GBIF Secretariat is recruiting a Financial Officer

Three-year staff role will provide rewarding opportunity for early-career financial professional
Deadline: 7 JULY 2024

Aythya fuligula-arter-eafriis-hero
Tufted ducks (Aythya fuligula), observed in Denmark. Photo 2024 Erik Aabjerg Friis via Arter.dk, licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

The GBIF Secretariat is looking for an early-career Financial Officer to support its operations in a time of growth. This new full-time position is located in Copenhagen. The deadline for applications from interested candidates is 7 July 2024.

Job description

The selected candidate will have the opportunity to grow into the position along with our organization, providing input on strengthening and developing the future direction of the finance section of the Secretariat.

The incumbent’s primary initial responsibilities will cover a variety of day-to-day tasks including (but not limited to):

  • Entry of documents and invoices
  • Payments, liquidity analysis, bank reconciliation
  • Salary runs
  • Review of financial reports from GBIF projects
  • Oversight of Secretariat time registration
  • Assistance with budgeting
  • Assistance with monthly/quarterly financial reporting
  • Assistance with annual reporting including preparing for audit
  • Assistance with financial reporting to GBIF funders
  • Assistance with supporting the GBIF Budget Committee
  • Other financial and administrative tasks as required

The incumbent will work very closely with the financial controller and support GBIF’s capacity enhancement projects.

Bookkeeping is currently managed in close collaboration with the University of Copenhagen, but the Secretariat may introduce its own finance system, which the incumbent would be expected to help implement.

Required skills and experience

  • Relevant education within finance, e.g. merkonom
  • Three to four (3-4) years’ experience in a relevant position
  • High proficiency in both Danish and English (spoken and written)
  • Good IT skills, experience with spreadsheets
  • The ability to work independently and as part of a team, be structured and flexible
  • Ability to work with a diverse, international group of people both within the Secretariat but also in the GBIF global network

Preferred skills

  • Experience with finance systems, such as Navision or other

What we offer

  • A versatile job in an international environment
  • A competitive remuneration package
  • The possibility to influence your job and potentially take on more responsibility over time
  • In-house training in GBIF’s system and processes
  • Most importantly, we offer the chance to contribute significantly to an international effort to build and run the global web platform for open biodiversity data

Contract and remuneration

The contract is for an initial period of three (3) years with the possibility of extension. GBIF salaries are competitive and are exempt from Danish income tax, under the GBIF host agreement with Denmark. This position is in the GBIF General Service category and has been locally advertised. Applicants are therefore expected to have a valid work and residence permit for Denmark.

Application procedure and deadline

Applications for the position must include 1) a motivation letter addressing your experience and qualifications for the job and 2) your curriculum vitae. Candidates must submit applications in English via email to financialofficer2024@gbif.org by 7 July 2024.

Please indicate in the application where you saw this advertisement.

Enquiries concerning the position can be addressed to Head of Administration, Anne Mette Nielsen or to the HR Manager, Susanne Sheldon.

Interviews for the position are expected to take place starting mid-August 2024. The interviews will be conducted in both English and Danish.


GBIF—the Global Biodiversity Information Facility—is an international network and data infrastructure funded by the world’s governments and aimed at providing anyone, anywhere, open access to data about all types of life on Earth.

GBIF is an equal opportunities employer and accepts applications without distinction on the grounds of gender, colour, racial, social or ethnic origin, genetic features, language, religion or belief, political or any other opinion, membership of a national minority, property, birth, disability, age or sexual orientation, marital status or family situation, or any other status. Staff are recruited on the broadest possible geographical basis.