Project and Finance Manager

Ref.: EUISS (2022) TEMP 002

Countering Foreign Interference. A project to strengthen EU CSDP capacities against foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI)

Title: Project and Finance Manager

Temporary Staff Member

Place of employment: Paris, France

Indicative starting date: 01/02/2023

Salary:

The gross salary for this position is EUR 5.000, subject to national taxes and social insurance. The Project and Finance Manager will be working full time from the EUISS headquarters in Paris.

Duration:

The initial contract will run for two years, with the possibility of an an extension within the limits of the duration of the Action itself, currently foreseen to end 31/12/2025.

Job description

The EUISS is leading the Countering Foreign Interference project, a multi-million EU-funded Action focused on enhancing knowledge and develop EU methodologies and tools to detect, analyse, assess, and based on that prevent, deter and counter threats emerging in the information space. This project aims to enable the EU to address foreign policy needs and forge new partnerships in the fields of information manipulation and other types of foreign interference. It will contribute to enhancing the resilience and responses against FIMI, strengthening the EU’s role as a global security provider and defender of democratic values. The EUISS assumes the managerial and secretarial responsibilities for the Action.

The EUISS is looking for a highly motivated and dynamic individual with a great sense of responsibility to support implementation of the Countering Foreign Interference project. The Project and Finance Manager will be in charge of finance, knowledge and administration. Specifically, he/she will be responsible for budget management, reporting, knowledge management as well as control and coordination of all financial and administrative processes related to the Action. He/she will report to the Project Co-Directors and will work closely with other members of the project team within the EUISS, and partner institutions.   

Main responsibilities

Financial coordination and reporting

Financial and administrative management of the grant, service and private contracts (e.g. of suppliers’ invoices; initiation of payments; management of customer and supplier accounts);

Prepare (annual/interim) cost statements for the project and ensure that expenses are properly incurred and are fully eligible under the rules of the funding bodies; keep the project team fully briefed on budget underspend and overspend.

Engage with EUISS departments involved in the project implementation (Finance, Administration and Personnel, Communication), partner organisations and other relevant parties to provide regular and end-of-year financial reporting.

Administrative and partner coordination

Contribute to manage contacts with service providers for project activities (e.g. hotels, catering services, etc.), collecting documentation relevant for the project reporting purposes (e.g. indicators reporting), in cooperation with the Project Officers;

Arrange contracting of experts and service providers as well as report for contracted experts;

Liaise with partner organisations regarding their project-related reporting obligations (e.g. collection and validation of timesheets, verification and validation of activity budgets, etc.) to ensure timely, high-quality, collaborative, and on-budget deliverables;

Other administrative matters related to the Countering Foreign Interference project contract in order to ensure on-time implementation of the project.

Knowledge management

Oversee the project’s knowledge management, facilitate information sharing within the team and with partner organisations, manage onboarding of new staff, assess learning needs;

Build an institutional memory of the project, keeping an historical track record of the project’s development and internal processes;

Gather data and information to inform leadership team, steering committee, and advisory board discussions on project’s performance and achievement of key objectives, identifying criticalities and areas of improvement.

Eligibility criteria

Prior knowledge of FIMI-related issues is not necessary to apply for this position. 

On the closing date for applications, candidates must fulfil all the following conditions:

• Be a national of a member state of the European Union;
• Enjoy full rights as a citizen to be attested at the moment of recruitment by a recent extract from judicial record and/or certificate of good conduct;
• Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by national law on military service;
• Be physically fit to perform the required duties.

Education

• A Masters’ degree in Finance, Management, Social Sciences, or other disciplines relevant to this position.

Selection criteria

Professional experience

• At least 2 years of work experience in project management, including administration, finance and reporting;
• Prior experience working with EU-funded projects, network coordination and/or knowledge of EU institutions and processes will be considered an asset.  

Qualifications and skills

• Excellent command of spoken and written English; knowledge of French will be an asset;
• Proficient use of common accounting softwares, IT tools and Microsoft technologies (Word, Excel, PowerPoint);
• Excellent communication skills and ability to deal with different stakeholders tactfully and confidentially;
• Ability to work under pressure and to deliver to high standards under tight deadlines;
• Good sense of initiative and problem-solving skills, an eye for detail;
• Ability to independently organise and prioritise a number of parallel tasks;
• High level of discretion and integrity;
• Excellent client/service orientation;
• Ability to work well in a team as well as autonomously;
• Ability to work effectively within a multicultural environment.

Procedure

The EUISS recruitment procedure is applicable.

All interested candidates must complete the online application form, and attach:

• A detailed CV in English (with a clear indication of educational attainment and professional experience);
• A cover letter in English addressed to the EUISS Director;

Applications received by email, fax or post will not be considered. Only correctly and fully completed applications will be accepted.

The deadline for submitting applications is 4 January 2023, 12:00 CET.

The Selection Board will screen the applications and establish a shortlist of candidates to be invited for an interview.

The successful candidate will be offered an initial contract of two years with a nine-month probationary period.

All applicants will be informed of the results of their application by the end of the procedure.

The EUISS is an equal opportunities employer and accepts applications without distinction on the grounds of age, race, political, philosophical or religious conviction, sex or sexual orientation and regardless of disabilities, marital status or family situation.

The processing of personal data by the EUISS is governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) N° 45/2001 and Decision N° 1247/2002/EC. By submitting an application, the applicant consents to the processing of the personal data contained in the application form and the supporting documents enclosed therewith, in the sense of Article 5.1 (a) of the Regulation. The personal data in question is collected by the EUISS for the sole purpose of this selection process.

Complaints: Candidates have the right to address to the Director of the EUISS an administrative complaint under Article 30.1 of the EUISS Staff Regulations. The complaint must be directed against an act that adversely affects their legal status as a candidate.

Candidates also have the right to submit an appeal to the EUISS Appeals Board, under Article 30.3 and Annex X of the EUISS Staff Regulations. Appeals are not admissible before an administrative complaint has first been made.

Candidates can make a complaint to the European Ombudsman. It should be noted that, under Article 2(4) of the general conditions governing the performance of the Ombudsman’s duties, any complaint lodged with the Ombudsman must be preceded by the appropriate administrative approaches to the institutions and bodies concerned.

Should a candidate have any questions related to the current vacancy notice or the selection procedure or the procedure to follow in case they want to lodge a complaint, they should contact Human Resources using the online contact form and indicating the reference of the vacancy notice.