Finance, Administration & Mentoring Officer (maternity cover, 8 months)

Fern is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) created in 1995. Our mission is to achieve greater environmental and social justice, focusing on forests and forest peoples’ rights in the policies and practices of the European Union. We do this by coordinating NGO networks and by working with partners to achieve change.

We believe that to be effective it is essential to understand and address the social dimension of environmental conflicts; that strong coalitions are more likely to achieve lasting change; and that presenting ways forward is more effective than highlighting problems. We are committed to tackling gender injustice and supporting women’s rights.

We have no director and strive to make decisions by consensus. Details of our current work areas and campaigns can be found at www.fern.org. We currently have 18 staff working from three offices, in Brussels (Belgium), Moreton-in-Marsh (United Kingdom (UK)), and Paris (France), and work with Partner organisations across Europe, South-East Asia, Central and West Africa and South America. The partner organisations are in most cases small NGOs, with varying financial and administrative capacities.

We are looking for a Finance, Administration and Mentoring Officer to provide strong and professional support to the organisation. The post is a maternity cover,  full time or four days a week, for 8 months from late July 2024 to late March 2025.

Occasional travel will be a necessary part of this role, including between the Belgian and UK offices.

1. PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

As a member of Fern’s Finance, Administration & Human Resources (FAHRM) team, the Finance, Admin & Mentoring Officer (FAMO) holds key finance responsibilities, coordinates Fern’s mentoring system, plays an essential administrative role and works with colleagues to support campaigns through logistical and events organisation support. The role is based in Fern’s Brussels office.

2. KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY AND ASSOCIATED TASKS

Accountabilities:

• Leading Fern’s mentoring system, including ensuring appraisals are conducted on time, developing mentoring structures, agreeing mentors (including temporary replacements due to maternity leave etc), and organising relevant training.
• Being the Recruitment Coordinator. This person is accountable for overseeing the recruitment process from beginning to end and ensuring that all necessary steps are completed.
• Recruiting and managing the rolling 6-monthly finance internship programme.
• Overseeing the visa application process for Fern’s overseas partners, using external specialists where appropriate.
• Being the key liaison with Fern’s IT provider (Netika) to ensure Office 365, Sharepoint, Teams, and Hubspot work well, and that Fern has the best technology to achieve its aims.
• Overseeing the IT set-up and maintenance of Fern’s dedicated meeting room, as well ad-hoc IT support to staff where needed.
• Overseeing administration and logistics linked to cross-organisational and co-management meetings (Board, staff day out, retreat etc.) 
• Managing the relationship with the landlord and attending Mundo Matonge management meetings.
• Making official notifications e.g., to the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (Kamer van Koophandel – KvK) and Belgian Gazette registrations.

Responsibilities:

• Inputting into the FAHRM team strategy and annual workplans together with other team members.
• Delivering agreed activities as per the FAHRM workplan.
• Managing Fern’s IT assets and keeping the asset register up to date.
• Operating Fern’s electronic expenses system ‘Rydoo’.
• Managing several core and cross-cutting budget lines.
• Supporting Finance & Admin Manager, Finance & HR Officer, and Partner Finance Officer with general finance/compliance tasks.
• Supporting the Partner Finance Officer by way of being partner financial lead on occasions when appropriate.
• Supporting Fern and partners, before during and after audits.
• Participating in and helping to coordinate regular FAHRM meetings.
• Being the Board liaison person for all administrative issues.
• Supporting the Communications Project Manager with campaign event logistics, such as lobby tours.
• Attending and taking part in all FAHRM meetings, Pre-Management Team meetings, Board meetings and Fern retreats and ensuring all assigned actions are completed.

3. OTHER SPECIFICATIONS

The successful candidate should be a strong team worker, highly organised, able to take initiative, attentive to detail, and be equally supportive and assertive. We are looking for someone who is open, efficient, flexible and personable.

This role would suit someone with experience and interest in coordinating with different cultures and ways of working, and the ability to communicate effectively with different people.

Technical skills

Person specifications

• At least two years of relevant experience working in human resources, financial and/or administrative management
• Good aptitude for listening and dialogue
• Fluency in English and French or Dutch.
• Proven good judgment and ability to work with integrity and confidentiality
• Advanced computer skills, including proficiency in Microsoft Office programmes, particularly Excel.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks and competing demands.
• Experience of organising events both on-line and in person
• A ‘service minded’ attitude.
• Experience of working for an NGO
• An interest in environmental and social issues, international development, and grant management
• Knowledge of Belgian or UK legal, fiscal and social regulations is highly desirable
• Commitment to ongoing learning, especially related to justice, equity, diversity and inclusion
• Interest in organisational capacity building
• Experience of working collaboratively with partner organisations and awareness of ways to mitigate power imbalances
• Knowledge of basic accounting principles and experience with accounting software
• Ability to formulate and monitor budgets
• Experience of funding applications and an understanding of typical reporting requirements

4. Indicative starting salary & working conditions

From €3,987 to €5,243 (full time equivalent) per month – gross salary (depending on experience), plus lunch vouchers (€8 per working day), and a contribution to travel costs from home to office.

Fern offers full time staff five extra days holiday in addition to legal holidays in Belgium, and up to four additional holidays between Christmas and the New Year. Staff also earn an additional day for every two years worked at Fern, up to a maximum of five days.

The position is based in Brussels, Belgium. Staff are expected to be in the office at least one day a week but this role is likely to require regular office presence as you will be working closely with staff and service providers. This is a full-time role, but we will consider candidates who wish to work four days per week. Fern cannot sponsor visas and candidates need to have work permits valid until the end of the working assignment.

Fern is committed to advancing justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. We believe that diverse voices and perspectives are essential to solving the planet’s most pressing environmental problems, and we encourage applications from candidates whose identities have been historically under-represented in the environmental movement. We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, citizenship, age or disability.

5. HOW TO APPLY

Applications should be made in English and comprise:

1. A Curriculum Vitae
2. A covering letter explaining why you are interested in this job, including what attracts you to Fern and what you could bring to Fern
3. Two references that may be contacted after your first interview
4. Assignment (see below):

A key part of this role is the organisation of Fern’s internal events, including our annual 2-day Board meeting. Please outline in max. 1 page how you would go about organising it.

Please present your proposal as a timeline including planning for all activities. You may choose the format (Word, Excel, etc.) and outline any project management tool that you may think relevant for monitoring and managing the project. Include consideration of what date to choose, how best to communicate with attendees, travel arrangements, venue, logistics, budget monitoring and any other aspects that you consider relevant.

Deadline for applications: 9 June 2024 @ 11:59 CEST
Send applications to: [email protected]

Applications without a properly prepared CV, assignment and covering letter will not be considered. Only selected candidates will be contacted.      

Interview date: 19 June 2024

Desired start date: 22 July 2024

If you’d like to discuss the job, please contact: Aislin Ryan, [email protected]

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