Assistant Financial Controller

UWC Maastricht

We offer a challenging and engaging education for students from all age groups, equipping them with the attitudes, skills and knowledge to live a meaningful and flourishing life. The UWC Maastricht educational experience is about knowing and acting. We nurture an understanding of the world and its major challenges, and help students discover how they can serve others and make a positive contribution to society and the planet. We currently serve over 900 students from more than 100 countries, 200 of whom live in our residential community on campus.

Join us!

UWC Maastricht recruits qualified and experienced staff from around the world who are committed to our school’s mission to make education a force for peace and a sustainable future.

UWC Maastricht has a full time vacancy for an Assistant Financial Controller. Currently this is 0.5 FTE fixed position and 0.5 FTE long term illness cover.

Due to the nature of this vacancy we can only employ local staff with a work permit or EU passport. 

The Role

The Assistant Financial Controller supports the Financial Manager in maintaining accurate financial administration and ensuring timely financial reporting. The role combines operational finance responsibilities with analytical support for budgeting, forecasting, and financial reporting. In this role, the Assistant Financial Controller also acts as the right hand of the Financial Manager in the financial planning and reporting cycle. This includes supporting the preparation of the annual budget, monitoring actual results against budget, preparing financial analyses, and contributing to the preparation of the annual accounts and audit process. The position therefore combines operational financial administration with analytical and controlling responsibilities.

The Assistant Financial Controller is responsible for overseeing day-to-day financial processes, monitoring budgets, and supporting the preparation of financial reports, liquidity forecasts, and the annual accounts. In the absence of the Financial Manager, the Assistant Financial Controller may act as a point of contact for financial matters.

The position is part of the Finance Team, which consists of 4 people, including you.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor and support the day-to-day financial administration.
• Maintain financial ledgers and ensure accurate and timely bookkeeping.
• Manage the memo ledger and related financial records.
• Monitor departmental budgets and provide budget holders with financial insights.
• Prepare periodic financial reports and overviews of income and expenditure.
• Support the preparation of the annual budget, financial forecasts and liquidity planning.
• Assist with the preparation of the annual accounts and related financial documentation.
• Prepare and submit VAT declarations and the “Uitbetaalde Bedragen aan Derden” declaration to the Dutch tax authorities.
• Ensure proper processing of digital invoicing and accounting procedures.
• Monitor cash administration and report any discrepancies to the Financial Manager.
• Perform ad-hoc financial analysis when required.
• Identify and investigate inconsistencies between budgets, invoices and financial records.
• Alert the Financial Manager to financial irregularities or risks.
• Contribute to improving financial procedures, internal controls and administrative processes.

The successful profile & qualifications

Commitment
Pursuing the UWC mission requires a commitment from our staff members to the following values:
International and cultural understanding, celebration of difference, personal responsibility and integrity, mutual responsibility and respect, compassion and service, respect for the environment, a sense of idealism, personal challenge, action and personal example.
It should be noted that the school is a dynamic and high energy environment: the satisfaction from working at UWC Maastricht is high – but so are the demands on time and engagement.

Education degree and professional experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or a related field
• Preferably at least 1-2 year of relevant professional experience in finance, accounting or controlling

Professional competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following competencies:

• Financial accuracy and attention to detail: ability to maintain reliable and well-structured financial records.
• Analytical skills: ability to interpret financial data and support decision making.
• Collaboration: contributing effectively to a small and professional finance team.
• Communication: able to communicate financial matters clearly with colleagues and budget holders.
• Continuous improvement mindset: identifying opportunities to improve processes and internal controls.
• Advanced Excel skills: experience with payroll systems and financial software is considered an advantage.
• Language skills: Dutch (native or professional proficiency) and working proficiency in English (minimum CEFR level B1).

Safeguarding

UWC Maastricht is committed to upholding the highest standards in student safeguarding. Throughout the application process we will be assessing your suitability to work with children and young adults. Prior to an offer of employment being made, UWC Maastricht will check directly with current and former employers about safeguarding.

Terms of Employment

• You will get a contract of employment under Dutch law: the initial contract starts preferably on 1 May 2026.
• The package will be commensurate with the responsibilities of the position, according to the Dutch Collective Labour Agreement for Secondary Education (‘CAO VO’). The current salary range is based on scale 9, which lies between €3.326,- and € 5.025,-, depending on relevant experience.
• Participation in the school’s pension plan via the ABP Retirement/Pension Fund.
• Location: UWC Maastricht, the Netherlands.

To be able to work in the Netherlands, a (foreign) staff member must be able to successfully apply for:
✔ Residence and work permits for the Netherlands.
✔ A Dutch VOG (certificate of good conduct).
UWCM will assist in the application process for VOG.

Information
If you would like to know more about this challenging position, please contact our HR Team via vacancies@uwcmaastricht.nl.

Our procedure:

After shortlisting, we determine the suitability of the remaining candidates to work in our school via, reference checks and interviews at our school or online. 

As per our Hiring Policy, Safeguarding is a priority of UWCM and therefore all references will be asked questions in this area.

The deadline for application is 29 March 2026.

NOTE: We reserve the right to appoint a suitable candidate before the deadline