Accounting and Grants Associate

Category	Jobs
Location	Brussels, Belgium
Summary	The Accounting and Grants Associate is a member of the finance team. The position holder will work closely with the field-based teams, Brussels office, and Washington-based divisions within Search for Common Ground. The position reports to the Chief Financial Officer, based in Washington, DC. The purpose of the position is to: 1) Perform financial management and accounting in a professional, efficient, effective, and legal manner to maintain and strengthen the effectiveness and confidence of donors. 2) Develop a strategy for financial, accounting and grants management in accordance with the EU and Belgium policies and procedures. 3) Implement strategic plan for financial, accounting and grants activities as determined by Senior Management.
Responsibilities	Lead budget design for proposals as required; Conduct EU and Belgium-based grants reporting and accounting; Develop expertise on EU and Belgian government regulations, specifically in the areas of financial policies and procedures; Prepare a Field Financial Manual for Field Offices on EU grant policies and procedures; Produce and implement accurate budgets and financial information for all EU and Belgian government grant applications in support of grant proposals, in consultation with program managers; Work in direct liaison with field finance personnel to ensure proper follow-up and reporting on project spending in compliance with external report requirements; Prepare the timely receipt of payment requests of donors; Ensure grants and contracts compliance; Liaise with the appropriate financial auditors to fulfill all contractual obligations; Process payments for the Brussels bank accounts and additional administrative duties related to the Brussels office; Work closely with the Washington-based Accounting and Grants staff to ensure proper recordation of costs into organizational accounting system.
Minimum Qualifications	Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, auditing, or related field; Minimum of two years of work experience in grant management with EC and Belgian regulations, with at least one year of experience in NGO environment; EC experience (working with the EC and/or as a donor) preferred; Experience with International Accounting Standards; Ability to prepare budgets and experience with Microsoft Excel; Ability to monitor and report on budgets, including invoice reporting, and liaise with auditors; Strong organizational skills; Ability to work well under pressure with strong attention to detail; English fluency; French proficiency (including written); Eligible to work in the EU Ability to travel overseas on short notice; Flexibility and a sense of humour.
Salary	Commensurate with experience and education, with excellent benefits
To Apply	Please send a cover letter and resume to employment@sfcg.org or fax to +1 (202) 232-6718 with the subject heading: Accounting and Grants Associate – Brussels. Please be sure to include minimum salary requirements (in currency figures) or current salary, projected start date, and to mention where you found this posting. No phone calls please. Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. Please see our web site www.sfcg.org for full details of our work.