Head of Finance and Procurement Unit

WHO WE ARE

Money laundering and the financing of terrorism are major concerns for the EU. They pose significant risks to the EU economy, to the integrity of the EU financial system and, even more importantly, to the security of its citizens.

The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Authority (AMLA) was established in June 2024 as a new European Union body to safeguard the European Union’s financial system and its citizens against money laundering and terrorist financing. It is located in Frankfurt am Main, Germany and will expand to over 400 staff members by the end of 2027.
AMLA’s key responsibilities include:

Directly supervising selected financial sector entities that operate on a cross border basis and present a high risk of money laundering and terrorism financing, as well as indirectly supervising other entities in the financial and non-financial sectors
Supporting and coordinating the activities of Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) by, for example, facilitating the joint analyses of cross-border cases, enabling information exchange, providing capabilities, advanced data analytics and managing the FIU.net information system
Complementing EU Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) rules by developing regulatory and implementing technical standards and issuing guidelines

For more information about the Authority, please visit our website. We are an equal opportunities employer, committed to diversity and non-discrimination.

Are you interested to contribute to our mission? Then see below what it takes to accomplish the role.

YOUR ROLE

AMLA is organising a selection procedure for the function of Head of Unit (Middle Management) in the Finance and Procurement area.

Functions and duties

As a newly established EU agency, AMLA offers a unique opportunity to shape its Finance and Procurement unit. The selected candidate will lead a team of financial and procurement experts and contribute to AMLA’s strategic direction from its inception, in alignment with the Authority’s mandate. This leadership role requires strong managerial skills, deep subject-matter expertise, and a firm commitment to safeguarding the EU’s financial integrity.
As a member of AMLA’s middle management, the jobholder will, under the authority of the Executive Director, be responsible for leading the finance, budget, and procurement teams applying detailed knowledge of the EU Financial regulation and a hands-on experience in finance (financial circuits, budget forecasting, planning, monitoring, control and reporting) and procurement under the EU procurement rules. The successful incumbent will be responsible for ensuring sound financial management of AMLA by applying financial procedures in line with the EU financial rules and regulations.

Key responsibilities for this role include:

Budget Management: Lead the preparation, implementation and monitoring of the Agency’s budget, ensuring legality, regularity and sound financial management in line with EU Financial Regulations and AMLA’s mission and objectives. Provide input and advice regarding fee management.
Financial Oversight: Oversee ex-ante verification of financial operations and ensure compliance with internal procedures and financial circuits.
Procurement Oversight: Supervise procurement activities across AMLA, including calls for tenders and contract management as well as ensuring appropriate quality assurance for all outputs of the Procurement team. Oversee the preparation of the annual procurement plan.
Process Improvement: Standardise and enhance budget, finance, contract and procurement processes and procedures, including tools, guidance and reporting mechanisms to ensure efficiency and consistency across AMLA, in line with the current legal and procedural framework and with a practical, problem-solving approach.
Risk Management and Internal Control: Ensure sound corporate risk management within the area of responsibility. Collaborate with internal and external audit, the EU Budgetary Authorities , ensuring the implementation of recommendations.
Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate and manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders according to the established business workflows and in line with management guidelines. Coordinate and liaise with relevant EU institutions in the fields of budget, finance and procurement.
Leadership and Team Management: Provide direction, foster collaboration and support the Finance and Procurement team, ensuring balanced workload, high-quality outputs and continuous professional development.

The successful candidates might be required to perform other duties as necessary under the responsibility of their line manager according to the evolution and development of AMLA’s structure and activities.

QUALIFICATIONS AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Eligibility criteria

To be admitted to the selection process you must meet the following eligibility criteria on the closing date for application and on the date of filling the vacant post:

Be a national of a Member State of the European Union.
Thorough knowledge (C1 level as per the CEFR [1]) of one of the 24 EU official languages and a satisfactory knowledge (B2 level) of another EU official language for the performance of your duties [2].
Enjoy full rights as a citizen and meet the character requirements for the duties involved [3].
Have fulfilled any obligations imposed by national laws concerning military service.
Be physically fit to perform the duties linked to the post [4].

This vacancy is published internally at AMLA and inter-agency at the grade bracket AD 9 - AD 14.

Education and Professional Experience:

A university degree (minimum 4 years studies) in management, business administration, economics, finance, accounting, commerce, public administration, law or a related field, followed by at least 12 years of relevant professional experience.

A university degree (minimum 3 years studies) in in the fields mentioned above, followed by at least 13 years of relevant professional experience.

[1] Common European Framework Reference Language Skills

[2] Mother tongue English speakers will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of a second EU language.

[3] An official certificate confirming the absence of any criminal record must be submitted prior to recruitment.

[4] If you are not currently working for an EU institution, you will be required to undergo a pre-employment medical examination at a center we specify.

Selection Criteria

To be considered for the assessment phase you must meet the following essential criteria on the closing date for applications. The following criteria will be assessed during the application screening phase:

At least 9 years of professional experience in financial and/or procurement management acquired in the last 10 years.
Professional experience of at least 5 years in managing or coordinating team/(s) of not less than 7 staff members (for example: Head of Unit, Team leader, Head of Sector or equivalent) in the finance, audit and/or procurement area. Please indicate clearly in the application form the level of responsibility, the size of team coordinated and/or the number of line reports as well as the number of years in each work experience listed in the application under the Section "professional experience".

Desirable Criteria

The following criteria are considered as desirable and may be taken into account during the of applications assessment phase:

Professional experience in an EU Institution, or EU bodies/EU agencies, or international organisations in the area of finance and/or procurement.

Skills

The following skills will be evaluated during the the written test and/or interview phases.

Technical Competencies

Knowledge of the EU Financial and Budgetary Rules and Regulations.
Knowledge of the EU Procurement rules.
Knowledge of internal control standards of the European Institutions.

Middle Management competencies

General Management skills.
Ability to guide and coach colleagues to achieve common goals.
Excellent organisational and planning skills.
Ability to think strategically.
Ability to establish and develop good inter-personal relations with a broad range of stakeholders in cross-cultural environments.
Negotiation skills.

Language Skills

A strong command of both written and spoken English (min. C1 level). English oral and written skills will be assessed throughout the assessment phase.

APPLICATION, SELECTION & RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Please submit your application in English. Applications not indicating the minimum required English proficiency level of C1 will be rejected.

Before submitting your application look at our careers page and check out the Guide for candidates. Proof of compliance with specific criteria may be requested at any stage during the selection process. If you fail to comply with the eligibility and essential criteria, your application will be disqualified.

The selection process will be organised in several consecutive stages:

Screening and shortlisting: After the deadline for online registration, the Selection Committee will check the eligible applications against the selection criteria as described above. Upon completion of the initial assessment, the Selection Committee will establish a shortlist of the best candidates.

Assessment phase: The shortlisted candidates will be invited to the assessment phase which will be organised remotely. This phase will be conducted in English. The assessment phase involves an oral interview with the Selection Committee and a written test. Shortlisted candidates may be required to undergo a managerial assessment centre organised by an external service provider. The oral and written test aim at testing the specific competencies and knowledge with reference to the selection criteria of the present vacancy notice.

Details of the date and time of the assessment will be communicated to the shortlisted candidates in due time. The written test is foreseen to take place in December 2025 and the interviews and assessment centre in January 2026. Please note that timelines are subject to change.

Appointment and reserve list: Upon completion of the assessment phase, the Selection Sommittee will establish a draft reserve list of candidates best matching the needs of the Agency for the functions and tasks/responsibilities mentioned in this vacancy notice. This draft reserve list will be submitted to the Executive Director of AMLA for approval. The adopted reserve list will be valid until 31 December 2026. The validity of the reserve list may be extended by decision of the Executive Director of AMLA.

Prior to being offered a post, candidates might be required to undergo further evaluation by AMLA (e.g. including a further interview with the Chair, Board Members and Executive Director).

Candidates should note that the inclusion in the reserve list does not imply any entitlement to employment at AMLA.

All candidates will be informed about the outcome of the procedure throughout the selection process. Recruitment is subject to budgetary availability.

DATA PROTECTION & APPEAL PROCEDURE

The information provided in the application form is collected for the purpose of the selection/ recruitment procedure(s) at AMLA. Consult the data protection notice for more information about the processing of personal data in the selection and recruitment process.

If you believe a decision made during the selection process has negatively impacted your interests, you can request a review of your application, lodge an administrative complaint, a judicial appeal or a complaint to the European Ombudsman. You can find more information on the appeal procedure in our Guide for candidates.

CONTACT

In case of questions related to careers at AMLA, email us at careers@amla.europa.eu