Lead Specialist, FP&A, Finance/ Senior Controller

South Pole is an energetic, global company offering comprehensive sustainability solutions and services. With offices spanning all continents across the globe, we strive to create a sustainable society and economy that positively impacts our climate, ecosystems and developing communities. With our solutions, we inspire and enable our customers to create value from sustainability-related activities.

Our Corporate Functions team is the “enablement engine” of South Pole. Behind the scenes, we provide the business with world-class solutions and best practices that sustain business growth and success. We cover key areas such as Finance, HR, Office Management, Legal, IT, Operations, etc. If you are a smart, ambitious and dynamic professional with a strong passion to make a real difference in the fight against climate change, the below position may be right for you!

Job summary:

The Lead Specialist, FP&A will support the Senior Manager FP&A in the financial planning, performance analysis and business partnering activities for the Advisory and Certificates business lines.

The purpose of the role is diverse, it is aimed to support recurring FP&A activities, and to make them scalable, automated and easier to transfer across the team. The person will help improve how forecasts are prepared, how pipeline and margin performance are monitored, how business reviews are structured, and how financial insights are translated into clear actions.

The role is based in Florence and is designed for someone who can quickly build business understanding, learn from the Senior Manager FP&A and progressively take ownership of recurring analyses, dashboards and reporting processes.

There is a small team in Florence and we believe in face to face collaboration.This role is expected to go to the office at least once per week.

Main tasks & responsibilities:

FP&A support for Advisory and Certificates

- Support the Senior Manager FP&A in budget, forecast and business review processes for Advisory and Certificates.

- Analyse revenue, gross margin, costs, EBITDA, pipeline conversion, pricing, delivery timing and project profitability.

- Help explain monthly performance by identifying the real business drivers behind variances, not only reporting movements versus budget.

- Support business stakeholders with financial analysis on pipeline, pricing, margin, resource allocation and project economics.

Automation and process improvement

- Improve recurring FP&A processes by reducing manual work, simplifying templates and increasing consistency of outputs.

- Build and maintain scalable models and dashboards for forecast updates, pipeline tracking, margin analysis, performance reviews and KPI monitoring.

- Work with Power BI, Google Sheets / Excel and other reporting tools to improve data quality, automation and usability of FP&A outputs.

- Reconcile and connect financial, commercial and operational data to ensure that reports are based on reliable and consistent information.

Business understanding and ownership

South Pole is a global climate solutions provider and carbon project developer. We support public and private sector organizations in achieving their climate and sustainability goals through two core business lines:

Certificates:

We originate and advise high-quality carbon reduction and removal projects around the world from nature based solutions to cookstove projects. These projects generate environmental assets such as carbon credits and renewable energy certificates, which support organizations in their decarbonization journeys.

Climate Advisory Services:

Our advisory business provides end-to-end sustainability solutions, including climate risk analysis, net zero roadmaps, ESG advisory, supply chain engagement, and policy guidance. We work closely with clients to develop and implement science-based strategies that contribute to climate resilience and low-carbon transformation.

This role is aimed to:

- Develop a strong understanding of Advisory and Certificates business models, including revenue streams, margin drivers, project economics and carbon credit market dynamics.

- Work closely with Commercial, Operations, Accounting and Finance Systems to improve forecast inputs, reporting flows and business insight.

- Progressively take ownership of recurring FP&A analyses, dashboards and reporting processes currently managed by the Senior Manager FP&A.

Requirements:

● 4+ years of experience in FP&A, financial analysis, business partnering, controlling, reporting automation or similar roles.

● Strong Excel / Google Sheets skills, including structured models, advanced formulas and reporting templates.

● Good Power BI skills, including dashboard creation, Power Query and data modelling.

● Strong understanding of P&L, revenue, gross margin, operating costs, EBITDA, working capital and cash flow.

● Ability to turn financial data into clear insights, business recommendations and management reporting.

● Strong analytical mindset, attention to detail and proactive approach to process improvement.

● Fluent English, written and spoken.

● Experience in advisory, consulting, project-based businesses or professional services.

● Knowledge of carbon credit markets, certificates, trading, sustainability or climate-related businesses.

● Experience with Tagetik, BigQuery, SQL, APIs or other reporting / automation tools.

● Experience in an international or multi-entity group. 

What we offer:

At South Pole, we care about our employees as much as we care about the planet. South Pole is not just an employer, we are a Team. South Pole does not just offer people a job, we offer you a career. By joining our team, you will find strong purpose and deep meaning in everything you do. You will have the chance to make a real difference for our clients and for the planet, working alongside a passionate team of like-minded colleagues, while building your knowledge/skills and developing your career in a fun, dynamic, international and fast-growing organisation. 

We’re a planet of 7.5 billion unique and different people. We all have a contribution to make and South Pole is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, national origin, marital status or disability. Our recruitment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.

The role:

The annual base salary of this role starts at: 45.000 EUR

• Annual Leave: 22 days plus 32 hours of additional paid time off.

• Comprehensive Healthcare: Medical insurance coverage for employees and their families.

• Life Insurance: Coverage equivalent to 3x your annual base salary.

• Meal Allowance: A meal voucher valued at €7.00 for every working day.

• Wellbeing Support: An Employee Assistance Program (EAP) providing up to 5 counseling sessions per issue for you and your dependents.

• Family Leave: Enhanced leave including 10 days of paid paternity leave and statutory maternity support.

• Special Paid Leave: Dedicated time off for significant life events, such as weddings and bereavement.