Area Controller Europe South

Join us in a pivotal area finance leadership role with responsibility across Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France. This position offers the opportunity to steer financial performance, strengthen governance, and act as a trusted partner to senior management. You will play a crucial role in harmonizing standards and elevating finance capabilities across the Area. The role is located in any of the 4 countries in the Area: Spain, France, Italy or Portugal.
The Area Controller Europe South is responsible for the financial governance, performance oversight, and technical leadership of the Finance organizations across the Europe South Area (Spain, Portugal, Italy, and France).
Operating as a regional finance leader, the role ensures consistency, quality, and compliance of financial reporting, controlling standards, and governance across countries, while acting as a key business partner and sparring partner to the Area Manager. The role is co-responsible for the financial performance of the Area and acts as a quality gate between local entities and EMEA / Group Finance.
Key Responsibilities
Area Financial Performance & Governance
Oversee and challenge the financial performance of the Europe South countries, with a strong focus on Sales, Material Margin, Opex, EBITDA, and ONWC.
Act as a quality gate for financial information reported from countries to Area, EMEA, and Group, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and transparency.
Identify financial risks, deviations, and red flags across countries and escalate when required, acting as a link between local management and EMEA / Group Finance.
Ensure alignment of local financial practices with Group, EMEA, and Area Europe South standards and policies.
Business Partnership at Area Level
Act as the primary financial partner and sparring partner to the Area Manager.
Actively contribute to Area management decisions as part of the Area leadership trio (Area GM, Area HR, Area Finance).
Challenge business assumptions, performance drivers, and action plans with fact-based and data-driven analysis.
Support strategic initiatives, restructuring topics, and performance improvement programs at Area level.
Governance of Local Finance Managers
Provide functional leadership and technical guidance to local Finance Managers in Europe South, particularly on accounting, controlling, and financial governance topics where local General Managers may lack technical depth.
Ensure local statutory, tax, treasury, and governance topics are properly managed, being informed and involved in key decisions while maintaining local accountability.
Act as a reference point and escalation level for complex financial, accounting, tax, and audit-related matters.
Promote consistent application of finance standards and best practices across countries.
Planning, Forecasting & Benchmarking
Oversee and challenge country budgets, forecasts, and long-term plans, ensuring coherence at Area level.
Define benchmarks, performance comparisons, and best practices across Europe South to foster continuous improvement.
Support countries in translating benchmarks and insights into concrete action plans.
Compliance, Internal Controls & Audit Oversight
Ensure a strong culture of governance, compliance, and internal controls across the Area.
Oversee and support countries in internal and external audit processes, ensuring issues are addressed consistently and timely.
Ensure alignment with Group and EMEA governance requirements, acting as an early warning system for compliance risks.
Finance Organization & Talent
Shape and develop the finance organization across Europe South.
Support definition of roles, succession planning, and identification of key talents within local finance teams.
Promote knowledge sharing, capability building, and professional development of Finance Managers and their teams.
Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, Economics, or a related field is a must
10+ years of experience in finance, controlling, or financial management, ideally in an international or multi‑country environment.
Proven track record in regional or area financial leadership roles, preferably in matrix organizations.
Strong technical background in accounting (IFRS preferred), controlling, and financial governance.
Deep understanding of financial statements, KPIs, and performance drivers (Sales, Margin, Opex, EBITDA, ONWC).
Strong expertise in planning, budgeting, forecasting, and financial modelling.
Solid knowledge of internal controls, compliance frameworks, and audit processes.
Comfortable working with complex data sets and generating insight-driven analysis.
Advanced proficiency in ERP systems and financial reporting tools (e.g., SAP, Hyperion, Power BI, or similar).
Demonstrated experience developing finance teams across multiple countries.
Strong stakeholder management skills, able to act as a sparring partner to senior leadership.
Experience navigating complex organizational structures and balancing local vs. regional vs. group priorities.
Strong understanding of commercial drivers and ability to link operational performance to financial impact.
Experience supporting transformation, restructuring, and performance improvement initiatives.
High integrity, reliability, and commitment to governance and compliance.
Strong communication and presentation skills, able to translate financial insights for non-financial stakeholders.
Hands‑on, proactive, and solution-oriented mindset with excellent problem‑solving abilities.
Ability to work under pressure, manage multiple priorities, and operate in dynamic environments.
Fluent in English (mandatory) and proficiency in one or more local Area languages is an advantage.

Employment type
Full-time

Work arrangement
Hybrid