Head of Group Controlling

Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm. We work with our clients to design optimal organization structures, roles, and responsibilities. We help them hire the right people and advise them on how to reward and motivate their workforce while developing professionals as they navigate and advance their careers.

Korn Ferry has partnered with one of our clients on their search for an experienced Head of Group Controlling. Our client is an international Mechanical engineering company. Candidate should live in Germany and be able to stay at the HQ for a least 3-4 days per week (e.g. second home).

Purpose of the Position

As Head of Group Controlling, you will lead a small team and report directly to the CFO.

You will provide insights on profitability, cash flow, investments, and risks while aligning controlling with corporate objectives. You will also standardize and improve global controlling processes, systems, and governance.

You will lead global controlling, ensuring financial transparency, performance management, and decision support across all units and regions. Responsibilities include planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, and KPI development.

Key Responsibilities

We are seeking an experienced leader with a strong background in strategic and operational controlling within international manufacturing environments. The successful candidate will assume the following responsibilities:

• Advise the CFO, Board, and operational functions, including Production, Sales, and R&D.
• Improve early-warning analytics to flag cost, margin, and working-capital variances before P&L impact.
• Identify variance drivers and develop practical corrective actions.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, long-term and capacity planning, and manufacturing cost accounting.
• Improve controlling processes and systems, including SAP, and rolling forecasts.
• Lead and develop the Finance team and strengthen company-wide collaboration.
• Strengthen performance management to flag risks and opportunities early and ensure follow-through.
• Continuously improve controlling processes and systems to support best-in-class transformation.
• Analyze strategic initiatives, special projects, and business opportunities for executive decisions.
• Develop cross-functional KPIs to identify trends and guide executive decisions.
• Deliver timely monthly, quarterly, and annual reports to management, investors, and lenders.
• Lead annual budgeting with commercial, operational, and functional stakeholders.
• Enhance forecasting and reporting guidelines, systems, and analytics.
• Lead annual long-term planning and consolidate strategy-aligned business plans.
• Support M&A due diligence and coordinate finance and reporting integration.

Your profile:

Leadership experience: Around 15 to 20 years in senior controlling roles, leading cross-functional teams and international reporting, budgeting, and forecasting.

• Education: Degree in Business Administration, Controlling, Finance, or a related field; MBA or CPA preferred.
• Languages: Fluent written and spoken German and English
• Comparable role: Experience as Head / VP / SVP of Controlling a similarly sized, complex organization.
• Industry background: Industrial manufacturing experience across multiple sites and service operations.
• International perspective: Experience in a high-performing finance organization with German headquarters and global operations.
• Controlling expertise: Strong forecasting, budgeting, financial management, and group reporting skills.
• Analytical and project skills: Strong analytical, problem-solving, statistical, and project management skills.
• Executive partnership: Credible advisor to the Executive Management as well as investors and the supervisory board.
• Working style: Hands-on, and strategic and Results-oriented.

Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We respect and celebrate each other’s differences. We know that a diverse workforce enhances our success. We are conscious that having the freedom to be yourself is the basis of sustainable growth. To us, it doesn’t matter where you were born, what you believe in, how old you are, what you look like, or who you love. We believe that different perspectives and backgrounds actually lift the company to new heights and increase our way of thinking for a better world of work. Join us, as there is a place for you here!

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, or veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.