We are looking for an ambitious and energetic Business Controller - Commercial to join the EMPWR Europe Finance Team. The position is in a very dynamic, international and complex co-manufacturing environment with multiple stakeholders from different disciplines. You are the Finance Business Partner of the VP Sales and his team. Also working closely with R&D and Procurement teams. You report to the VP Finance and work closely with the Financial Accounting Manager, Business Controller Operations and the Group Controller. Additionally, you are passionate about using Business Intelligence tools to sustain and advance the analytics capabilities of EMPWR.

As the new Business Controller - Commercial you lead and own the commercial and pricing process. It contains a lot of variables, such as (raw) materials (including fluctuating commodity prices), R&D, trial runs, overhead costs. You support Commercial Management and team (+20 headcount) with quotations and pricing for new contracts and/or products. You provide analysis on client, order and recipe level. To increase the Speed-to-Market, as a competitive advantage towards the market, the aim is to be able to provide a well-founded and argued cost price within set KPIs.

Additionally, in this role you coordinate, together with your Business Controller - Operations colleague, the Business Planning cycle. Together, you are responsible for the management reporting and storytelling for annual budget, quarterly forward looking planning and monthly variance analysis. You report and advice on financial performance and KPI’s for sales.

Your core focus position:

• Finance Business partner to VP Sales and interact with R&D and the Procurement teams

• Commercial control in the base: pricing, quotations and costing end-to-end with a sound mind for value chain

• Projects and business cases: leveraging the re-implementation of SAP and ongoing core business of NPD and its speed to market

• (Co)responsible for business planning cyclus: annual budget and rolling forecasting, monthly closing & reporting and analytics

Good to know

In the current phase of EMPWR, you will be involved in several ad hoc analyses and business cases to support strategic growth objectives. One such project entails the re-implementation of SAP and leveraging BA.

Moreover, you will actively support the Sales team in navigating New Product Development (NPD) processes for customized client orders, conducting diverse business analyses to provide valuable insights. For instance, you will delve into ingredient costs, providing essential insights to optimize profitability (ROI). This includes breaking down one-time and recurring expenses, such as research and development, manufacturing, and overhead costs.

Your profile

As the Business Controller Commerce you have the experience, insight and eagerness to really grasp the complexity of the food production industry and bring value to the business. You are somebody with strong business acumen, who understands the (chain) impact of variances on the business and can drive & quickly adapt to change.

“Within EMPWR we have a lot of people with a very strong “corporate” background who made the deliberate choice to join EMPWR to experience a more entrepreneurial environment. In this setting you have a very wide span of control; your scope ranging from optimizing operational performance and product costing up to commercial pricing and profitability. You can make a direct impact on the performance of the business by supporting, advising and proactively challenging your stakeholders. Building up a relationship with the business by seeking dialogue, frequently visiting the production side and join client meetings when possible. Bringing Finance closer to the Business."

• Bachelor or Master degree in Finance, Economics or Accountancy

• > 6 years of experience in Plant, Operational or Business or Commercial control; preferably within an international (Food) Production / FMCG / B2B company

• (Strong) knowledge of SAP, Excel and preferably Business Intelligence tooling (PowerBI)

• Strong communicator in English; able to build and maintain relations on different levels both internally and externally

• Ambition, initiative, pragmatic, drive for results and customer focus

• Travel once in a while between Leerdam and Ghent (BE) locations

• An autonomous position with a broad range of responsibilities within an internationally strong-growing and dynamic company with an excellent reputation and a strong brand

• A vibrant and entrepreneurial environment with focus on growth, health and sustainability

• Motivating salary package and a number of fringe benefits in line with your added value

• Our office is easily accessible by bike, public transport & car. We are located in Leerdam