Staff Officer (Training and Exercise Fund Manager)

Post Context

Headquarters Allied Joint Force Command Norfolk (JFCNF) provides a resilient, static Joint headquarters to plan, prepare and conduct operations across all domains in peacetime, crisis and conflict, in order to support NATO’s three core tasks, at the Joint Operational level, as directed by SACEUR. 

The Plans Directorate is responsible for the development and production of all Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and Operations Plans (OPLANs) within its Area of Responsibility and providing the interface between NCS and NFS. 

The J7 Division directs, monitors and coordinates exercises, training, readiness and doctrine development. 

The Training and Exercise (TREX) Policy and Programming Branch is responsible for coordinating the JFCNF TREX programme, funding and policy, as well as the NATO individual Training and Education Programme. 

The incumbent is responsible for coordinating the JF HQ Training programme and funding and is also in charge of participating in the NATO ETEE process, both generic and specific. 

Principal Duties:

The incumbent's duties are:

• Manages specific allocations of funds from assigned budgets. 
• Advises on funding and related requisitions. 
• Validates requirements submitted by authorized requestors/originators and prioritizes / de-conflicts requirements. 
• For official accounting purposes, Fund Manager manages funds through the financial information system FINS. 
• Ensures that all financial management requirements are met with regard to the assigned budgets in terms of planning, execution and reporting, through FINS. 
• Ensures that the assigned budgets are developed and justified for the following fiscal year, and that current fiscal years are executed in accordance with the budget allocation and plan. 
• Through the 1st Trimester Report and the preparation and production of the Annual Budget Estimates for next year, the incumbent addresses any justified and validated changes that may be necessary to allow the Commander to adjust the current budget situation in response to any new developments or operational changes. 
• Ensures that current year funding is reallocated to meet all in-year requirements. 
• Ensures a close relationship with SHAPE J7/J8 Exercise Planning staff, relevant stakeholders and Component Commands to communicate routine and emerging budgetary requirements. 
• Ensures close relationship with the FRB/J8 staff to facilitate processing of relevant budget-related financial requirements. 
• Provides funding to all training requirements related to a common funded collective pre-deployment training. 
• Advises the Chain of Command and Exercise planning staff on all financial and budgetary requirements as required. 
• Initiates requisitions as a formal, valid and approved requisition for which the process of acquisition can immediately start. 
• Undertakes work as part of a project team or working group as directed or assigned.
• Budget Authority Details: Holds delegated Exercise Funding Authority within the HQ for the allocations of funds from assigned budgets.
• Decision Authority Details: - Authorised to make decisions within assigned functional area. Such decisions should also be coordinated within the HQ and with the same functional area in lateral, subordinate and superior HQs. Such decisions will affect the commitment of the command within NATO to a course of action.
• Provides advice and guidance to the FINS Travel Clerks within the HQ, as it relates to TDYs of HQ personnel participating on NATO Exercises & Training and NATO Travel policies

Essential Qualifications / Experience:

• University Degree  in finance, accounting, business administration, economics, public administration or related discipline  and 4 years post related experience, or Higher Secondary education and completed advanced vocational training  in that discipline leading to a professional qualification or professional accreditation with 5 years post related and 2 years function related experience.

• Four years’ national resources management experience gained in a large organization.

• Four years’ experience with financial systems, budgets, reporting and costing.

• Four years’ experience with Accounts Payable/Receivable fiscal processes for invoice handling.

• Good working knowledge of resource management, budgetary processes, requirement prioritization, risk management and their inter-relations with business process and management systems.

Language:

English - SLP 3333 - (Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing)

Desirable Qualifications / Experience:

• Experience in international/ multi-national training and exercises.
• Previous experience utilizing CNAFS/FINS as a Travel or Supply Fund Manager.
• Advanced training in budget management at a governmental level.
• Basic experience in interacting with NATO Resource Committees.

Attributes/Competencies

Personal Attributes: The incumbents experience and personal qualities will be key to resolving problems and negotiating improvements to processes and the rules and regulations and avoiding conflicts between participating entities. This position relies on a highly capable individual who is able to manage many programmes and projects, taking into consideration multiple factors working simultaneously. The incumbent may furthermore be required to display creative thinking in proposing the adaptation of existing rules or creation of new procedures to comply with new situations, such as crisis and out-of-area operations. ntegrity and communication skills, both oral and written, are essential to the satisfactory performance of the full range of principal duties of this post. Must be able to handle detail accurately and at the same time to have an overall picture of the organisation as it relates to requirements.

Managerial Responsibilities: - Depending on requirements, may be required to direct and supervise the work priorities of one or more HQ multifunctional teams

Professional Contacts: Establish and maintain appropriate professional contacts in academia, adjacent, higher & subordinate HQs and intelligence entities. Will require access to civilian academia & institutions for networking, deepening knowledge base, emerging concepts & technologies.

Contribution To Objectives: The successful analysis of the international budgets and NATO Exercise Funding is an important contribution to the Command’s objectives and the resource planning mechanisms.

Security Clearance - The successful applicant will be required to apply for and receive a NATO SECRET Security Clearance prior to final confirmation of contract and commencement of employment.

Contract - Serving NATO International Civilian staff will be offered a contract in accordance with the NATO Civilian Personnel Regulations.  Newly recruited staff will be offered a three-year definite duration contract.

Notes for Candidates

The JFC Norfolk Career Site gives full details on the eligibility criteria and application processes to be adopted by all candidates.  However, candidates should particularly note:

Please answer each of the pre-screening questions completely in English. Expressions such as: “please see attached CV, please see annex, please see enclosed document, etc” are not acceptable; this is a cause of immediate rejection of the application.

Particular attention should be given to Education and Experience section of your application form, which should be populated with details of your career to date and educational achievements and certifications as they relate to your application.

The candidature of NATO redundant staff at grade G15 will be considered with priority.

NATO will not accept any phase of the recruitment and selection prepared, in whole or in part, by means of generative artificial-intelligence (AI) tools, including and without limitation to chatbots, such as Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (Chat GPT), or other language generating tools. NATO reserves the right to screen applications to identify the use of such tools. All applications prepared, in whole or in part, by means of such generative or creative AI applications may be rejected without further consideration at NATO’s sole discretion, and NATO reserves the right to take further steps in such cases as appropriate.

NATO is committed to diversity and inclusion, and strives to provide equal access to employment, advancement and retention, independent of gender, age, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, cultural background, sexual orientation, and disability. NATO welcomes applications of nationals from all member Nations, and strongly encourages women to apply.

This vacancy will close on 5 September 2025 @ 17:59hrs (EDT)/11:59hrs (CEST).