Operational Controlling Excellence Manager - Global Operations (m/f/d)

Department: Corporate Functions

Job ID: 45108

Professional | Permanent | Full-time | Hybrid

Our Corporate Functions teams make sure everything at Grünenthal runs smoothly by bringing together people with a wide range of skills – from experts in finance, IT, HR, law and compliance through to business strategists and creative media minds. If you’re a great collaborator and a strong communicator, you’ll feel right at home here. Join our team and join forces with colleagues across our business to maximise our company’s positive impact on patients and their families.

What the job looks like
Each day you’ll enjoy a variety of challenges, such as:

• Lead and coordinate accurate, timely financial planning, forecasting, and reporting across the business area.
• Drive efficient, standardized controlling processes and ensure alignment with internal guidelines and audit standards.
• Provide clear, decision ready financial insights to business partners, supporting strategic and operational decisions.
• Shape and implement continuous improvement initiatives, identifying opportunities to simplify, modernize, and scale processes.
• Work closely with teams across functions, fostering collaboration, transparency, and alignment in all controlling topics.
• Support the adoption of digital finance tools and automation, helping the organization move toward a more data driven way of workin

What you’ll bring to the table
To make the most of this role and truly thrive, you should have:

• A business related educational background in fields such as finance, economics, or similar — ongoing learning and certifications are welcome.
• Hands on experience in Manufacturing Controlling (e.g. Production, Supply Chain, Procurement), with good knowledge of planning, forecasting, and reporting cycles.
• Confidence working with SAP (FI/CO, BW) or similar ERP systems, and ease with tools like Excel or Power BI. Experience with ETL-Tools like Alteryx, Power Query is a plus
• The ability to break down complex topics into clear and practical insights that support informed decision making.
• Strong communication skills, paired with a collaborative and inclusive approach to working with diverse stakeholders.
• Curiosity and motivation to continuously improve processes, introduce new ideas, and contribute to a modern Controlling setup.

Thomas Zahlten, the Hiring Manager

Grünenthal is a global leader in pain management and related diseases. As a science-based, privately-owned pharmaceutical company, we have a long track record of bringing innovative treatments and state-of-the-art technologies to patients worldwide. Our purpose is to change lives for the better – and innovation is our passion. We are focussing all of our activities and efforts on working towards our vision of a world free of pain.

Grünenthal is headquartered in Aachen, Germany, and has affiliates in 28 countries across Europe, Latin America and the US. Our products are available in more than 100 countries. In 2024, Grünenthal employed around 4,300 people and achieved sales of € 1.8 billion.