Junior Accounting Officer

Position: Junior Accounting Officer

Team: Finance Team

Reports to: Chief Financial Officer

Based in: The Hague, Netherlands

Salary: Korn Ferry Level 11 (EUR 2,655-3,650 gross monthly)

The Van Leer Foundation is an independent Dutch organisation working globally to contribute to inclusive societies where all children and communities can flourish. We are currently searching for a Junior Accounting Officer to join our team. This position is a part of the Foundation’s Finance and Administration Department.

As the Junior Accounting Officer, you will assist in preparing for reporting monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements, reporting analytical information related to the Foundations assets and liabilities and the changes therein, vendor administration, debtor administration, cash, banks and entering/checking overseas forex payments. You will provide all support required to ensure outstanding financial, project and banking administration is delivered.

• Maintain daily financial administration, including managing journals, bank ledgers, cash registers, memorial entries, invoice approval, and reconciliations with bank statements, among other related tasks.
• Enter the weekly payments into our banking systems.
• Ensure all incoming mail is properly sorted, recorded, and archived to maintain organised and accessible records.
• Ensure all financial documents are registered and saved properly on SharePoint.
• Assist with the annual audit process by gathering relevant documents.
• Maintain contact with external auditors under the supervision of the Financial Officer.
• Manage the daily finance general email inbox and supply proof of payments upon request.
• Provide a service orientated interaction and timely response to all internal parties.
• Assist in the monthly closing, taking particular care to be accurate and timely.
• Assist with special projects assigned by the Financial Officer.
• Maintain the planning of daily tasks.
• Undertake document workflow.

Inside the Foundation: Programme Team, People & Culture, Chief Financial Officer, Finance and Accounting Officer.

Outside the Foundation: External auditor, various vendors, banks,  and insurance parties. 

• “Praktijk Diploma Boekhouden” or similar accounting diploma
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken with Dutch at A2 level
• At least 6 months of relevant work experience in bookkeeping
• Software: Experience with accounting administration tools and knowledge of Excel
• Analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to work with tight deadlines in a
• Flexible and service orientated
• Highly accurate and precise

Van Leer Foundation competencies:

• Teamwork
• Learning ability
• Result-oriented

Job-specific competencies:

• Discipline
• Self-organisation
• Management control
• Problem analysis

• A good working environment in the centre of The Hague;
• Room for personal input and flexibility;
• Flexible working hours;
• The possibility to work on a hybrid basis (office/home) with minimum of 2 days in the office in discussion with manager;
• Good pension scheme;
• A laptop;
• Travel allowance (free 2nd class woon/werk verkeer, NS trein or tram);
• Personal fitness allowance EUR 500 per year.

The Foundation aims to contribute to inclusive societies where all children and communities can flourish. We do this by bringing people together with different perspectives and supporting them to achieve large-scale impact. Our work covers three main activities:

A Good Start. Giving all children a good start in life sets the foundation for inclusive societies. Through our flagship programme on early childhood development, we work globally to improve the wellbeing of babies, toddlers, and their caregivers. We provide investment and knowledge to help leaders develop and scale effective policies and services.

Van Leer Institutions. We believe the human sciences and the arts are powerful tools to promote inclusive societies because they can help make space for divergent views and mutual understanding. This underpins our support for the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and Jerusalem Film Center. We support both through recurring annual grants.

The Endowment. We rely on our endowment to finance our philanthropic activities and do not raise funds. The endowment invests in a highly diversified portfolio of public market equity and debt and has a substantial allocation to private equity. The full portfolio is screened to meet ESG criteria. We also have an allocation for mission-related investments (MRI) through which we invest in funds aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals closest to our work on early childhood development.

Our team consists of 40+ professionals representing more than 20 nationalities. We have offices in Brazil, India, Israel, Jordan, Senegal and the Netherlands. The team has a wide array of expertise including in early childhood development, urban planning, effective philanthropy, public policy, executive education, monitoring and evaluation, advocacy, strategic communications, impact investing and financial management.