Assistant (Principal Budget)

Job Posting Organization:
Allied Land Command (LANDCOM) HQ serves as the Theatre Land Component and Land Advocate responsible for coordinating and synchronizing NATO and Partner Land Forces. The organization focuses on enabling land domain readiness, interoperability, standardization, and competency. LANDCOM is prepared to deploy headquarters elements to provide planning, coordination, and command capabilities to Allied forces. The G8 Directorate within LANDCOM is tasked with drafting, proposing, and executing budgets, managing financial control, accounting, purchasing, and contracting. The organization is committed to ensuring effective financial management and operational readiness across NATO forces.

Job Overview:
The Assistant (Principal Budget) plays a crucial role in supporting the Branch Head in the preparation, execution, and administration of the LANDCOM budget. This position involves drafting budget calls, collecting inputs from staff, evaluating budget requests, and developing justifications for budget estimates. The Assistant is responsible for managing the budget software system, ensuring compliance with NATO Financial Regulations, and preparing monthly reports on budget execution. The role requires coordination with divisional fund managers to address budgetary issues and assist in the preparation of ad hoc reports for the Command Group. The Assistant also provides training to Fund Managers on budget-related matters and may act as a backup disbursing officer, ensuring that all budget records are maintained for audit purposes. This position is essential for the financial health of LANDCOM and directly impacts the organization's ability to fulfill its mission.

Duties and Responsibilities:
The incumbent's duties include assisting the Branch Head in screening, preparing, presenting, executing, and administering the annual budget and delegated budgets. Responsibilities also involve drafting budget calls, collecting budget inputs from staff, evaluating requests, and developing justifications for budget estimates. The Assistant is directly responsible for managing the budget software system, preparing and controlling approved international budgets, and reviewing proposed budget transfer requests for compliance with NATO Financial Regulations. The role requires collecting, analyzing, and arranging budget-related data from various sources, submitting monthly reports on budget execution, and authorizing budget requests concerning international funds. The Assistant coordinates with divisional fund managers regarding fund commitment status and financial limitations, assists in preparing travel and hospitality fund-related budgets, and helps develop new procedures to improve budget processes. The incumbent may also assume tasks on behalf of the Branch Head and holds budgetary control authority for assigned programs.

Required Qualifications:
Candidates must possess a background in business finance, banking, or insurance, with skills in planning, directing, organizing, and controlling financial activities. The role requires the ability to work under general direction, using discretion to identify and respond to complex issues. Effective communication skills and the ability to interact with colleagues and customers are essential. Candidates should demonstrate an analytical and systematic approach to problem-solving, as well as the ability to plan, schedule, and monitor work competently within deadlines. A broad knowledge of policies and the interrelationship between operational requirements and international funding rules is necessary, along with the ability to interpret complex directives and translate them into procedural guidance.

Educational Background:
The educational requirements for this position include higher secondary education with completed vocational training leading to a formal technical or professional certification, accompanied by three years of function-related experience. Alternatively, candidates may have secondary education with advanced vocational training leading to a professional qualification or accreditation, along with five years of post-related experience. Job-specific qualifications and experience take precedence over standard educational requirements in cases of ambiguity.

Experience:
Candidates should have a minimum of five years of experience in financial administration, with recent operational experience in a senior headquarters environment being essential. Familiarity with commonly accepted business and military accounting methods, as well as experience with Oracle Financials and/or the NATO Automated Finance System (FinS), is highly desirable. The role requires a solid understanding of budget management and financial reporting.

Languages:
Proficiency in English is mandatory, with a required language skill level of SLP 3322 (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing). Knowledge of the host nation language is also required, as the work is conducted mainly in English, both orally and in writing.

Additional Notes:
The successful candidate will receive a three-year definite duration contract, which may be followed by an indefinite duration contract. The first six months of employment will serve as a probationary period, during which performance will be assessed. Candidates must be nationals of a NATO member country and aged between 21 and 60 at the time of appointment. The position may require operational deployments for a maximum of six months. Members of the staff may receive various allowances and tax exemptions as per the Civilian Personnel Regulations. NATO is committed to diversity and inclusion, and all applicants are reminded to comply with Host Nation residency requirements.