European Free Trade Association is looking for a Junior Officer - Grants Management Systems

Are you a dynamic and highly motivated professional looking to make a positive impact in Europe? Join our team as the new Junior Officer at the Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) in Brussels.

About us:

The Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) - affiliated with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - carries out the day-to-day management of the EEA and Norway Grants. The Grants are Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein’s contribution to reducing economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area (EEA) and strengthen bilateral relations and partnerships between the Donor States and the 15 Beneficiary States (Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia). EEA Grants are financed by the 3 donor countries whereas Norway Grants are financed solely by Norway.

We are now entering a new funding period with a budget of 3.2 billion euros. At the same time, we are closing the current funding period with a budget of 2.8 billion euros.

The programmes in the new funding period will focus on these overall priorities:

• European green transition

• Democracy, rule of law and human rights

• Social inclusion and resilience

Why join the FMO?

At the FMO, we offer more than just a job - we offer a stimulating and diverse international workplace with a trust-based culture. Our team of more than 50 employees coming from the EEA region, bring a rich blend of experiences and knowledge to our daily operations. We work closely with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway), the 15 Beneficiary States and various international partners. We are committed to fostering a collaborative and respectful environment where you can advance your career and contribute to meaningful results that make a difference.

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: A1

Duration of Appointment: Fixed term three years (renewable once if in the interest of the FMO)

Start Date: As soon as possible

Closing Date: 16-02-2025

Job Reference: VA 15/2025

Scope: Grants Management Systems

As a Junior Officer you will work in the Grants Management Systems Unit (GMS), a team whose main responsibilities are managing the development and user support for our grants management IT system named GrACE; and information management in the FMO.

GrACE is an acronym for Grants Administration and Collaboration Environment. GrACE is a documentation, information, reporting and business process system which is custom designed for the EEA and Norway Grants. GrACE is used daily by over 1000 users in 20 countries around Europe. The system is designed and planned by the FMO with the collaboration of an external software company for development and maintenance services. The team’s tasks include project management, analysis, implementation, testing, quality control and continuous maintenance of GrACE.

Information Management at FMO covers the lifecycle of information across all formats and systems. This work area includes document and records management, archives, and the development and maintenance of collaboration tools such as SharePoint and Teams within Microsoft 365. Additionally, there are new initiatives related to artificial intelligence, data protection, digital archives, and digital preservation done in cooperation with the EFTA Secretariat.

The GMS Unit is also responsible for several other central systems, such as a central planning calendar, support portals for various topics and a tool used for banking integration. The GMS unit does not perform general IT tasks, as the FMO receives IT equipment and support from EFTA IT.

The GMS Unit prides itself on giving personal and quality support responses to users of the systems. This also includes analysing the support questions and improving GrACE where it would be beneficial to do so. The GMS Unit is the liaison between all the various departments in the FMO with an overview of all tasks and functionalities, and tailors GrACE and the information management systems to work optimally for both the FMO and all the users externally.

You will be reporting to the Head of the GMS unit and working closely with the Information Management Officer. You may be asked to travel occasionally within Europe.

Tasks

The main tasks of the Junior Officer GMS will include:

• Offering support to the users of the grants management and records management systems including problem analysis and follow-up;

• Supporting application management of the grants management and records management and archiving systems;

• Liaising with stakeholders and gathering requirements;

• Providing training to the users of GrACE, and the information management system both within the organisation and for external users;

• Contributing to ensure that the organisation has a modern, efficient, and user-focused grants management and records management systems;

• Creating user manuals, preparing documentation, presentations and training material;

• Supporting archival processing and description digital records;

• Supporting decommissioning legacy systems and disposing of their information;

• Assisting in other IT related tasks as needed.

Qualifications

A university Master’s degree, preferably in Information Technology, Information Management, Computer Science or a related discipline. Lack of Master’s degree in the desired field can be compensated by equivalent work experience.

Experience

Required:

• Minimum of 1 year of relevant professional experience for the grade A1 and up to 2 years of relevant experience in systems support, information management or other technical role for grade A2;

• Experience in user support and/or user training;

• Experience in creation of user manuals and documentation.

Desired:

• Experience in business and functional software analysis;

• Experience with software development and use of reporting tools;

• Experience with documentation systems or financial IT systems, such as SharePoint.

Skills

Essential:

• Analytical, structured, and result-oriented approach;

• Strong logical thinking abilities;

• Excellent writing and communication skills;

• A strong commitment to acquire business knowledge and understanding;

• Good negotiation skills and strong interpersonal abilities, including a dynamic and flexible attitude, and cultural sensitivity;

• Ability to multitask and work to tight deadlines.

Desirable:

• Knowledge of project management principles, methods, and practices in an IT environment;

• Knowledge of SQL.

Languages

Excellent oral and written communication skills in English (the working language of the FMO). Knowledge of another EEA/EU language is an asset.

Employment Terms

Grade: A1/A2 - to be determined by the chosen applicant’s experience.

Annual starting salary: A1:  EUR 61,553 / A2: EUR 78,660

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.  

The FMO is an employer dedicated to the principles of diversity and equality. We are committed to promoting and nurturing a diverse and inclusive workplace, with a healthy work-life balance. 

We offer very interesting and challenging positions in a dynamic and diverse environment and the opportunity to work in a team of highly qualified people. Salaries and related payments are exempt from taxation by the EFTA Member States, and as regulated in headquarters agreements, in the EFTA host states. Depending on the candidate’s family status, benefits and allowances may apply.  

For further information on this position, please contact the Head of Grants Management Systems, Karolina Wrona, by email: Karolina.Wrona@efta.int.

For questions related to the recruitment process, please contact us at FMOrecruitment@efta.int.

Please note that only applications received via our web tool (https://jobs.efta.int/home.html) will be considered. 

Deadline for submission of applications: 16 February 2025.