Make your mark for patients
We are looking for a Contract & Partnership Financial Accountant with strong financial expertise, analytical rigor, and an operational mindset to join us in Contract & Partnership team, based in our HQ in Anderlecht, Belgium.
About the role
As a Contract & Partnership Financial Accountant, you will be accountable for the financial monitoring of a portfolio of UCB partnerships and provide support to the Public Funding team. You will act as a key liaison with business stakeholders in a dynamic, fast‑evolving environment, ensuring operational excellence, compliance, and continuous process improvement. With an expanding partnership perimeter, adaptability and agility are essential.
Who you’ll work with
You will collaborate daily with colleagues across the Contract & Partnership team and serve as a backup to the Contract & Partnership Financial Accountant.
Your main interactions outside the team will include: Finance (Accounting, Finance Managers, Consolidation, FP&A, Reporting), Alliance Management, Public Funding Team, Legal and Intellectual Property.
What you’ll do
Financial management as from deal signing
1. Translate contractual terms and amendments into financial rules, system logic, and control frameworks, ensuring accurate tracking across tools and systems.
2. Engage the appropriate stakeholders to maintain accuracy of financial assumptions throughout the lifecycle of each partnership.
3. Prepare financial calculations required under partnership agreements, including service cross‑charges, cost/profit share, and milestone allocation schedules.
4. Support the preparation of Joint Finance Committees (JFCs) and ad hoc business cases.
Planning and Reporting
5. Accurately plan financial obligations across UCB’s planning cycles (Quarterly Rolling Forecast, Long‑Range Forecast, Budget) and financial models.
6. Ensure precise internal reporting by preparing accounting entries and validating reporting at both local and Group levels.
7. Take ownership of partnership reporting and deliver high‑quality outputs to internal and external stakeholders.
8. Maintain comprehensive, well‑organized documentation to ensure full audit readiness for internal and external audits.
9. Prepare the dedicated reports to the Contract & Partnerships scope, including without limitation the Intangibles, the financial obligations overview with a good analytical mindset to track abnormalities and variances vs. expectations
10. Ensure proper management of the financial obligations (invoice, payment, tax withholding, external reporting, account confirmations) in liaison with the Contract & Partnership assistant & the Alliance Managers, including management of the queries received from the partner
11. Provide support to the Contract & Partnership assistant to ensure the Tax compliance file is complete & accurate
Public Funding (30%)
12. Lead planning and reporting activities for cash/investment grants and public‑funded programs (IHI, EU, Walloon Region, etc.).
13. Ensure accurate financial planning and reporting in UCB’s books.
14. Act as a subject matter expert to support the Public Private Partnerships team
Process
15. Support maintenance and accuracy of Contract & Partnership databases (e.g., INOVA).
16. Contribute to change management for systems and processes, with a focus on automation and AI‑driven improvements.
Continuous Improvement
17. Identify opportunities to improve processes, quality, and operational efficiency.
18. Implement best practices and innovative approaches to strengthen performance.
Interested? For this role we’re looking for the following education, experience and skills
19. Master’s degree in Finance or related field and at least 5 years of relevant experience
20. Strong background in financial operations, accounting principles, data management, and analytical reporting
21. Proven experience in project costing, budgeting, and resource monitoring in collaborative or publicly funded programs
22. High ethical standards and discretion with confidential information
23. Advanced digital skills, including MS Office (especially Excel), collaboration tools (Teams, SharePoint), data tools (Power BI), and ERP systems (SAP preferred)
24. Solid experience in audits, inspections, and documentation supporting accountability and process improvement
25. Experience in grant administration for public health funding programs is an asset
26. Excellent organizational, planning, problem-solving, and prioritization skills
27. Strong communication and stakeholder engagement abilities across all organizational levels
28. Adaptable, calm under pressure, proactive, and committed to continuous improvement
Are you ready to ‘go beyond’ to create value and make your mark for patients? If this sounds like you, then we would love to hear from you!