Information Technology Officer VA 19/2022

The Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) is the secretariat of the EEA Grants and Norway Grants, and is affiliated to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) in Brussels.

We are looking for a highly motivated and qualified candidate to fill a vacancy for an Information Technology Officer in the Grants Management Systems Unit (GMS Unit).

The overall objectives of the Grants are to reduce economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area (EEA) and to strengthen bilateral relations between the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and the 15 Beneficiary States (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Malta, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia).

The Grants are based on a programme model where the Beneficiary States are responsible for the programmes and for projects implemented under the programmes. Some programmes and funds, notably regarding civil society, regional cooperation and decent work and a small number of energy and innovation programmes, are under the responsibility of the FMO. 

The allocation for the funding period (2014-2021) totals €2.8 billion. The priority sectors in the period 2014-2021 are:

• Innovation, Research, Education and Competitiveness;
• Social Inclusion, Youth Employment and Poverty Reduction;
• Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Low Carbon Economy;
• Culture, Civil Society, Good Governance and Fundamental Rights and Freedoms;
• Justice and Home Affairs.

The FMO offers an international, stimulating and diverse workplace, with a current staff of over 60 employees comprising  about 20 nationalities. Our values are:

• Professionalism,
• Cooperation,
• Trust, responsibility and respect.

For more information please check our website at: www.eeagrants.org.

The position is open to nationals of the EEA EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) and nationals of the member states of the European Union.

Division

Financial Mechanism Office

Location

Brussels

Category/Level

A3/A4

Type/Duration of Appointment

Fixed-term three years (renewable once if in the interest of the organisation)

Start Date

As soon as possible 

Job Reference

VA 19 /2022

Scope

The FMO works with a grants management system (named Grace) for the current funding period (2014-2021) developed externally. The Grace application is a documentation, information, reporting and business process system which is custom designed for the EEA Grants and Norway Grants. The Grace system is used by over 1000 users in 20 countries around Europe.

The successful candidate will work in a team which is responsible for the grant management systems of the organisation, this includes project management, analysis, implementation, testing, maintenance and user support for Grace and maintenance and user support for previous grants management systems.

The position is placed in the GMS Unit which is part of the Compliance and Administration Department. The Information Technology Officer reports to the Head of the GMS unit.

The main tasks of the successful applicant will be the following:

• Support application management of the grants management system;
• Liaise with stakeholders and gather requirements;
• Analyse and prioritise user requirements, including problem analysis and follow-up;
• Drive contributions needed for ensuring that the organisation has end user friendly and effective IT application;
• Facilitate the communication between FMO and Grace supplier;
• Manage change requests;
• Prepare and execute testing;
• Manage deployment of new versions of Grace;
• Prepare documentation, presentations and training material;
• Train end users, both within the organisation and to external users;
• Management of IT projects;
• Assist in other IT related tasks when needed.

The position involves travel.

Qualifications

University degree at master’s level, preferably in Information Technology, Computer Science or a related discipline.

Project Management and/or Agile Certification would be an advantage.

Experience

Required experience

• Minimum of 3 to 6 years of relevant work experience
• Minimum of three years of experience working in areas related to IT development, with Scrum or other Agile processes
• Solid experience in business and functional analysis
• Solid experience in project management.

Desired experience

• Hands on programming experience;
• Previous experience with configuration of MS SharePoint;
• Previous experience with development and use of reporting tools.

Skills

• Analytical, structured and result-oriented approach
• Good presentation skills and ability to present complex issues in a clear manner
• Proactive and cooperative outlook
• A strong commitment to acquire business knowledge and understanding
• Very good IT development and information management knowledge
• Knowledge of project management principles, methods and practices in an IT environment
• Knowledge of SQL
• Good negotiation skills and strong interpersonal abilities, including a dynamic and flexible attitude, and cultural sensitivity
• Self-reliance and autonomy, but also facility for teamwork
• Ability to multitask and work to tight deadlines

Languages

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (the working language of the FMO).

Employment Terms

Grade: A3/A4 (depending on the experience of the candidate)[1]

Annual starting salary: Grade A3 EUR 86’076 / Grade A4 EUR 100’026

Appointments are normally made at step 1 of the grade. The Director of the FMO reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a level different from that advertised.

FMO is an employer dedicated to the principles of diversity and equal opportunities. We select our staff without discrimination on the basis of age, gender, religion, colour, culture, sexual orientation, disability, marital status, pregnancy or family responsibilities. 

We offer a very interesting and challenging position in a dynamic and diverse environment and the opportunity to work in a team of highly qualified people. EFTA is an international organisation and the salaries and related payments are normally exempt from income taxation by the EFTA States and the host states of the EFTA duty stations. Depending on the candidate’s family status, benefits and allowances may apply.

For further information on this position please contact: Mr Daniel Campos, Head of GMS Unit, daniel.campos@efta.int , tel.  +32 2 211 18 78.
 For information regarding the recruitment process please contact  Ms Vera Medinskaya, Head of Administration and HR Unit, vme@efta.int, tel. +32 2 211 18 60.

Interested applicants should apply online via the EFTA e-recruitment tool: http://jobs.efta.int/ .

Please note that only applications received via our web tool will be considered.

Deadline for submission of application: 8 September 2022.

[1] For level A3 the candidates will need to demonstrate at least between 3 to 6 years of relevant professional experience; for level A4 the relevant professional experience should be at least 6 years or more.