Senior Group Controller

What will you be doing?

We are looking for a full-time Senior Group Controller whose primary focus will be on managing and providing expert support regarding the NVWA’s cost prices and rates. In this role, you will operate at the group level and provide guidance to the cost price specialists (the colleagues who perform the actual cost price/rate calculations). In addition to your focus area, you will also take on general group control tasks together with the other Group Controllers and provide guidance to the Business Controllers. You will serve as the primary advisor to the Head of the Finance & Controlling Department and the CFO, and you will be responsible for the financial frameworks and for steering the organization’s financial position. Within your area of focus, you will serve as the primary point of contact for issues (including those from political and business circles) related to our cost model. You can translate financial issues at the organizational level into practical and strategic solutions, and you will maintain the balance between compliance and supporting executive decisions.

Your main responsibilities are:

• Preparing cost and rate reports based on the cost and rate calculations performed by our cost specialists.
• Responding to questions from various sources, including politicians and the business community, regarding our cost prices and rates.
• Advising our management on a wide range of issues related to cost and rate calculations, the cost model, and revenue from fee-based activities.
• Managing the cost model at the conceptual level (the technical management and actual implementation of changes are handled by the cost specialists).
• Coordinating the planning and control cycle at the group level (both internally and externally). Effective collaboration—both internally with the Strategy Department and externally with government agencies (clients and owners)—is crucial in this regard.
• Provide advice on the financial opportunities, risks, and strategic implications of executive decisions.
• Supporting NVWA-wide decision-making and developing financial strategies.
• Leading projects focused on process improvements and long-term financial stability.

Would you like to join our team and help ensure the continuity and improvement of one of the most important pillars of our financial management? And do you meet the job requirements listed below? If so, we look forward to receiving your resume and cover letter! Please include in your cover letter (max. 1 A4 page—you may omit the address, salutation, and signature) specific answers to the following questions:

1. What makes you a good and experienced Group Controller?
2. What knowledge and experience do you have in the area of cost pricing/rates?
3. Using a specific example from your work experience, describe how you used your analytical skills to successfully resolve a complex business issue.
4. How do you ensure that your recommendations take into account not only the facts but also the relevant interests, feelings, and opinions of stakeholders? Provide an answer based on a specific work situation you have experienced.
5. What do you think will be the biggest challenge for you based on the job description and requirements?

Job Requirements

You are a strong and independent consultant who provides both solicited and unsolicited strategic, tactical, and operational advice. With a proactive and results-oriented mindset, you are eager to contribute to optimizing processes, controlling costs, and strengthening financial management within a complex organization. Thanks to your strong communication skills, you are able to present complex financial information clearly and persuasively to various stakeholders, ranging from operational teams to (departmental) executives. You understand the importance of effective collaboration. You therefore maintain good relationships with financial professionals, management teams, and policymakers at various levels. Finally, independence and decisiveness are key qualities you possess, while recognizing that the final decisions rest with management.

In addition, we would like to see the following:

• A bachelor’s degree in, for example, Business Economics, Business Administration, Management Accounting, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in a similar role, preferably within a complex organization.
• Proficiency in analyzing and interpreting financial and operational data, including working with BI tools.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, cost calculations, and financial reporting.
• Advanced proficiency in drafting advisory reports and in data analysis using Excel. 

An assessment is part of the selection process. Wednesdays are our regular office days at our Utrecht office.

Skills

• Organizational sensitivity
• Persuasiveness
• Analyze
• Networking

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 will receive an Individual Choice Budget (ICB) equal to 16.50% of your gross annual salary. You can choose to 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, or even make your home more sustainable. To encourage this, the national government also offers an employer contribution on top of the IKB.

Vacation days

If you work 36 hours a week, you are entitled to 144 vacation hours and 64 IKB leave hours per year. Do you work more or fewer hours? In that case, 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 Expense Reimbursement

You will receive a commuter pass 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 hold a field-based position, you are often eligible for an electric company car. You may also use this vehicle for personal purposes, subject to the additional tax liability.

Leave Policies

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

Pension

The Dutch government offers an attractive pension plan through 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, these requirements are offset by additional allowances or compensation. 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 Senior Operations Advisor 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

You will be joining the Control team. This team consists of more than 25 colleagues, including both Group Controllers and Business Controllers. They support the executive board and management in ensuring the financial manageability of the NVWA by establishing (financial) frameworks, calculating cost prices and rates, and advising on the concrete implementation and financial substantiation of (strategic) objectives and decisions. Key deliverables of the Control team include the financial justification of the annual plan, the calculated cost prices and rates, and periodic (financial) reports (both internally for the Executive Board and management and externally for the ministries for which the NVWA works). Team Control works closely with the Financial Reporting (financial control) team, the Procurement team, and the Financial Administration (accounts receivable/accounts payable) team.

Team Control is undergoing a transition due to various internal and external developments. These include strengthening the planning and control cycle by decentralizing budgets and restructuring the reporting and review cycle, the potential transition to a different funding model, the increasing use of modern technologies (such as increasingly sophisticated dashboards), and the upcoming retirement of several key experts.

Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA)

In the Netherlands, we take it for granted that the products we use and everything we eat are safe. We expect animals to be treated well, even if they are destined for slaughter. We want to be able to consume fruits and vegetables without a second thought, and other products are “naturally” fine too. We want to be able to walk in nature without worry and buy toys for our children without suspicion. As consumers, we simply rely on that; for us, it goes without saying.

But we sometimes forget that companies work hard every day to maintain those high standards. That it isn’t always easy for business owners to comply with all applicable laws and regulations. We also forget that the government oversees this. Safety sounds so simple, but it isn’t.

What does the NVWA do?
The staff of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) work hard every day to maintain that standard. Through dialogue with businesses in the hospitality sector, slaughterhouses, plant cultivation, and other producers, the NVWA monitors food and product safety, plant health, and the welfare of animals, nature, and the environment. We do so in accordance with national and international laws and regulations. We operate on a basis of trust, but we take firm action against businesses that do not adhere to the rules. In the interest of society.

We closely monitor where the greatest risks lie and where oversight is most urgently needed, so that we can inform consumers and others in a timely manner. The NVWA also plays a key role in export inspections and in the import of products into Europe.

What does the NVWA stand for?
The NVWA is responsible for overseeing animal welfare, animal health, food safety, product safety, tobacco and alcohol prevention, plant health, and nature and the environment.

The Dutch government strives to be an employer that every employee—regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, or disability—wants to work for. Addressing social issues in diverse teams makes us more effective and innovative. That makes the work meaningful and challenging.

The NVWA is an agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security, and Nature (LVVN) and the Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport.

Interested in applying?

The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) invites you to apply on their website. Clicking the button below will take you away from this site and directly to the application form. The government values a diverse and inclusive organization. Working in diverse teams makes us more effective, more innovative, and makes the work more enjoyable. Everyone is therefore invited to apply.

Contact Persons

For more information about this job opening:

Alexander Sjamaar,0611495704

For more information about the application process:

Aldo van Grunsven,0621970825