiatives to ensure they meet regulatory standards. Provide strategic financial oversight and guidance to accounting activities and system enhancements to ensure all activities are delivered on time and at the highest quality. Expertise Development: Develop and maintain advanced IPSAS expertise across the finance and accounting function, ensuring the team is fully equipped to apply public sector accounting standards consistently and accurately. Identify and bridge skills gaps to ensure all policies, procedures, and best practices remain aligned with evolving reporting requirements. People Management: Build, lead, and develop a high-performing accounting team. Set clear expectations, assign responsibilities, and ensure professional development to maintain strong technical expertise and compliance standards. Conduct regular performance management while fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture that encourages continuous improvement. Financial Management: Lead the Accounting Service in managing NATO’s financial integrity. Drive organizational efficiency through process automation and stakeholder collaboration while ensuring all budgetary commitments strictly adhere to NATO Financial Regulations. Perform any other related duty as assigned. 4. INTERRELATIONSHIPS Reporting Line: The incumbent reports to the Head, Accounting and Finance Branch. Interactions: The incumbent supervises a team of Officers & Assistants. They work in close collaboration with other Divisions and Independent Offices. Direct reports: 1 Indirect reports: 5 5. 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, addressing underlying customer needs; • Impact and Influence: Uses indirect influence; • Initiative: Is decisive in a time-sensitive situation; • Teamwork: Solicits inputs and encourages others. 6. CONTRACT Contract to be offered to the successful applicant (if non-seconded): Definite duration contract of three years; possibility of renewal for up to three years, during which the incumbent may apply for conversion to an indefinite duration contract. Contract clause applicable: In accordance with the contract policy, this is a post in which turnover is desirable for political reasons in order to be able to accommodate the Organisation's need to carry out its tasks as mandated by the Nations in a changing environment, for example by maintaining the flexibility necessary to shape the Organisation's skills profile, and to ensure appropriate international diversity. The maximum period of service foreseen in this post is 6 years. The successful applicant will be offered a 3-year definite duration contract, which may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years. However, according to the procedure described in the contract policy the incumbent may apply for conversion to an indefinite contract during the period of renewal and no later than one year before the end of contract. If the successful applicant is seconded from the national administration of one of NATO’s member States, a 3-year definite duration contract will be offered, which may be renewed for a further period of up to 3 years subject also to the agreement of the national authority concerned. The maximum period of service in the post as a seconded staff member is six years. Serving staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Régulations. 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 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. When submitting your application, please ensure that your Taleo Candidate Profile is updated and that your CV is correctly uploaded in the Taleo attachments section. 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 reference documents without proper quotes (plagiarism), or any tools available on internet, including but not limited to translation facilities, or generative artificial-intelligence (AI) 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 tools will be rejected without further consideration, and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate. 8. 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. NATO is committed to fostering an inclusive and accessible working environment, where all candidates living with disabilities can fully participate in the recruitment and selection process. If you require reasonable accommodation, please inform us during your selection process. Candidates will be required to provide documented medical evidence to support their request for accommodation. 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. NATO does not charge any application, processing, training, interviewing, testing or other fee in connection with the application or recruitment process. For more info please click here.

Responsibilities

The incumbent provides strategic and operational leadership for the Accounting Service to ensure NATO's financial integrity and manage civil budget transactions. They are responsible for developing accounting policies, overseeing finance-related initiatives, and leading a high-performing accounting team.