Group Financial Accountant

Job Titles: Group Financial Accountant
Team: Finance

Contract: Permanent

Level: Intermediate/Advanced
Please refer to our Capability Framework
Location: Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, UK
Start Date: January/February 2025

Apply by: We're interviewing on a rolling basis until we close the role. We advise you to apply early as we may close the role early if we have a sufficient pool of candidates. 

ABOUT US

At EIT Climate-KIC, we are wholeheartedly committed to building a diverse and representative team and an inclusive workplace that values different life experiences and perspectives, and we encourage personal development, learning and growth.

When recruiting, we look to achieve diversity in the candidate pool. We actively encourage applications from underrepresented groups and are happy to consider reasonable adjustments that will foster success in potential employees from diverse backgrounds and life situations. And because our team has differing needs and personal circumstances, we offer a high degree of flexibility to accommodate all working patterns. We’re happy to discuss your situation during the interview and see how best we can support you.

Don’t let Imposter Syndrome stop you from applying!

EIT Climate-KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Community) is Europe’s foremost climate innovation initiative, entrusted by the European Commission to catalyse transformation through innovation. Headquartered in Amsterdam, with circa 160 people distributed all over the EU, EIT Climate-KIC leads and orchestrates innovation with a community of more than 400. Together we conduct activities in 39 countries. We partner with cities, regions, governments and communities with the highest climate action ambition; providing the framework and expert support to holistically manage the complexity of climate change and deliver accelerated climate action.

EIT Climate-KIC operates as a not-for-profit platform working through public-private partnership, wielding both public and private funding. We consist of 3 Legal entities: a Dutch BV Holding company (for profit) with 14 branches in European jurisdictions, providing grant management, innovation orchestration services, and impact investment advisory owned by a Dutch-based foundation with charity status – Climate-KIC International Foundation. Historically, we have been funded by our founder and core funder, the European Institute for Innovation and Technology (EIT), but we are currently transitioning to a multi-funder model.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As Group Financial Accountant, you will play a leading role in the Enabling Services team, who together enable the organization to deliver innovation that creates the change we have committed to, meet our funders’ needs, and support our partners and community to work seamlessly alongside us.

Reporting to the Group Financial Controller, the Group Financial Accountant will oversee and manage the monthly close process, lead the preparation of year-end financial statements for the group, and coordinate the annual audit. These responsibilities should be underpinned by a focus on user experience and on fit-for-purpose platforms, processes, procedures, systems, and tools.

Key Responsibilities

Management:

• Manage and develop 2-3 finance assistants

• Manage interactions with teams across the organisation, collaborating in the key processes of financial management and provide guidance and advice to the business.

Month-End Process and Close:

• Oversee and manage the monthly close process, ensuring all transactions are accurately recorded and completed within the month end timetable.

• Prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations, ensuring that all discrepancies are investigated and resolved in a timely manner.

• Work with the finance team to ensure the accuracy of the trial balance and prepare key month-end journals, including accruals, prepayments, and provisions.

• Ensure all intercompany transactions and balances are reconciled and eliminate intercompany profit, and are in line with transfer pricing requirements.

• Perform detailed variance analysis of key financial statements, including P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow.

• Collaborate with other departments (e.g., FP&A, clusters) to ensure accurate financial data for reporting.

• Ensure compliance with internal controls and accounting policies throughout the close process.

Year-end accounts process:

• Lead the timely and accurate preparation of financial information in line with statutory reporting, management accounting, and funder requirements.

• Coordinate and lead the preparation and audit of the consolidated Climate-KIC Group entities and branch financials. This includes:

  • Liaising with the external auditors

  • Preparing and managing the timetable for preparation and audit of the financial statements, ensuring all financial statements are signed off within required timelines.

  • Assisting local teams in resolving audit queries as necessary, ensuring local audits are completed on time, within budget and with minimal issues or adjustments.

  • Preparing consolidated financial statements, ensuring they are compliant under Dutch GAAP, with supporting working papers

Local reporting and compliance:

• Manage reporting timelines including filing deadlines for assigned funds and all branches in the structure, and that all deadlines (e.g., lenders, investors, statutory) are met.

• Perform high-level review of local branches companies; review financial statements prepared by local teams, ensuring they are correctly prepared under Dutch GAAP (or local GAAP if required).

• Ensure timely compliance with Climate KIC, donors, audit and statutory reporting as required; ensure the remediation of audit recommendations and implementation of financial / risk reporting decisions by governance bodies.

Controls and continuous improvement:

• Drive strong financial control and advocate financial priorities to the business

• Continuous improvement of Climate-KIC’s ERP system (D365) for the finance team.

• Support financial and performance reviews using monthly dashboard.

• Report financial results and ensure compliance with GDPR Guidelines.

• Encourage and enable shared ownership of high integrity data.

Key Working Relationships

• CFO, Group Financial Controller, Finance Operations Manager

• EIT Climate-KIC Management Team

• Teams: Finance, Legal, Operations, IT, People, Project teams

ABOUT YOU

Education/Qualifications

• Holder of a recognised accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, etc.) with over six years post qualification experience.

Experience

• Experience in the preparation of management, statutory and Group consolidation accounts, especially around Dutch GAAP.

• Substantial experience of working in complex entities with multi-national interests and distributed teams (working in different locations and through remote or virtual working) and experience of managing finance teams.

• Experience of multiple sectors, ideally with a mix of public and private; experience in the not-for-profit sector/grant making environment including EU grant funding would be highly beneficial.

• Experience with a variety of ERP systems, ideally including D365.

Skills

• Able to work in an international, distributed, and multicultural team; strong awareness of other cultures and working practices.

• Familiarity and proficiency in coaching others; able to build capacity by investing in the development of others and in the development of self.

• Evidence of being able to build effective and sustainable relationships externally as well as internally.

• Fluent in English

Qualities, Personal Style, and Approach

• Articulate and dynamic, with highly developed interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate effectively, inspire and motivate people.

• Growth mindset; highly adaptable, flexible and resilient: able to work effectively in ambiguity and complexity and to respond dynamically to change.

• Solutions focused, with a “can do” attitude.

Location

Candidates must have the right to work in the location they’re applying for (I.e. not require visa sponsorship) prior to applying for the position. Ideally, the successful candidate will be based close to one of the EIT Climate KIC offices, but we support fully remote or hybrid forms of working and offer a high degree of flexibility.

To ensure that we can respond to every single applicant, we will close the role once we receive a reasonable pool of candidates to assess.