Financial Controller

The company is looking for a hands-on Controller to join a complex, evolving finance environment. The business sits at an interesting point in its development: it has a listed shareholder with expectations around governance, reporting, procedures and multinational-level standards , while the underlying group of companies remains comparatively unstructured and requires further professionalisation .

The Controller will play an important role in bridging these two environments. This is not a position for someone who expects mature systems, clean data and established processes from day one. Equally, it is not a pure transformation or advisory role. The successful candidate will need to be comfortable working within the current environment while actively improving it .

Key responsibilities

• Take ownership of financial controlling , with a strong understanding of financial statements and the ability to analyse and manage P&L, balance sheet and related financial information.
• Work across both financial and industrial controlling , with financial controlling being the higher priority.
• Produce and improve management reporting, analysis, budgeting and forecasting.
• Work hands-on with Excel, imperfect datasets and relatively unsophisticated tools where required.
• Improve the quality, consistency and reliability of financial information across the group.
• Develop and implement more sophisticated controlling processes, reporting tools and procedures over time.
• Help bridge the gap between the reporting/governance requirements of a listed shareholder and the current capabilities of the underlying businesses.
• Work closely with operating companies and management to understand performance and identify issues.
• Get into the detail when required rather than relying exclusively on established systems or teams.
• Contribute to the broader professionalisation of the finance function.

Candidate profile

The ideal candidate will have approximately 8–10 years of relevant finance experience , with a strong grounding in controlling.

They should combine:

• Strong financial controlling expertise, including a solid understanding of financial statements.
• Exposure to industrial controlling and the economics of an industrial/manufacturing business.
• Strong Excel and analytical capabilities.
• Experience operating in an imperfect, developing or relatively unstructured finance environment .
• Evidence of having helped build, improve or professionalise finance processes rather than only operating within mature systems.
• The judgement to understand what a high-quality finance function should look like and the willingness to build towards it incrementally.
• A pragmatic, operational and hands-on working style.
• The energy and motivation to take ownership and drive improvements.

The strongest candidates are likely to have experienced a company during a period of transition — for example, from entrepreneurial/small-company processes towards more institutional or multinational standards .

The role is less suited to candidates whose experience has exclusively been within highly sophisticated organisations where systems, reporting and processes were already fully established. It is also unlikely to suit very senior Controllers who have moved away from hands-on execution.