Procurement Specialist

Job Title: Assistant Controller

Job Summary:

Serco is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Assistant Controller to join our team at the European Space Agency (ESA) in the Netherlands. As an Assistant Controller, you will play a crucial role in supporting the procurement process and ensuring the smooth execution of projects.

Main Responsibilities:

• Provide support and assistance for project control aspects of the procurement process and related tasks.
• Ensure common, harmonised, approved processes are followed for implementation of procurement actions in the related systems.
• Coordinate and update all procurement activities in the related systems, providing the overall oversight and pro-active follow up to clarifications, issues, requests for information, approval workflow and providing consolidated activity logs, status, and statistics for all actions.
• Create and implement Purchase Order, Work Orders, Contract and CCN objects in the related systems and following up on approval flow.
• Implement RFXs & Shopping Carts in ESA-p after verification of the proper information and documentation provided.
• Support inputs clarifications and follow up on actions and status of Purchase Orders created by Purchase Office.
• Handle low-value purchase orders and reimbursement requests related to project expenses.
• Implement contracts in ESA-p based on the agreed Milestone Payment Plan (MPP) and Advance Payment table when required.
• Collect geo-return information and perform approved updates in corporate systems.
• Create and process Goods Receipt Notes (GRNs) in ESA-p clarifying any ambiguities or issues and follow up on approval flow.
• Handle the approval process in line with audit requirements, ensuring the audit trail is prepared.
• Create and process invoices in ESA-p, clarifying any ambiguities or issues and follow up on approval flow.
• Collect and update the ESA-estimating dates for payment milestones in the related systems (PCMS and SAP).
• Verify the procurement action changes in SCI planning (e.g. PCMS) are within the CAC/cost plans.
• Implement approved accruals in the related systems in close coordination and approval with the Project Controllers.
• Support contract close-out activities in the ESA corporate and SCI related systems and handle the nominal operational and analytical processes required to close contracts.
• Produce and maintain procurement process implementation documentation and guidelines.
• Support the review of Contract / Work Order financial annexes / PSS forms for accuracy and correctness before ESA-p implementation in close coordination with Project or Business Control.

Planning and Project Support Tasks:

• Provide user assistance for procurement item implementation in the ESA tools.
• Ensure there is a well-co-ordinated service interface with SCI-F, SCI-P and SCI-M for the efficient financial and project control processes and related tasks in planning, procurement, cost, commitment, cash and expenditure management and reporting;
• Implement, maintain and monitor all procurement objects and contract actions in SAP, such as Shopping Carts, RFx, New Contracts, Purchase Orders, Contract Change Notices, GRN/MACs, Fund reservation, etc.
• Provide updates to the requesters on Status, progress and issues encountered.
• Support preparation of detailed and accurate budgets, forecasts, and financial reports for the SCI Directorate;
• Maintain the budget implementation plan for projects;
• Support programme and project contingency planning and updates in the related databases;
• Support the multi-year planning exercise and Interim/financial closure exercise by making data collection, data verification and validation exercises, performing updates & corrections, and providing tailored and ad hoc data analysis and reporting;
• Support the Quarterly Cost Report exercise including identification and analysis of variances in the financial data and the implementation of approved corrections;
• Provide cost, fund commitment and cash disbursement reports at the required level of granularity;
• Support the creation, implementation, update and reporting of all project CACs in the SCI planning and control database;
• Support data consistency verification for project CACs between the ESA corporate financial systems (e.g. ESA-p, EROS, WLMS) and in the SCI planning databases (e.g. PCMS & WFM);
• Support the Geo-Return management and controlling process and related tasks;
• Perform industrial GEO-Return updates in the related databases (e.g. EROS, SCI and any other databases according to SCI and ESA needs);
• Provide reporting such as activity logs, statistics and progress status on work-package tasks;
• Produce and maintain project CAC process documentation and guidelines;
• Provide inputs and recommendations for process optimisation for procurement support activities and tasks;
• Support financial and management audits, including preparation activities, information gathering, coordination, presentations and action item tracking / implementation;
• Support and attend coordination meetings, working groups, database/ tool briefings and trainings;
• Support the digitisation, consolidation & tracking of procurement action plans in the related systems, in close coordination and support from the SCI Business Tools;
• Support programme contingency planning in the related databases;
• Support coordination, planning and CAC review meetings, briefings and trainings for ESA tools;

Requirements:

• University degree (Bachelor) in Business Administration (or Communications as relevant), with relevant experience.
• At least 4 years of relevant work experience.
• Experience in financial planning and controlling and/or management of activities and resources in aerospace industry.
• High capacity to interact and communicate effectively with cross-functional team, from engineering, technical and business domains.
• Good sense of contacts and communications, ability to interface at appropriate level with relevant actors within and outside of the Directorate.
• Good knowledge of supporting project-oriented environment
• Reliability, rigor and initiative in the execution of the assigned work.
• Proactive attitude to solving problems, identify priority actions and to handle high workload.
• Ability to work both autonomously and as part of a team within the boundaries of assigned tasks and stringent schedule.
• Highly proficient in the use of modern activities and resource management support tools/databases of standard office automation support software packages including advance usage of Ms-Office and in particular advanced use of Excel.
• Experience as a proficient user of SAP and in particular ECC and SRM modules and familiarity with relevant ESA corporate applications ( e.g. ESA-p) is an asset.
• Proficient with one or more of the following: ESA-P, ESA-STAR, EROS, ECLIPSE, WLMS, , PCMS, WFM+, PowerBI, , ESA Data Factory.
• Ability to rapidly understand and adapt to ESA specific context and environment including ESA corporate IT applications.
• Experience with ESA in relevant activities is an asset.
• Familiarity with ESA working environment in a similar position is a distinct advantage.
• Excellent interpersonal skills are needed, together with a high degree organizational and communication abilities, and comfortable with working in a diverse and multinational team environment.
• Proficient in the English language, both written and spoken.
• Knowledge of another EU member state language is an asset.
• Candidates must be eligible to work in the EU.