Accounts Officer, EMBO Administration & Finance

Accounts Officer, EMBO Administration & Finance

EMBO – European Molecular Biology Organization

Heidelberg, Germany

Job Number: EMBO00155
Contract Type: Staff Member
Advertised Grade-Grading: 4-5 (monthly salary starting at 3.4k€ after tax, plus other paid benefits)
Contract Duration-Length of Time (years/months): 5 years, renewable up to 9 years
Closing date: 11 June 2024

About the team/job

EMBO (www.embo.org) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. We fund talented researchers at all career stages, facilitate scientific exchanges through high-quality academic publishing, conferences, and lectures, and foster a research environment where scientists can achieve their best work.

Our diverse international team of approximately 60 members hails from various countries, personal backgrounds, and professional fields, collaborating closely to further our mission. EMBO is located on the international EMBL life sciences research campus in Heidelberg, Germany.

Your role

As an Accounts Officer, you will join the EMBO Administration & Finance team. Applying your professional expertise, you will be instrumental in ensuring the correct execution of a broad range of tasks in accounting and financial reporting. EMBO is a dynamic organization that constantly develops new projects with financial implications beyond our day-to-day operations, in which you will also be involved.

Reporting to the Head of Administration & Finance, you will work closely with a team of accounts officers, administrative assistants, and staff across the EMBO Programmes and activities.

You will play a crucial role in shaping the financial architecture of the organization, ensuring efficient budgeting and reporting practices, supporting and optimizing digitalization and other processes, and providing valuable insights to support decision-making.

Your main tasks will include:

• Optimising, implementing, preparing and analyzing the budget report processes, working closely with the management team and providing key insights to the department heads;
• Implementing best practices to improve (digital) financial processes and systems to enhance efficiency and accuracy;
• Identifying and assessing risks related to cost control and financial operations, developing risk mitigation strategies;
• Verifying, administrating, and posting of incoming invoices, including accounting for grants and other funds;
• Maintaining the integrity of the general ledger and sub-ledgers;
• Coordinating accounts payable and receivable transactions and supporting with periodic reconciliations;
• Assisting with the periodic and year-end closing and the preparation of tax declarations;
• Following up on any action items concerning the above processes;
• Ensuring adherence to accounting standards, legal requirements, internal policies, and controls;
• Monitoring of budgets, reporting and preparing statistics for senior management and other departments;
• Acting as a point of contact for internal and external auditors;
• Support and backup for the Administration & Finance team members;
• Support in continuous enhancements in financial processes and participation in digitalization projects.

You have

• A recognized professional qualification in accounting, ideally as a certified (tax) accountant;
• 3-5 years of relevant professional experience;
• Experience using accounting software, ideally DATEV or Lexware;
• A proactive, service-oriented approach and commitment to delivering high-quality professional support to the Administration & Finance team and EMBO;
• Fluency in written and spoken English; good working knowledge of German;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

You might also have

• An understanding of or interest in learning accounting principles of the German Commercial Code (HGB) and the Swiss Code of Obligations (OR);
• Experience in taxation-related matters, preferably in the non-profit sector.

Why join us

Promote the life sciences:

At EMBO, you can contribute significantly to the advancement of life sciences in Europe and beyond. Your work will enable talented scientists to do great research and create an environment that enables their success.

Join a professional working environment:

EMBO values diversity and is an inclusive, equal opportunity employer. We cultivate a work environment where employees are valued and empowered to excel professionally.

Our offices are located on the EMBL campus in Heidelberg, Germany, which is home to over 1,000 employees from around the world. The campus has an on-site nursery, subsidized canteen and cafeteria, as well as clubs for social activities and sports.

Heidelberg, with a population of around 160,000 people, is an international university city and research hub. It is attractively located between the Rhine River and the Odenwald, a low mountain range that offers a wide range of outdoor activities. The city has good national and international travel connections.

Enjoy attractive employee benefits:

EMBO provides competitive compensation and benefits suitable for an international research organization, including:

• Competitive salary with transparent annual reviews;
• Family and child allowances;
• Comprehensive health insurance coverage for you and your immediate family;
• Retirement benefits, accident insurance, death benefits, and unemployment insurance;
• Flexible work arrangements, including hybrid options;
• 30 days of paid annual leave plus public holidays;
• Opportunities for professional development and training, as well as subsidized language courses for integration purposes (depending on eligibility criteria);
• Depending on eligibility criteria: non-resident allowance, education grant, home leave, travel grant, and relocation package, including installation grant.

What else you need to know

Contract duration:

EMBO offers a fixed-term contract of five years for this position, issued through the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). Contracts can be extended up to a maximum of nine years in total, subject to circumstances at the time of the review.

International applicants:

EMBO and EMBL welcome applications from candidates worldwide. Due to EMBL’s intergovernmental status, a working visa is not required. However, depending on your nationality, an entry visa may be necessary. Once in Germany, we will assist you with registration and documentation processes, and you will receive a special permit (Sonderausweis), allowing you to work at EMBO, live in Germany and travel within the Schengen area. Family members accompanying you will also receive necessary permits.

How to apply:

Please apply online through the Apply Now buton below. Your application should include a cover letter, CV/resume, and contact details of two or three referees. Candidates selected for interviews will usually be notified within two weeks of the closing date. The interview process includes an online pre-interview and an in-person panel assessment day for shortlisted candidates, along with a technical task.

Pre-interviews for this role are scheduled for 8 and 9 July, with in-person interviews tentatively set for the week commencing 22 July 2024.

Apply Now