About this job

ESA is looking for an Industrial Cost Auditor.

Description

Industrial Cost Auditor in the Industrial Audit Section, Industrial Auditing and Return Division, Industrial Policy and Auditing Department, Directorate of Industry, Procurement and Legal Services.

The industrial cost audit function is of vital importance for ESA. The Agency dispenses a large proportion of its annual budget in placing contracts with space sector contractors. It is important to ensure a proper return for its Member States’ investments and to ensure value for money. The audit activity is an essential part of this process.

You will report to the Head of the Industrial Audit Section and be responsible for general industrial cost analysis and auditing-related activities concerning the ESA procurement process.

Responsibilities

Provision of high-quality audit services that achieve cost-effectiveness and value creation for the ESA procurement process with transparent and cost-effective deployment of public resources in industry via ESA programmes.

You will, in direct contact with industry working under contract with ESA, carry out the following:
• auditing, analysis and negotiation of hourly industrial labour rates and overheads, and of unit rates (such as facility charges) and other overheads, on the basis of detailed reviews carried out on industry’s costs structure and their accounting tools;
• auditing of direct expenditure on cost reimbursement contracts and/or co-funded contracts placed with industry including compliance with ESA rules;
• implementing financial viability audits on the basis of detailed reviews of industry’s financial data;
• auditing the nationality of the industrial firms concerned on the basis of established processes and criteria for nationality attribution;
• verifying industry’s cost accounting systems to ascertain compliance with generally accepted accounting principles and ESA rules.

Providing support to ESA programmes will involve:
• participation in tender evaluation boards and cost panels to analyse financial and cost-related aspects of industry proposals, supporting ESA’s programme directorates in direct negotiations with industry;
• implementing audits on industry to directly support programmes, including detailed analysis and review of industrial contractual documents;
• advising on financial matters e.g. currency exchange, price variation formulae, productivity, inflation, hourly rates, etc.

For relevant support services, duties will include:
• auditing in the framework of georeturn data verification;
• coordinating cost and audit activities with other national and international organisations;
• supporting day-to-day audit activities, including preparing concise, accurate documentation (e.g. audit reports, policies and processes), data analysis, information collection, etc.
• carrying out other relevant tasks/projects as requested of the Section.

You will interface with senior industry representatives, ESA and industry project management teams, ESA contract officers, ESA finance and cost engineer functions and the auditors of other national audit authorities.

Profile

Technical competencies
Knowledge/Experience with accounting systems and tools
Knowledge/Experience with auditing
Analytical skills
Negotiation skills
Cost and financial/management accounting

Education

A Master’s degree in business administration, corporate finance and accounting or economics is required.

Additional requirements

Effective communication skills are of utmost importance due to the level of interfaces.
A minimum five years’ experience in auditing activities is required.
Experience in calculation methodologies of hourly labour/facility and overheads rates is preferred.
Readiness to travel frequently, as it is the nature of the job.

For a complete job description and to apply, click on “apply”.

The closing date for applications is 19 January 2021.

At the Agency we value diversity and we welcome people with disabilities. Whenever possible, we seek to accommodate individuals with disabilities by providing the necessary support at the workplace. The Human Resources Department can also provide assistance during the recruitment process. If you would like to discuss this further please contact us at contact.human.resources@esa.int.

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Please note that applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Canada, Latvia and Slovenia.

According to the ESA Convention the recruitment of staff must take into account an adequate distribution of posts among nationals of the ESA Member States. When short-listing for an interview, priority will first be given to internal candidates and secondly to external candidates from under-represented Member States. (https://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/careers/NationalityTargets.pdf)

We offer

The European Space Agency (ESA) is an equal opportunities employer that offers competitive salaries exempt from national income tax and excellent employment conditions, such as allowances for expatriates and relocation support.
For more information: http://www.esa.int/About_Us/Careers_at_ESA

About us

The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. ESA is an international organisation with 22 Member States. By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, it can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country.
Learn more: http://www.esa.int/