Plant Controller

About The Role

As Plant Controller. This position is pivotal in ensuring financial transparency, accuracy, and strategic alignment with both plant operations and corporate goals. You will lead key financial processes including budgeting, forecasting, and cost control, offering real‑time insights that empower operations and drive performance improvements in a fast‑paced automotive manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead all financial planning processes at the plant, including annual budgeting, quarterly forecasting, and monthly financial reviews.
• Prepare and present monthly, quarterly, and year‑end financial reports, ensuring compliance with internal and group‑level reporting standards. Conduct detailed cost analysis of manufacturing activities, identifying cost‑saving opportunities and performance variances.
• Provide real‑time cost and performance insights to operations teams to support decision‑making and process optimization.
• Monitor and report on productivity metrics, working closely with operational leads to drive continuous improvement. Maintain and continuously improve financial tools and processes using SAP; ensure accurate data integrity and reporting consistency.
• Support financial audits and compliance initiatives, ensuring alignment with internal controls and accounting standards. Manage and mentor one direct report, fostering development and ensuring high performance within the plant finance team.
• Collaborate with an interim controller during the onboarding/handover phase to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities.
• Partner cross‑functionally with plant operations, supply chain, and regional finance teams to ensure integrated decision‑making.

Requirements

• A pragmatic, hands‑on financial leader with a proven ability to operate effectively in a manufacturing environment.
• 5+ years of experience in financial controlling, preferably within the automotive or Tier 1 manufacturing sector.
• Advanced proficiency in SAP (FI/CO modules preferred) and Microsoft Excel; strong analytical and modeling capabilities.
• Comfortable operating cross‑functionally and engaging with diverse stakeholders across local plant teams and global group functions.
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field; MBA or CPA/CMA preferred.
• Fluent in English & German.