Finance Officer

Finance Officer

Fair Trials Europe

Brussels, Belgium

RESPONSIBLE TO: Financial Controller (London)
LOCATION: Avenue Brugmann 12 A, 1060, Saint Gilles, Brussels
HOURS: 5 days per week (38.0 hours)
SALARY: Full time equivalent salary of up to €3,800 gross per month (plus 13^th month and holiday allowance and benefits)

JOB PURPOSE

To provide financial leadership, advice and support to Fair Trials’ Brussels-based foundation and its charitable activities. The role will work closely with the Brussels team of lawyers and communications experts and the London-based finance and operations team to ensure the Brussels charity, its office and its finances are efficiently managed.

RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Financial Reporting

• Support the financial aspects of grant applications and grant agreement processes including budgets;
• Manage Fair Trials’ own financial reporting for grants supplied by the European Commission and other funders following required processes;
• Support full consortium financial reporting for projects including review of partner financial reports and back-up – liaise with partner contacts as necessary;
• Develop and maintain strong working knowledge of European Commission and other funder financial reporting requirements;
• Help the CFO and Director of Finance (London) monitor progress of projects against project and organisational budgets;
• Assist CFO and Director of Finance with project kick-off meetings, reporting instructions and advice to partners;
• Liaise with the in-house team and European Commission contacts as necessary to deal with enquiries;
• Ensure that transactions are coded accurately according to project budgets and in line with funder requirements;
• Provide day to day financial and administrative support to the Legal and Policy Director (Europe),  Legal & Policy Team, and Communications teams working locally;
• Ensure all documentation for the Brussels Office is maintained to a high quality in an audit-ready state - assist with preparing for and responding to project audits and enquiries;
• Support all areas of financial reporting including statutory, budgeting, forecasting, and quarterly reporting for the charity.

2. Financial administration

• Manage payroll and benefits for the Brussels team;
• Manage banking arrangements and payments and ensure agreed procedures are adhered to;
• Manage petty cash ensuring that accurate records are maintained and agreed procedures adhered to;
• Ensure credit card back-up and analysis is compiled monthly in full for approval;
• Support the CFO and Director of Finance in preparing finance documentation for the organisation’s annual external audit and statutory filings; and
• Ensure timely submission of financial information and other local Belgian reporting requirements to the relevant authorities including organisational data required by the EC Portal.

3. Operations

• Ensure timesheets for all Brussels staff and contractors are completed monthly and signed by both the employee and their manager;
• Manage day rate calculations for grants where required;
• Maintain all holiday records and ensure payroll records properly reflect absences;
• Support procurement processes including vetting and summarising financial quotes received by line managers but also leading on major purchases to ensure efficiency and value for money is achieved;
• Work with the CFO, Director of Finance and social secretariat and other advisers where necessary to ensure HR needs of local staff are met including starters, leavers, contracts of employment, employment regulations;
• Work with the CFO and Director of Finance (and, where appropriate external specialist advisors) to ensure legal obligations are met - employment laws, health and safety, local governance, data protection;
• Work with the CFO and Director of Finance (and, where appropriate external specialist advisors) to ensure contracts are put in place for all contractors that meet legal requirements and funder reporting needs;
• Maintain the Brussels office (liaising with London as necessary) including:
  • Utilities;
  • Services including maintenance and cleaning;
  • Stationery and office supplies;
  • The Landlord;
  • Local taxes;
  • Insurances;
  • Other infrastructure needs.

4. Other

• Carry out any other duties commensurate with the post;
• Assist the local regional head with local operational issues as needed.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential

• The right to work in Belgium;
• Educated to at least degree level with professional qualification;
• At least 5 years work experience in a financial supporting role;
• A high level of competency with spreadsheets, databases and Microsoft Office based IT;
• Highly organised and systematic with effective time-management skills;
• A high level of numeracy and attention to detail;
• Excellent communication skills – verbal and written, with fluency in English;
• A quick learner used to working well under pressure;
• Self-confident and an ability to take the initiative, manage own time and workload;
• A team-player and a willingness to be flexible according to the current demands of the charity;
• Sympathetic to the goals of the charity;
• Language skills (in particular fluency in French would be a distinct advantage);
• Experience of budgeting, monitoring expenditure and preparing financial reports for funders.

ABOUT FAIR TRIALS

Fair Trials is the global criminal justice watchdog, campaigning for fairness, equality and justice.

Our team of independent experts exposes threats to justice through original research and identifies practical changes to fix them. We campaign to change policies, support strategic litigation, reform policy and develop international standards and best practice. We do this by supporting local movements for reform and building partnerships with lawyers, activists, academics and other NGOs.

We recognise the value of our employees, individually and collectively and are committed to investing in their welfare. Together, we can make a change.

See our website for more information about how we work: Fair Trials | Fairness, equality, justice.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Fair Trials is a fast growing and dynamic organization. It is growing not only its income but also its influence in the criminal justice field. The role provides an opportunity for an ambitious, technically strong and outgoing individual to provide financial leadership, advice and support to Fair Trials’ Brussels-based foundation and its charitable activities. The role will require someone who is hands on but also analytical and able to work effectively with financial and non-financial staff both within and outside the organisation.

Reporting to the Financial Controller (London), this will be an important role in ensuring:

• excellent management of Finance and Operations for the Brussels office in collaboration with the London office;
• ongoing improvements in all aspects of finance for the entity;
• Good quality grant budgets and reporting are carried out;
• High quality support for the team in Brussels as required.

This is an exciting role with plenty of scope to play a role in contributing to the development of Fair Trials finance function in the future.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this role, please send a CV and cover letter identifying how you meet the job description to recruitment@fairtrials.net (include “Finance Officer” in the subject).

Please note that applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis so please apply as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close the role prior to the closing date should a suitable applicant be found, so please submit your application as soon as possible.

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Belgium     NGO and Political     Operations (Accounts, HR, IT)     Fair Trials Europe