Deputy Head of the Finance Department

For 20 years, the Haute École Arc (HE-Arc), a member of the Haute École spécialisée de Suisse occidentale (HES-SO), has been training talents and putting its expertise at the service of the cantons of Neuchâtel, Jura, and French-speaking Bern. With more than 3’000 students and nearly 500 employees, it constitutes a major academic and institutional actor of the Arc jurassien. HE-Arc guarantees equitable recruitment, based on skills and without discrimination. We place diversity at the heart of our commitment and ensure an inclusive, respectful, and rewarding environment for all.

Your mission
As Deputy Head of Finance, you assist the Head of Department in steering financial activities and provide cover in her absence. You intervene in varied and complex activities of financial and analytical accounting, controlling, risk management, as well as in various transformation projects for the department. You play a key role in the reliability of financial information, risk management, the implementation of directives, and the continuous improvement of processes.

Your main responsibilities
Financial Steering & Closing: Supervision of general accounting, carrying out intermediate and annual closing work, quality control of data, and participation in the preparation of financial statements, participation in audits and the budgetary process.

Controlling & Performance: Carrying out analytical closing, budget monitoring and variance analysis, production of analyses and decision-making support reports, improvement of steering tools.

Governance & Risks: Control and validation of invoices, co-signature of payments, application and maintenance of the Internal Control System (SCI).

Projects & Transformation: Representation of the institution in external working groups (notably HES-SO), steering of projects, notably regarding digitalization, automation of processes, and optimization of department tools.

Management & Substitution: Cross-functional coordination within the team and team animation. In the absence of the Head of Department, supervision of the team, operational monitoring of the department, and coordination with internal/external partners.

Your profile
Education: Bachelor's, federal diploma or title deemed equivalent (accounting, finance, management, or economics)

Experience: Minimum 5 years of confirmed experience in relation to the function.

Technical expertise: Advanced mastery of finance, controlling, and the mechanisms of an SCI. Excellent mastery of IT tools useful for the function.

Major assets: Experience in the public/academic sector, ideally with MCH2 standards. Initial experience in management and/or project management are advantages.

Personal skills: Rigor, reliability, high sense of confidentiality and responsibility. Strong analytical and synthesis skills, autonomy and solution orientation. Excellent interpersonal skills and team spirit. Flexibility, resistance to stress, and excellent management of priorities.

Main place of work: Neuchâtel (travel throughout the Arc jurassien)
Start date: to be agreed
Any additional information can be obtained from Madame Marie-Caroline JOBIN, head of the finance department, marie-caroline.jobin@he-arc.ch.
Service offers, grouped in a single PDF file (motivation letter, CV, copies of diplomas, etc.), are to be sent by email until 25 September to recrutement@he-arc.ch, mentioning "Chef-fe de service adjoint-e". Extracts from the criminal record and the Office des poursuites may be requested later.