The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), established in 1956, is a multilateral development bank with a unique social mandate from its 43 member states. The CEB finances investment in social sectors, including education, health and affordable housing, with a focus on the needs of vulnerable people. Borrowers include governments, local and regional authorities, public and private banks, non-profit organisations and others. As a multilateral bank with a triple-A credit rating, the CEB funds itself on the international capital markets. It approves projects according to strict social, environmental and governance criteria, and provides technical assistance. In addition, the CEB receives funds from donors to complement its activities.

The Finance Directorate (FIN) ensures that the CEB's financial management preserves its robustness and resilience in the pursuit of its social mandate. FIN provides sustainable financial solutions for CEB’s clients and obtains financial resources at competitive terms through bond issues in the financial markets and investor relations management. The Directorate ensures the adequate liquidity level to cover lending activities while generating net profits and continuously strengthening the CEB’s own funds.

The Settlements, Payments & Collateral Division (FIN-SPC) guarantees the safe settlement of all the cashflows of the Institution. SPC provides operational support to all market operations carried out by the Front Office, ensures first level data controls and data coherence, manages collateral and real financial assets, and participates in the setting up and the update of legal documentation. FIN-SPC is also involved in a number of cross-functional IT projects.

The CEB is looking for a Back-Office Operations Specialist who will contribute to the overall activities of the Settlements, Payments & Collateral Division with a view to supporting and improving the full transaction processing cycle. The incumbent will report to the Head of the Settlements, Payments & Collaterals Division and will work closely with colleagues in the Finance Directorate and other CEB Divisions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Confirmation of operations, validation of transactions, execution of post-trade operations:

• Execute confirmations, validations, and processing of transactions efficiently and accurately, ensuring all post-trade operations are conducted smoothly.
• Record, verify and oversee front-office-initiated operations and lending activity with precision and attention to detail.
• Investigate and resolve operational discrepancies proactively, and take corrective action as needed.
• Monitor and manage all post-trade operations (settlements/deliveries) accurately and efficiently.
• Reconcile securities portfolios with depositories

Collateral management:

• Maintain strict oversight of collateral administration of swaps (margin calls, substitution of securities, contract management in triResolv).

Optimising procedures and IT tools:

• Guarantee the integrity of the back-office transaction database and ensure data quality.
• Participate in the development of procedures and all tests for the introduction of new IT modules (new RFR indices, new SWIFT ISO20022 standards, etc.) and greater process automation.
• Suggest and implement improvements to reduce operational risk and processing times.
• Stay up to date on relevant regulations impacting back-office operations.

Relations with the Bank’s other teams:

• Work in close collaboration with the various teams and stakeholders (Front-Office, IT, Risk, Middle Office, Compliance, Legal).

Academic background:

• University degree in management, finance, banking, market operations management or a related field.

Professional background:

• Minimum of 4 years professional experience in finance, preferably acquired in back-office operations, finance administration, or a relevant function in banking
• Excellent knowledge of at least one of the following Bank's products (MM, Repo and FX treasury products, loans, securities, interest rate and currency swaps, long-term issues and ECPs) from a back-office perspective. Knowledge of more products would be a considerable advantage.
• Excellent command of office automation (Excel, Word, databases), as well as back-office-specific systems.
• Good knowledge of SWIFT payment system and clearing systems.
• Knowledge of Bloomberg would be a plus.
• Demonstrated organisational skills, rigour, and attention to detail with the ability to manage tasks independently.
• Proactive problem-solver with a positive, adaptable approach to work. 
• Capacity to manage deadlines effectively.
• Very good team spirit.

Language skills:

• Excellent command of one of the two CEB official languages (English and French), both oral and written, and knowledge of the other, with a commitment to reach a good working level.
• Knowledge of one or more other Member State language(s) is an asset.

Core competencies:

• Adaptability
• Client Orientation
• Communication
• Innovation
• Result Orientation
• Team Work

Nationality:

• Citizen of one of the Bank’s Member States: Albania, Andorra, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Holy See, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and Ukraine.

1) The CEB offers an initial 4-year appointment (including a one-year probationary period), with, under certain conditions, the possibility of renewal.

2) Grade and salary:

• B5 - B6
• Depending on level of experience, monthly salary range starts between € 5,786 and € 6,725 plus allowances based on eligibility, exempt of French income tax.
• Appointment may be made at a lower grade, based on the qualifications and professional experience of the selected applicant.
• Grades are established without any discrimination (including gender discrimination)

For more information, please consult the CEB Basic Salary Scale in section 5. Benefits of the CEB website.

As an international financial institution, CEB remuneration is exempt of income tax in France. In addition, our offer includes allowances* and medical and personal insurance. Staff members benefit from a contributory pension plan which provides them with either a pension or a leaving allowance.

* Exact benefit package to be determined based on selected candidate’s personal situation:

• basic family allowance
• expatriation
• dependent child supplement
• additional dependent child supplement for a single-parent family
• supplement for a disabled and dependent parent
• supplements for a disabled or severely disabled child
• education allowance (children) for expatriate staff members
• installation allowance and reimbursement of travel and removal expenses.

The CEB welcomes the applications of all qualified candidates who are nationals of CEB Member States.

The CEB rigorously applies the principle of equal pay for equivalent work. We are committed to workplace gender equality and strive to ensure the recruitment of suitably qualified and experienced staff without regard to their gender, as well as their age, racial or ethnic origin, religion or beliefs, sexual orientation/identity, or disability. In line with peer international financial institutions, the CEB is EDGE certified (Move level), having demonstrated its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and have been assessed against the highest global standards.

Our selection process includes several steps conducted online, such as digitally recorded interviews, technical assignments and interactive panel interviews.

Applications (CV and cover letter) from CEB Member States candidates should be made in English or French using the Bank's online application system at https://ceb.profils.org before midnight Paris time on  19 January 2025.