Hiring CFO

20/09/2019

LifeWatch ERIC is hiring its Chief Financial Officer – Deadline for applications 1 December 2019

Please see the vacancy below.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Vacancy

Terms of reference

Job description

JOB TITLE: Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

PURPOSE: The CFO will shoulder responsibility on the LifeWatch ERIC financial and administrative activity.

LOCATION: LifeWatch ERIC Statutory Seat premises in Seville, Spain.

POSITION: Full-time, four-year term with a possible extension of another four years, starting from March the 1^st, 2020, however the possibility to start as soon as January the 1^st, 2020 would be greatly appreciated.

COMPENSATION: Competitive salary, commensurate to degrees and experience.

Main accountabilities

Role: The CFO always acts in her/his authority as member of the Executive Board, which deals with the implementation and management of the LifeWatch ERIC activities. In particular the LifeWatch ERIC CFO is involved in the following Tasks and Activities:

• Preparation of Financial Statements: (a) Prepares monthly financial reports. S/he will maintain dutifully organized records of all financial activities of LifeWatch ERIC and compile a budget up-date at the end of each month, as well as annually, and/or upon request. The reports will typically detail the inflows and outflows of cash, as well as other assets (for example, in-kind contribution resources). (b) Bears responsibility for keeping all the documentation that supports the figures contained in the report, such as invoices and receipts, for auditing purposes; (c) Certifies that: (i) the financial management of the common facilities is ensured, (ii) the 15% minimum in cash contribution of the members is transferred to to the bank account of LW ERIC and (iii) members which decide to allocate part or all of their in-kind contributions to their Distributed LifeWatch Centres, as long as the financial management of the Common Facilities is ensured, they have paid their 15% minimum in cash contribution, which is transferred to the bank account of LifeWatch ERIC.
• Accounts Management: (a) Keeps true and accurate accounts of all income and expenditure, is in charge of supervising the reception of money relating to the accounts receivables of the organization, such as membership fees, project grants, service payment, etc.; (b) Shoulders responsibility on paying the organization’s liabilities such as supplier’s services, insurance premiums, and other accounts payables; (c) Attends to the financial administration needs of LifeWatch ERIC projects, such as EU H2020 grants.
• Management of LifeWatch ERIC suppliers and sub-contractors: As a small structure, LifeWatch ERIC has a number of administrative tasks performed by external suppliers and subcontracts, such as legal advice and accounting. The CFO manages these subcontractors and ensures that they are deployed in the most efficient manner in support of LifeWatch ERIC.
• Procurement and Tendering: Is responsible for respecting the procurement and tendering policies of LifeWatch ERIC. S/he is in charge of preparing the procurement documents for interfacing with external suppliers to produce service requests. The CFO produces then after procurement documents, and approves procurement requests and cash disbursements and reflect all the company transactions in a cash-flow statement, which s/he regularly reconciles to keep track of the money.
• Budgeting: The CFO prepares the annual budget of LW ERIC, in close collaboration with the Executive Board, after s/he receives recommendations from the Financial Committee and the final approval of the General Assembly of LifeWatch ERIC, which may include details such as allocation of Human Resources time, based on the agreed requirements of the organization.
• Auditing: (a) Establishes internal controls, including internal audits, to enhance the effective and efficient use of the resources; (b) Has the accounts of LW ERIC examined every year by auditors appointed by the General Assembly and their written report circulated to all members accompanied by comments of CEO and by any of the members of the Executive Board.
• Other administrative responsibilities: (a) Supports the preparation and oversee the execution of contracts, both financially and administration aspects, and in liaison with other
• LifeWatch ERIC Officers, LifeWatch Members, the EC and other funding agencies, suppliers, clients, among others; (b) Is responsible on the finances and related administrative procedures, so that they are compliant to the EU ERIC regulations; (c) Contributes to the definition of the financial space of LifeWatch ERIC and collects related socio-economic data and other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from the EMBRC partners, towards carrying SWOT analysis of LifeWatch ERIC at regular time intervals and in collaboration with the other Officers and Bodies; (c) Based on her/his experience on public sector administration practices, s/he acts as a liaison between the common facilities and distributed centers of the ERIC on such issues.

The ideal candidate should meet the following requirements

1. Minimum qualification: Graduation from a European University or equivalent experience;

2. Minimum five-year experience in similar position;

3. Excellent knowledge of written and spoken English;

4. Proven expert practice of private-sector, not-for-profit financial administration, for business accountability;

5. Proven expert practice of public Sector accounting systems and related financial regulations;

6. Experience in preparing budget, and reporting on expenses;

7. Excellent presentation and reporting skills, in writing and verbally;

8. Ability to deal responsibly with general administrative tasks;

9. IT skills: Command of MS Office package; familiar in working on web platforms dedicated to financial and administrative purposes;

10. Understanding of structure, functioning and regulation of the European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs);

11. Knowledge of EU projects financial administration and reporting needs;

12. Paralegal skills;

13. Cost-benefit analytical skills;

14. Quality system management (ISO 9001 or other business standards);

15. Data analysis skills for analytical reports; 16. Accountable and working transparently, and in close interaction with colleagues;

17. Good social skills and ability to function in a small dedicated team;

18. Excellent organizational skills;

19. Able to produce clear and high-quality output;

20. Able to work towards precise objectives under specific time constraints;

21. High-standard work ethics;

22. Willingness to cover some general administrative tasks to support the team’s needs;

23. Willingness to work overtime, which may be required to meet project deadlines;

24. Willingness for national and international travelling, which may be required for the purpose of meeting with project partners, stakeholders, etc. 

The vacancy is subject to the following procedure

• A single PDF document, in English, containing: (a) A short application letter explaining your interest in this position and how you could contribute; (b) A Curriculum Vitae (EUROPASS format, 6 pages at most); (c) An annex with all the sources (e.g. lists of: diplomas, dissertations, certifications, publications, events attended, etc.) that address as many of the above requirements as possible, should be submitted to the Chair of the LifeWatch ERIC General Assembly and cc-ed to the CEO¹ and rest of Common Facilities Directors.
• Closing date for receipt of applications: December 1^st, 2019
• Short-listed candidates will be contacted directly by the LifeWatch ERIC Chair of the General Assembly as Chair of the Recruitment Committee.
• Candidates may be called for an interview with the LifeWatch ERIC Chief Executive Officer, Chief Technology Officer and the other members of the Recruitment Committee, as well as other experts on the purpose of the position. 
• This Recruitment Committee² will provide the CEO with a short-list of a maximum of three candidates, and a summary of the information supporting its decision and the qualifications of the different candidates.
• The CEO will select the candidate awarding the position, and will report to the General Assembly on his decision and the overall selection procedure.
• Start date in office for the appointed Director: March the 1^st, 2020 but the possibility to start as soon as January the 1^st, 2020 would be greatly appreciated.

¹ – Special note for Italian market: According to Italian Privacy Protection Law n. 196/03 any resume not mentioning explicitly the following wording: ‘I authorize the use of my personal data in accordance with Italian Privacy Protection Law (30/06/2003, n. 196/03)’ will be automatically deleted from our database and consequently not taken into consideration.

² – Composed by the Chair of the General Assembly, CEO, and at least another representative of the Executive Board of Directors.