Finance Officer - Grants & Budgetary Control

1000 European Molecular Biology Laboratory; Heidelberg; On-site; EUR 48,000 - 57,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation package

30 days annual leave

Private medical insurance for you and

Pension scheme

Job summary

EMBL in Heidelberg, Germany, invites applications for a Budget Office post focusing on financial grant reporting and internal budget management. You will act as a primary post-award contact, prepare and submit reports, and support stakeholders with timely financial data while ensuring funder compliance.

The role requires a degree in accounting/finance, ERP experience (Workday preferred; SAP/BO desirable), and strong English, German, and Excel skills.

Qualifications

• A university degree in accountancy and finance, or equivalent experience.
• Solid experience in accounting and controlling, including management accounting and budgetary control.
• Sound knowledge of basic accounting concepts and financial reporting principles.
• Experience with modern ERP systems is a prerequisite, preferably with Workday while knowledge of SAP & Business Objects is highly desirable.
• Excellent knowledge of standard office software packages, particularly Excel.
• Fluency in English and a good working knowledge of German.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• You might also have Professional accounting qualifications.
• Experience in grants administration within an international organisation or an organisation engaged in research.
• Knowledge of French and/or Spanish.

Responsibilities

• Acting as the primary post-award contact for Principal Investigators, project managers and funding bodies.
• Preparing and submitting financial reports for grants in line with the compliance requirements of various funders.
• Performing quality checks to ensure the completeness and accuracy of financial reports and that expenditure complies with funders' rules.
• Supporting budget holders in the efficient management of their budgets by providing accurate and timely financial data.
• Providing proactive financial advice and support on grants and internal budgetary matters to assist stakeholders in decision-making.
• Interpreting contractual documentation and analysing and applying funders' financial rules and regulations.
• Contributing to the preparation of the Laboratory's annual budget.
• Supporting and administering internal and external audits.
• Contributing to the development of our financial and management accounting system and other financial controlling projects.
• In this varied position, you will also have the opportunity to support the implementation of improvement projects and take on ad hoc assignments.

Skills

English fluency

German knowledge

Communication

Teamwork

Analytical thinking

Education

Professional accounting qualifications

Tools

Workday

SAP

SAP Business Objects

Excel

Job description

Based in Heidelberg, Germany, EMBL's Budget Office is responsible for the financial administration of 330 research grants. This includes assisting with budget preparation, monitoring and controlling expenditure against awarded budgets, and ensuring the timely preparation and submission of financial reports to grant-giving bodies.

Your role Reporting to the Budget Office Deputy Head, you will join a team of 9, working closely with the Grants Services team, our Scientific groups, external funding agencies and auditors. In this exciting role, you will have a broad range of responsibilities, focusing on financial grant reporting and the management of internal and external budgets.

Responsibilities

• Acting as the primary post-award contact for Principal Investigators, project managers and funding bodies.
• Preparing and submitting financial reports for grants in line with the compliance requirements of various funders.
• Performing quality checks to ensure the completeness and accuracy of financial reports and that expenditure complies with funders' rules.
• Supporting budget holders in the efficient management of their budgets by providing accurate and timely financial data.
• Providing proactive financial advice and support on grants and internal budgetary matters to assist stakeholders in decision-making.
• Interpreting contractual documentation and analysing and applying funders' financial rules and regulations.
• Contributing to the preparation of the Laboratory's annual budget.
• Supporting and administering internal and external audits.
• Contributing to the development of our financial and management accounting system and other financial controlling projects.
• In this varied position, you will also have the opportunity to support the implementation of improvement projects and take on ad hoc assignments.

Qualifications

• A university degree in accountancy and finance, or equivalent experience.
• Solid experience in accounting and controlling, including management accounting and budgetary control.
• Sound knowledge of basic accounting concepts and financial reporting principles.
• Experience with modern ERP systems is a prerequisite, preferably with Workday while knowledge of SAP & Business Objects is highly desirable.
• Excellent knowledge of standard office software packages, particularly Excel.
• Fluency in English and a good working knowledge of German.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• You might also have Professional accounting qualifications.
• Experience in grants administration within an international organisation or an organisation engaged in research.
• Knowledge of French and/or Spanish.

Contract Length and Salary

Contract length: 3 years (renewable)

Salary: Grade 6; Monthly salary from 4.713,20 EUR after tax, plus generous benefits and financial allowances based on individual circumstances. Excluding 12.99% personal pension and insurance contributions.

Why join us

EMBL is curiosity-driven, community-oriented and international. As an inclusive, equal opportunity employer, we believe that diversity enables us to collaborate more effectively and be innovative in our approaches. We are, therefore, committed to creating an inclusive and flexible culture - one where everyone can realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to our organisation. We encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing team – we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and personal experiences reflect the diversity of the populations that our science serves. We actively encourage applications from all genders and cultures, ethnic groups and all demographics to help us avoid perpetuating biases and oversights at this transformational point in our people strategy.

Benefits

• Financial incentives: Salary free of income tax, Monthly family, child and non-resident allowances, annual salary review, pension scheme, death benefit, accident-at-work and unemployment insurances
• Flexible working arrangements
• Private medical insurance for you and your immediate family (including all prescriptions and generous dental & optical cover)
• Generous time off: 30 days annual leave per year, in addition to public holidays
• Relocation package including installation grant (conditions apply)
• Campus life: Library, on-site cafeteria, casual dress code, extensive sports and social club activities (on campus and remotely)
• Family benefits: Kindergarten (Heidelberg), 10 days of child sick leave, generous paid maternity/parental leave and monthly family & child allowances
• Benefits for international newcomers: Visa exemption, education grant for private schooling, financial support to travel back to your home country every second year and a monthly non-resident allowance

International Applicants

We recruit internationally and successful candidates are offered visa exemptions.

Visit our International Applicants page, to find out more.

DORA

EMBL is a signatory of DORA. Find out how we apply DORA principles to our recruitment and performance assessment processes here.

Diversity and inclusion

At EMBL, we believe that diverse teams drive innovation and scientific excellence. We encourage applications from candidates of all genders, identities, nationalities and/or any other diverse backgrounds.

Closing Date 29/11/2026

Whether you're a scientist, IT specialist, accountant or administrator, you'll help us tackle the challenges of improving human health & biodiversity in the face of climate change on a global scale.

Please visit this page to find out more about the benefits at EMBL.

No problem. Our special status enables us to hire talented individuals from across the globe. So far we have 76 nationalities. We would love to make it 77!