(Senior) Grants and Finance Officer

We’re looking for a committed colleague with a love of budgets, an eye for detail, and an ability to interpret and translate financial regulations into practical advice for ILGA-Europe grantees. This role merges financial operations and expense verification tasks with capacity building and administration.

Deadline to send applications: Wednesday, May 8th, 2024 (23:59 CEST).

About ILGA-Europe

ILGA-Europe is a driving force for political, legal and social change at European and Central Asian level. Our vision is of a world where dignity, freedoms and full enjoyment of human rights are protected and ensured to everyone regardless of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics. ILGA-Europe are comprised of over 700 member organisations throughout the European and Central Asian Regions. From Iceland to Turkey and Kyrgyzstan to Malta, we work together with extraordinary activists to bring about real change for LGBTI people across Europe.

Our staff team based in Brussels supports activists in different countries, connects key change actors at European and national levels, creates space to bring knowledge and expertise together and to identify effective change strategies with the European and Central Asian LGBTI movement. Therefore, at ILGA-Europe, we value and encourage our employees. We understand that the movement is only as strong at its people. And we do our best to ensure our people remain our greatest asset. We offer a strong remuneration package, including pension payments, insurance plans, luncheon vouchers, trainings and more. We look forward to you joining our team!

Our commitment to being an equal opportunity employer

As an organisation working for the benefit of the LGBTI movement in Europe and Central Asia in all its diversity, we value the knowledge and expertise that come with lived experiences of injustice and systemic oppression. We particularly welcome applications from trans, gender non-conforming and non-binary individuals, and those targeted by racism, classism and disablism.

We are also keenly aware of the barriers faced by many people when applying for jobs, especially those experienced by members of under-represented groups and related to disability, ethnicity or national origin, colour, race, language, creed, gender, marital status, domestic circumstances, age, HIV status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, sex characteristics, among others.

We do all within our power to remove as many of these barriers in our day-to-day operations and in our employment practices. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments and providing various kinds of support. Please see the information about our employment package and benefits at the end of this advertisement for specific measures we’ve put in place to fill some of the gaps caused by oppressions. Beyond these, we daily strive to maintain an organisational culture that is aware and sensitive to marginalisation and exclusions and their impact on staff. 

What are the main job functions of the (Senior) Grants and Finance Officer?

As (Senior) Grants and Finance Officer, you will be responsible for providing financial and administrative clerical services for the organisation, and your objective will be to ensure effective and accurate financial operations and implementation of projects throughout Europe and Central Asia. You will also be responsible for the financial management and implementation of many of ILGA-Europe’s re-granting mechanisms, including providing capacity building, support and coaching to grantees on financial management, monitoring expenditures and reviewing financial reports, providing feedback.  You will also be in charge of tracking the costs, ensuring eligibility and reporting on some of ILGA-Europe’s projects and programmes, and will be responsible for elements of internal controls, incl. procurement.

At ILGA-Europe we value creative and inclusive approaches to work and management, working across teams and staff participation at all levels in the organisation. While you will report to the Finance Director, you will also work collaboratively with your colleagues and external partners, and you will be accountable for the achievement of agreed work plans and priorities.

Your main responsibilities will be spread between three main areas of work:

Re-granting

• To ensure smooth and effective financial management of sub-grants awarded by ILGA-Europe: supporting the design of calls, assessment of proposals, contracting grantees, building understanding of their operations and relationships with them, providing support on their financial management, verification of their reports to ensure that grantee expenditures are in-line with rules, regulations and internal control processes.

You will also make sure the overall financial management of re-granting programmes is smooth and effective, incl. through: proper compilation and filing of grants-related information, documentation and reporting, developing and overseeing grant processing timelines, providing periodical reconciliations of financial information related to re-granting

• To support the strengthening of the LGBTI movement in the region through enhancing the capacities of grantees in relation to compliance and financial management, and their ability to retain and manage external funding: designing and delivering trainings, webinars, written and visual materials, one-to-one coaching and support.

Compliance, financial operations and reporting

• To assist with ensuring that ILGA-Europe complies with rules and regulations of our institutional funders and overall financial management principles: carrying out financial operations and controlling/reviewing financial documents, supporting the Finance team with year-end reconciliations and auditing processes, compiling periodical reporting and supporting documents. This will also include assisting with administration and processing of expense reports and invoices, compiling documentation (financial information, expenses, deliverables), liaising with service providers and consultants when needed.
• To assist with book-keeping and record-keeping, incl. recording sales, purchases and cash movements in accounting software (Winbooks), and performing book-keeping reconciliations and checks.
• To assist with development of funding proposals, budget monitoring and verifying the financial reports of ILGA-Europe to a range of funders: preparing budgets for grant applications (incl. in cooperation with various partners), managing and controlling expenditures, periodical reconciliations, expense verifications and report preparation.

Please see the Job Description for a more detailed overview of the role.

What skills, knowledge and abilities are we looking for?

At ILGA-Europe we understand that not all individuals have the same opportunities to engage in paid work within the LGBTI movement, and value the experience brought in from other areas of work and life. To fit this role well, you should be strongly committed to working for human rights and equality, and have competencies and demonstrated experience in:

• Managing grant-making (or re-granting) programmes from a financial compliance perspective, and/or managing and implementing project budgets in accordance with grant requirements. Familiarity with EU and US compliance regulations is desirable.
• Implementing basic internal control processes and procedures.
• Processing and verifying financial documents, specifically to ensure that they fulfil financial requirements, and related financial administrative tasks.
• Building relationships and working with other people, both within the ILGA-Europe team and externally, particularly in the context of ensuring their work complies with financial rules and regulations.

Important competences, experience and other requirements are: 

• Ability to maintain a high level of accuracy in preparing and processing financial information
• Ability to carry out mathematical calculations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, percentages, fractions, decimals, proportions, ratios, means, weighted means, median, mode), for example in the context of translations of different currencies.
• Ability to use Microsoft Excel in the context of financial budgeting and execution, including comparing sets of data, formatting and conditional formatting, graphs and charts, extensions of formulae and blocking, mathematical functions (sum, sumif, sumifs, subtotal, multiply and similar), statistical functions (countif, countifs and similar), basic text and logical functions.
• Ability to understand formal documents outlining rules and regulations and apply these rules across different types of financial documents (contracts, invoices, forms and templates, etc.).
• Understanding how different organisations operate in diverse settings and ability to adapt ways of working, applying rules and regulations, and financial requirements to various settings.
• Understanding how organisations and individuals learn and how to support them in increasing financial management capacities.
• Ability to notice errors and issues, take initiative, to plan and work independently, while being a strong and dependable team player; ability to prioritise multiple tasks and meet deadlines.
• Ability to plan and implement mid- to long-term projects and processes on your own and with others, including planning own tasks and tasks of others, communicating, processing and providing adequate information, monitoring, feedback.
• Ability to work as part of a diverse team, to maintain positive working relationships, and to ensure respect of equality and diversity into your everyday work.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in English (written and spoken); capacity to explain complex issues simply, concisely and clearly for diverse audiences.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in Russian (written and spoken); capacity to cooperate and liaise with Russian-speaking providers and partners in the context of re-granting.
• Willingness to relocate to Brussels and to travel in Europe. The regular working week is Monday to Friday but on occasion travel and work during weekends will be required.

Desirable additional experience/knowledge includes:

• Experience of working with accounting software and knowledge of basic bookkeeping (desirable)
• Providing trainings or similar capacity enhancing activities, or supporting people in understanding and implementing procedures and policies. Developing and implementing financial procedures and policies (desirable)
• Designing and facilitating trainings and workshops (desirable)
• Experience of working in an NGO or grant-making organisation (desirable)
• Knowledge and experience of working with the LGBTI movement or other vulnerable groups, and understanding of the impact of these marginalisations on organisational capacity (desirable)
• Experience of working with databases (desirable)

The employment package

Open ended full-time position subject to continued funding for the post.

Salary scale:

• Officer level: from 55 702 € to 62 129 €, starting at the beginning of the scale, the expected net monthly starting salary is approx. 2 650 € and increases annually.
• Senior Officer level: from 62 843 € to 66 413 €, starting at the beginning of the scale, the expected net monthly starting salary is approx. 2800 € and increases annually.

(Please see the job description for information on seniority).

This annual salary is comprised of 12 months remuneration plus additional holiday pay paid out as of the second year of employment. The working week is 37.5 hours (5 days of 7.5h). Every staff member is expected to work from the office at least 3 days a week.

ILGA-Europe’s employment package includes:

• 20 days of annual leave (+ 10 public holidays) and an additional 5 days in December,
• fair measures to ensure recovery of extra hours worked during busy periods,
• hospitalisation and ambulatory health insurance (which cover the majority of LGBTI-specific care),
• a policy supporting employees who transition during employment,
• an employee pension scheme,
• ‘family friendly’ policies,
• annual public transport subscription for Brussels or indemnification of bicycle costs,
• additional 50 € per month contribution to costs of home-working,
• luncheon vouchers worth approx. 160 € for a full month worked,
• financial support for relocation to Brussels, where applicable,
• financial support for professional development (trainings, coaching and other learning opportunities enabling staff to grow in their positions).

Non-EU citizens and individuals who do not have an EU work permit can apply. We cover all the costs related to obtaining a work permit and visa, and manage the process. ILGA-Europe colleagues can provide advice in finding accommodation, registering your residence and many other day-to-day issues related to moving to Belgium.

As a workplace, ILGA-Europe strives to be flexible and responsive to employee needs, balancing that with the needs of the wider team and those of the LGBTI movement. We offer flexible working hours and possibility to partially work from home, though the office in Brussels will be your main location of work. We understand that relocation may be difficult and will try to adjust as much as possible to your capacities in this regard. Given the nature of the work, you will not however be able to start your employment with ILGA-Europe entirely remotely (from another country of residence).

Applications

Deadline to send applications: Wednesday, May 8th, 2024 (23:59 CEST). Please submit an electronic version of the application form by e-mail to: recruitment@ilga-europe.org.

The application form is available below. Please do not submit any other documents as these will not be reviewed.