Principal Assistant (Head Travel)

The Principal Assistant (Head Travel) leads the travel team within the IMS Budget Group, overseeing transportation booking services, travel claim processing, and accounting activities. The role ensures compliance with NATO financial regulations and policies, manages travel-related processes, and supports financial reporting and audits.

Responsibilities

• Perform approval and control functions related to commitments, expenditures, and payments within delegated authority.
• Oversee travel-related processes and the actions of the travel team, determining workloads and schedules.
• Ensure all transactions submitted for approval are fully supported with necessary documentation for validation and audit purposes.
• Review travel agency and other invoices for correctness and resolve discrepancies.
• Contribute to the revision and development of travel-related policy and procedures in IMS and monitor implementation.
• Build payment batches for supplier invoices ensuring timely payment and compliance with credit terms.
• Provide input into the annual financial statements of the IMS and the STO consolidated financial statements.
• Monitor pending travel transactions, investigate discrepancies and resolve differences, especially at financial year-end.
• Monitor the status of travel appropriations and report to Budget and Disbursing Officer and Finance and Accounting Officer.
• Serve as a point of contact for the travel agency and maintain efficient working relationships.
• Train and instruct the travel team and Staff Assistant (Finance).
• Act as backup for Principal Assistant (Finance) and Staff Assistant (Finance).
• Advise management and the travel community on best practices, policies and procedures, effective funds management, and respond to customer inquiries.
• Support internal and external audits.

Requirements

• Have a minimum of 6 years’ recent experience in accounting, budgeting, finance or related field, coupled with at least 4 years’ experience in supervision and direction of staff.
• Have sound knowledge of financial regulations governing an international organization or a public sector entity.
• Have experience performing accounting and financial transactions using an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) System (preferably Oracle) and data management using office automation software.
• Have team working experience while able to work with minimal supervision.
• Have experience with instructing and assisting less experienced ERP users, resolving user level problems and reporting other problems for further action.
• Completion of higher secondary level education or equivalent.
• At least two years full-time technical training in accounting, budgeting, finance, cost control principles or related field.
• Candidates must have an advanced level of spoken and written English and pass a computer-based test, written test, and interview in English.
• Use of MS-Office applications is crucial; advanced knowledge and user experience of MS Excel, MS Word, MS PowerPoint and Email/Outlook programmes.
• Have working experience and knowledge of NATO or other international organisation, comprising both military and civilian elements, its directives and procedures, with particular emphasis on NATO Financial Rules and Procedures.
• Have experience in working with and making recommendations for improvement of travel and cost control policy and procedures.
• Have experience performing accounting and financial reporting using ORACLE Enterprise Business Suite and a related reporting software (e.g. GL Wand).
• Possess a university degree in finance, accounting, business administration, management (desirable).
• Certified training in generally accepted accounting practices and principles as well as International Accounting Standards (IPSAS or IFRS) (desirable).
• An elementary level of French (desirable).

Skills

• Accounting
• Budgeting
• Financial Reporting
• Financial Regulations
• ERP System Experience
• Oracle ERP
• Data Management
• Office Automation Software
• Staff Supervision
• Team Leadership
• MS Excel
• MS Word
• MS PowerPoint
• Email Management
• NATO Financial Procedures
• Travel Policy Management
• Cost Control
• Travel Claims Processing
• GL Wand
• International Accounting Standards
• IPSAS
• IFRS

Languages

English, French