Regional Finance Leader – Europe

Position Summary
The Regional Finance Leader – Europe is responsible for end-to-end financial management, control, and business partnering across Market Organizations in Europe, ensuring alignment with group policies, local regulations, and strategic business objectives. This role combines financial planning and analysis, commercial finance, and core controllership, while leading, coaching, and supporting local finance teams to deliver accurate reporting, strong internal controls, and actionable insights for profitable growth. The role is ideally based in Essen (HQ), with the option to work remotely from elsewhere in Germany.

Reporting, Location, Scope

Job Title: Regional Finance Leader – Europe
Reports To: Regional Manager (Commercial) with a dotted line to CFO / HQ Finance Controller
Location: Preferred HQ in Essen, Germany; alternative: remote within Germany, with regular travel across assigned European countries
Scope: Market Organizations and legal entities across Europe (e.g., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, UK); functional leadership of local finance managers and teams

Key Responsibilities

Financial Planning and Analysis

Coordinate regional budgeting and forecasting for European entities in line with group timelines, consolidating results and preparing variance and trend analyses
Provide commentary on performance, risks, and opportunities, supporting monthly performance reviews with regional and functional leadership
Develop and enhance management reporting, dashboards, and KPIs to improve financial visibility, accountability, and decision-making quality

Commercial Finance Business Partnering

Act as finance business partner to Sales, Service, and Marketing, evaluating pricing, discounts, promotions, and customer or channel profitability
Support tenders, business cases, and investment decisions through robust financial modelling, ROI/payback analysis, and scenario planning
Monitor gross margin, cost-to-serve, product and channel mix, and regional cost structures to identify improvement levers and support growth and profitability initiatives

Financial Control, Compliance, and Reporting

Ensure accurate, timely, and compliant statutory and management reporting for all European entities in line with group accounting policies, local GAAP, and tax regulations
Oversee core accounting operations including accounts payable/receivable, payroll, cash management, inventory, and fixed assets, ensuring adherence to internal controls and systems
Coordinate internal and external audits, tax filings, and regulatory interactions, driving timely resolution of audit findings and sustained compliance

Systems, Processes, and Transformation

Lead or support harmonization, simplification, and standardization of finance processes across European markets
Leverage ERP and BI platforms (e.g., SAP Business One, Power BI) to improve data quality, automation, forecasting accuracy, and reporting efficiency
Support digital finance and process improvement initiatives, including new tool implementations and continuous improvement projects

People Leadership and Cross-Functional Collaboration

Provide guidance, coaching, and operational support to local finance managers and teams, fostering a high-performance, learning-oriented culture
Collaborate with Group Controlling, Regional Management, Sales, Service, Marketing, Logistics, HR, and other functions to align financial plans with business priorities
Support capability building within the finance community through training, knowledge sharing, and deployment of common tools and standards

Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or related field; professional qualification (e.g., CPA or equivalent) preferred
7–10 years of progressive finance experience, including regional or multi-country responsibility in a commercially driven international organization
Strong background in FP&A and commercial finance, combined with hands-on controllership and financial operations experience
Knowledge of International Accounting Standards and relevant European GAAPs, with practical exposure to audits and tax compliance
Demonstrated experience with ERP and BI systems (ideally SAP Business One, Power BI, or similar) and advanced Excel skills

Skills, Competencies, and Attributes

Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, high attention to detail, and ability to translate data into actionable business insights
Business-oriented mindset, comfortable engaging with commercial and operational stakeholders
Excellent communication, influencing, and stakeholder-management skills across cultures and levels
High initiative, ownership, and ability to manage multiple priorities across countries and time zones; willingness to travel regularly within Europe
Strategic yet hands-on, proactive, solution-focused, and committed to continuous improvement and developing others

Regional Finance Leader - Europe