Chief Financial Officer (Industrial Manufacturing)

About The Role

A long-established industrial manufacturing company in Northern Germany is seeking a strategic and operationally minded Chief Financial Officer to lead the full finance agenda across a complex industrial environment. This is a high-impact executive role overseeing Finance, Controlling, Procurement, and IT, with direct influence over operational excellence, value creation, and long-term competitiveness. The ideal candidate combines a deep understanding of industrial production, strong financial acumen, and a background as a Chartered Accountant (Wirtschaftsprüfer). You will partner closely with senior leadership to translate financial strategy into measurable business outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Strategy & Leadership

• Lead the financial strategy to drive growth, profitability, and industrial competitiveness.
• Advise the CEO and Executive Committee on investments, capital allocation, and corporate development.
• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, cash management, and financial performance improvement.

Operational Excellence & Value Creation

• Implement cost optimisation and productivity programs across production and supply chain.
• Translate financial insights into operational and strategic decision-making.
• Strengthen reporting, consolidation, and analytics processes (HFM/Hyperion, ERP, BI).

Digitalisation & Systems Transformation

• Optimise finance operations through ERP (S/4 HANA), BI (Power BI), and automation technologies.
• Support digital transformation across finance, procurement, and IT to enhance efficiency.

Governance, Controls & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with local GAAP, IFRS, tax regulations, and internal controls.
• Manage relationships with external auditors, tax advisors, and regulatory bodies.

Cross-functional Leadership

• Provide oversight and strategic alignment across Procurement and IT functions.
• Lead, mentor, and develop finance teams through organisational transformation.
• Communicate effectively at all levels and guide the organisation through periods of change.

Your Profile

• Degree in Business Administration, Industrial Engineering, Finance, or similar.
• Qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA/ACCA) or German Wirtschaftsprüfer.
• Extensive experience in senior finance roles within industrial or manufacturing environments.
• Strong foundation in audit, financial reporting, and performance management.
• Expertise in ERP systems (S/4 HANA), BI tools (Power BI), and HFM/Hyperion.
• Decisive, pragmatic, and execution-focused leadership style.
• Excellent communication skills and proven ability to lead through change.
• Demonstrated integrity and the ability to set ethical, high-performance standards.

Languages

• German: Fluent (written & spoken)
• English: Advanced

Location

On-site at the company’s industrial asset in Nordenham, Germany.