Director of Finance

Post Context

Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFCNF) provides a resilient, static Joint headquarters to plan, prepare and conduct operations across all domains in peacetime, crisis and conflict, in order to support NATO's three core tasks, at the Joint Operational level, as directed by SACEUR.

The Finance Directorate (J8) is responsible for all financial management operations and the correct application of all appropriated and non-appropriated funds approved for use by JFCNF.

The incumbent is responsible for the full spectrum of budgeting, contracting, accounting, financial management activities in JFCNF as well as for the Internal Control and Risk Management within the Finance Directorate / J8.

Principal Duties :

• As the Finance Director / J8 and HQ JFCNF's Financial Controller serves as senior responsible executive for all financial management operations in the HQ.
• Forecasts, monitors, executes and accounts for appropriated and non-appropriated fund budgets in accordance with NATO financial regulations, published directives and other instructions provided by SHAPE
• Performs financial analysis of military requirements to ensure the most economical use of limited resources.
• Assists in the preparation of the centralized resource planning Medium Term Resources Plan (MTRP), Consolidated Resource Proposals (CRP) and AOM Resources Requirement Plan (ARRP) and promulgates budgetary and financial guidance in accordance with the resource planning goals.
• Advises the Commander regarding all budget and finance-related and contractual issues and processes; his / her assessments constitute binding advice and can only be overruled by the ACO FC through COM HQ- initiative.
• Represents COM JFC to the BC, the RPPB, the IC, and other ACO- committees, boards, working groups, etc., as required. In this function he provides additional information and justification;

he / she answers to specific questions with respect to budget, MOU's, contracts, invoices and other activities having financial implications.

• Advices on the adequacy, status, propriety of utilization, and potential availability of resources provided by the BC, Multinational Agreements between participating NATO Nations, Command Morale and Welfare Activities, and advance funding from other supported nations and agencies.
• Develops and executes financial, budgetary, accounting, treasury and procurement policies and procedures as well as financial annexes and supporting budgets for operational and contingency plans and participates in committees related to operational planning.
• Prepares budget estimates for JFCNF, during deployments and provides budgetary, accounting and P&C services to deployed NATO and multinational headquarters.
• Conducts budget pre-screenings during the execution process and annual budget preparation process and presents the financial position to the ACO Financial Controller and the Budget Committee (BC) through the HQ Chain of Command.
• Develops procedures to control the execution of appropriated funds in accordance with the NATO Financial Regulations and in accordance with supplementing instructions given by the SHAPE and BC and provides advise on a variety of HQ - Boards and Committees covering appropriated and non-appropriated funds and coordinates on all decisions with financial implications.
• Is the Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR) for policy affecting the procurement, contracting, receipt, accounting, disposal for command expenditures and property.
• Monitors all procurement and contracting activities in accordance with NATO and SC guidance and directives and directs / tasks agencies.
• Responsible for the submission of the Headquarters' Financial Statements in accordance with all applicable ACO Directives, end-of-year instructions and IPSAS (International Public Sector Accounting Standards).
• Provide subjects (based on risk management) to ACO to be audited by the ACO Audit and Inspection Branch, to monitor fiscal and procedural compliance to NATO Financial Regulations, ACO Financial Directives, and supports ACO Audit & Inspection Branch and International Board of Auditor activities.
• Establishes and maintains a Financial Risk Register and an Internal Control Framework within the Finance Directorate / J8 based on the NFRs and further guidance by the ACO FINCON.

Essential Qualifications / Experience :

• Masters Degree or equivalent in finance, accounting, business administration, economics, public administration or related discipline and 6 years post related experience.
• At least 15 years experience in Budgeting, Accounting or Financial Management with a minimum of 5 years in higher managerial positions commensurate with the responsibilities of this position.
• Knowledge and / or experience working with international accounting and auditing standards.
• Knowledge and / or experience in public accounting, banking or funds management.
• Knowledge and / or experience in purchasing and contracting.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively represent and defend budget submissions.
• Excellent presentational skills.

Language :

English - SLP 3333 - (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)

Desirable Qualifications / Experience :

• Experience in IPSAS.
• Experience in international business operations.
• Practical knowledge of military organizations.
• Business experience outside the continental United States.
• Professional accreditation as certified public accountant, certified government financial manager or equivalent.
• Resource Management Education Programme (RMEP) Course (ETE-FI-2708) provided by NATO - School Oberammergau (NSO)

Attributes / Competencies :

Personal Attributes

Capable of working harmoniously in a multi-national environment. Capable of representing the Command in a professional manner.

Must be able to work effectively with senior military and civilian personnel. Must be able to effectively represent the Command at a multinational level.

Professional Contacts

Internal coordination with other Division Heads. External coordination with ACO and other NATO entities. Negotiation and consultations with Host Nations (i.

e. MODs, Treasuries, Ministry of Labour) at Secretary level for financial and economic liaison. Represents the COM at the BC.

Contribution To Objectives

Responsible to COM JFC for the proper administration and expenditure of all military budget financial resources allocated to JFC HQ.

The successful management of financial resources is considered vital to the achievement of the objectives and mission of the Headquarters.

Furthermore the efficiency of his performance has a material impact on the overall NATO military budget, and as such is critical to maintenance of NATO's military capabilities.

There are first line reporting responsibilities for the following numbers of staff : 2 A4 / G20; 1 OR-6; 1 A2 / G15; 1 OF-3; 1 OF-4

Security Clearance

The successful applicant will be required to apply for and receive a NATO Secret Security Clearance prior to final confirmation of contract and commencement of employment.

Contract

In accordance with NFRs, the Financial Controller of a NATO body shall be appointed for a period of three years which may be renewed one time only for a further three-year period.

Serving NATO International Civilian staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.

Newly recruited staff will be offered a three-year definite duration contract.

Notes for Candidates

The JFC Norfolk Website gives full details on the eligibility criteria and application processes to be adopted by all candidates.

However, candidates should particularly note :

Please answer each of the pre-screening questions completely in English. Expressions such as : "please see attached CV, please see annex, please see enclosed document, etc" are not acceptable;

this is a cause of immediate rejection of the application.

Particular attention should be given to Education and Experience section of your application form, which should be populated with details of your career to date and educational achievements and certifications as they relate to your application.

The candidature of NATO redundant staff at grade A5 / NG22 will be considered with priority.

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.

This vacancy will close on 12 June @ 17 : 59hrs (EDT) / 11 : 59hrs (CEST).