Principal financial controller – Industrial & central controlling

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run.

Position Overview

Reporting to the Head of Controlling, you will be a key transversal finance partner supporting both development and manufacturing activities within a high-technology industrial environment.

You will structure our analytical processes, safeguard the reliability of our financial data, and help operational teams steer performance.

Key Responsibilities

• Industrial costing & labor cost management — Lead the time-booking system (rules, compliance, data quality) and define/maintain internal hourly rates, analysing actual vs. budget and over/under-absorption.

• Analytical master data — Manage cost centers, cost objects and allocations, ensuring consistency across all financial systems.

• Industrial financial processes — Design and maintain processes around manufacturing orders, align operational/analytical/accounting data, and support costing methodologies and production valuation.

• Monthly closing — Own analytical closing (timesheet validation, cost-allocation controls, manufacturing-order closure) and analyse standard vs. actual cost variances.

• SG&A budget ownership — Lead the central SG&A budgeting process, deliver variance analysis, and support department heads in managing their costs.

• Planning & business partnering — Contribute to budgeting, forecasting and business-planning cycles, and provide profitability and investment analysis.

• Continuous improvement — Drive finance transformation and ERP projects, and act as our best-practice reference for industrial controlling.

Candidate Profile

• Master’s degree in Finance or Controlling

• 8–10+ years in industrial controlling

• Mandatory experience in aerospace , aeronautics or another high-tech manufacturing industry

• Audit experience would be a plus, but not mandatory

• Strong experience in complex, multi-entity environments

Key Skills

• Strong industrial costing expertise

• Deep understanding of analytical accounting

• Process structuring capability

• ERP and data analytics proficiency

• Strong analytical mindset and cross-functional leadership

Why you should join us!

• We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind

• We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them

• We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?

The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.