Group Controller EMEA - TenCate - PE Backed - International growth

Without realizing it, you probably already know TenCate. Whether you are on the hockey or football field every weekend, hitting a ball on the golf course or going to the playground with your son or daughter, there is a good chance that when you look down you will see the product of TenCate, the world's largest artificial grass and yarn backing manufacturer. In 2023 TenCate has been acquired by PE firm Leonard Green & Partners and together they will continue their ambitious growth strategy (both organically and through acquisitions). To support this growth and the next phase of professionalization in the EMEA region, the position of Group Controller has been created. In this position, you report to the Group Finance & Risk Director and will work together in a team at HQ Hoofddorp.

Core focus position:

• Strategic and business related (ad hoc) projects e.g. post-acquistion integrations, new business models/products in EMEA region
• Continuous improvement project e.g. Navision/PowerBI, Group-level analyses and cashflow management for EMEA region
• Consolidation (Cognos) and periodic reporting (Board and Shareholder), incl. in depth variance analyses & comments
• Support advise and challenge local finance teams on results, process changes and accounting topics.

Group Finance at TenCate has a dual focus: consolidated management reporting on one hand and ad hoc projects, analyses and requests on the other hand. First of all, as a Group Controller you will support the consolidated reporting of all the Group companies for the EMEA region. You analyse, and validate the monthly financial results and prepare the internal reporting for your companies. You monitor main KPI's, understand and comment on main developments and do trend analyses and benchmarking. To get the story behind the numbers, you proactively seek contact with the local controllers, to understand and challenge them on the results. You provide support to your local (finance) colleagues, for example in process changes or training them on the appropriate treatment of accounting standards (IFRS/US GAAP).

You support them with the annual closing, external and internal audit. Furthermore, you are involved in the financial planning process, including the yearly budget and forecasting process (on entity and Group level). You review and adjust ongoing financial projections based on actual performance vs. forecast and budget.

Good to know

Secondly, a significant part of your time you will be working on projects, business cases and ad hoc requests. On one hand, these projects are related to strategic decision making. For example the (financial) integration of new acquisitions and support underlying business cases for new products or business models, or requests coming from the CFO. On the other hand, you will focus on process improvements, ranging from setting up the internal audit and expanding reports on Group level, to the global implementation of Business Central (and eventually Smart Insight/PowerBI).

Who are you?

You are an ambitious, eager and entrepreneurial financial with a strong technical accounting background and excellent stakeholder management. You thrive in an international setting and drive continuous improvement.

"Having to deal with so many different Group companies, all with their own product, business model, and organizational structure, means that you need to understand what the companies do and have a high level of adaptivity. It's important to tailor your approach accordingly. For example, for one company you will have a reviewing role towards the local Controller, while for the other company you have to support the local MD in the periodic reporting cycle and support his business decisions.

Although being a carve-out from a corporate, our culture is very entrepreneurial. We have a "flat" hierarchy and are flexible to quickly react to (business) opportunities. You'll feel right at home at TenCate when you're eager to learn new things, willing to roll up your sleeves and get things done.

• Bachelor degree in the field of accounting, finance and economics, Master is a plus
• 3 - 4 years relevant working experience in audit or controlling, preferably within a project environment
• Strong communication skills in English, Dutch is a plus
• Experience with IFRS and/or US GAAP and group structures, including consolidation procedures is a plus
• Affinity with IT and financial tooling; experience in consolidation tools and Smart Insights/ PowerBI is a plus
• Self-starter, roll up your sleeves and getting things done mentality
• You have a strong analytical skillset combined with a hands-on mentality: pragmatic and action-oriented

Want to know more?

Contact Sarah Wissink: 06 - /