Forensic accountant

Financial investigations are becoming increasingly important in the fight against organized crime. The underlying offenses almost always have a financial motive, and perpetrators are becoming increasingly skilled and creative in concealing their assets. Financial investigations not only help identify a person’s assets but also enable the collection of important investigative information and evidence.

One of the tasks of the NVWA’s Intelligence and Investigation Service (IOD) is to work with other internal and external parties to prevent and combat fraud in the areas of food safety, product safety, nature, and animal welfare as much as possible. Due to a vacancy, the NVWA is seeking a Forensic Accountant for the Investigation Department. As a Forensic Accountant, you are the leading specialist in financial investigations. With your expertise, you ensure the quality of our work. Your focus is particularly on an advisory, quality-assurance, and coordinating role for the investigation team during the conduct of complex financial investigations. In addition, as an accountant, you will play a role in the development of the field of financial investigation and in knowledge transfer to your financial colleagues within the department. 

What will you be doing?

Quality is crucial to the NVWA-IOD. Only then can we prove our cases. When it comes to the financial aspects of investigations, you advise the lead investigator, the investigation team, and management on the appropriate strategy. You also provide specific advice and guidance to your financial colleagues. You advise and instruct on all phases of the investigative process regarding the design, feasibility, and organization of investigative activities from a financial/economic perspective. In addition, you assess the quality of critical processes and products, such as official reports and financial reports. Where necessary, you maintain and fulfill a liaison role with the public prosecutor, in close coordination with the lead investigator. Together with the (senior) financial investigators, you contribute to a national quality cluster with other investigative partners and the financial investigation unit.

In addition to criminal investigations, you will focus on gathering and disseminating knowledge about financial investigations (fact-finding and asset recovery) within our organization and beyond. You will be in regular contact with other investigative agencies and organizations that may be relevant to the investigation. To this end, you will proactively build and maintain a broad and relevant network.

You keep abreast of developments in the field through literature, publications, and case law.

In addition, based on your area of expertise, you will serve as a witness or expert witness for the sitting or presiding judges.

Job Requirements

We would like to see the following in you:

• Master's-level thinking
  
• You are registered as an accountant in the register of accountants
  
• You have investigative authority or are motivated to obtain it
  
• You have experience as a (forensic) accountant in investigations involving fraud, money laundering, legal entities, and/or related matters
  
• You should preferably have experience with financial investigations and the recovery of criminally obtained assets
  
• You have an understanding of management and organizational aspects
  
• Knowledge of and experience with EDP audits are important for successfully performing the job

You recognize yourself in the following traits
Thanks to your flexibility, you can easily handle a wide range of research projects, sometimes even outside of office hours. You communicate clearly and enjoy collaborating within a team and coaching colleagues. Your analytical skills allow you to quickly get to the heart of the matter and form a clear judgment. Creative, innovative, curious, eager to learn, accurate, and honest—that’s how you work. You also like to go straight for your goal and don’t let setbacks throw you off course. And of course, you continue to develop yourself; you enjoy taking courses to keep your knowledge up to date.

Skills
• Collaboration and coaching
• Coordinate, plan, and organize 
• Persuasiveness, boldness, and creativity
• Personal development
• Environmental awareness

The NVWA is committed to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of society and places great importance on an inclusive hiring policy. We therefore encourage everyone to apply, regardless of cultural background, age, gender identity, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

Terms of Employment

• Salary level: Grade 13
• Monthly salary: Min. €5,212 – Max. €7,747 (gross)
• Employment status: Fixed-term employment contract with the possibility of conversion to a permanent contract
• Contract duration: 1 year
• Minimum number of hours per week: 32
• Maximum number of hours per week: 36

Other terms and conditions of employment

In addition to an onboarding program tailored to your role and extensive training and/or coaching opportunities to support your professional growth, we also offer the following employee benefits:

Individual Choice Budget You receive an Individual Choice Budget (ICB) equal to 16.50% of your gross annual salary. You can have your ICB paid out, for example, on a monthly or annual basis, or you can use it to purchase additional leave hours. In addition, you can use your IKB to purchase a (electric) bicycle for commuting tax-free, set up your home office,pay off your student loan with tax benefits up to a maximum of €2,000 per year,or even make your home more sustainable. To encourage this, the national government offers an employer contribution on top of the IKB.

Vacation Days If you work 36 hours per week, you are entitled to 144 vacation hours and 64 IKB leave hours per year. Do you work more or fewer hours? Then these hours are calculated proportionally. And if you don’t need as much vacation time? Then you can also choose to have your 64 IKB leave hours paid out or added to your IKB saved leave.

Travel Allowance
You will receive a mobility card that allows you to travel by train in second class for your commute. Do you bike to work? If so, you will receive a travel allowance of €0.21 per kilometer cycled.
If you have a field-based position, you are often also eligible for an electric company car. You may also use this for personal purposes, subject toadditionaltax liabilityand a personal contribution.

Leave Policies
The government offers leave policies for various situations, such as (additional) maternity leave (up to 5 weeks with 100% pay), parental leave (up to 9 weeks at 100% pay in the first year and an additional 75% for 4 weeks), care leave, and adoption/foster care leave.

Pension The Dutch government has an attractive pension plan with ABP, the General Civil Service Pension Fund. Read more about the ABP pension plan here.

Additional allowances and reimbursements
For some positions at the NVWA, it is necessary to work outside regular office hours or to be on call. However, this is compensated by additional allowances or reimbursements. For example, we offer an on-call and standby duty allowance and an irregular shift allowance.

Details

• Applications will be considered in accordance with applicable agreements, including the Central Government Collective Labor Agreement and the NVP Application Code.
• A Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG) is required to work at the NVWA.
• If the position involves a fixed-term employment contract with the prospect of becoming permanent, the permanent contract is initially preceded by a one-year contract. Provided the employee proves to be suitable, the contract is generally converted into a permanent contract of indefinite duration after one year.
• Is this a job opening for a fixed-term contract with the possibility of becoming permanent, but do you already have a permanent position as a civil servant? If so, you will retain your permanent position.
• If the position is initially a fixed-term role, it will not be reopened if the role can be made permanent within the organization and the (initially) temporary position was filled by an internal employee with a permanent contract.
• Online screening—for example, through search engines or social media—can be part of the selection process.
• A competency test and/or an assessment may be part of the selection process.
• A comprehensive A or B screening by the General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) may be required for certain positions at the NVWA, including those in the Intelligence and Investigation Service (IOD).
• Recruitment agencies are asked to refrain from contacting us regarding this job opening.

More about the Coordinating/Specialist Inspector job category

The Central Government Performance Framework helps employees and managers establish performance and development goals during performance reviews and provides insight into career opportunities within the federal government.

For more information, visit the Central Government Job Classification System 

More about your future department

The NVWA Intelligence and Investigation Service (NVWA-IOD) focuses on complex, supply-chain-related, organized, and internationally oriented crime occurring across all areas of the NVWA’s jurisdiction.
You will be working within the Enforcement Directorate in the Intelligence and Investigation Service (IOD) division. The NVWA-IOD is the Special Investigation Service (BOD) of the NVWA. You will be assigned to the Expertise Team within the Investigation Department. This department conducts, among other things, large-scale criminal investigations across all substantive areas of the NVWA. Your work will be carried out partly within the investigation teams at various locations (Eindhoven, Utrecht, Wageningen, Zwolle).

Feel free to ask your question

More information about this job opening

Nico Van den Hove

0651603152

Gert Steunenberg

0620423332

More information about the application process

Michael Daarnhouwer

0615473857

Apply

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) invites you to apply on their website. The government is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive organization. Working in diverse teams makes us more effective, more innovative, and makes the work more enjoyable. Everyone is therefore encouraged to apply.