Group Business Controller

The organisation

Partner in Pet Food (PPF) is an innovative and leading European pet food manufacturer with more than 600 customers, including major food chains, supermarkets, pet stores and veterinarians, in the 40 markets in which the company is active. PPF is the second largest producer of private label wet and dry pet food in Europe and offers a complete range of top quality cat and dog food, including dry food, cans, pouches, semi-moist food, snacks and cat milk. The share of PFF brand products, including PreVital, VitalBite, Propesko and Nutrilove, is continuously increasing and is expected to continue to do so.

PPF is headquartered in Hungary and has approximately 3,000 employees in ten different countries: the Netherlands, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Germany, Italy and France.

With twelve factories across Europe, PFF is the only one on the market with an integrated pan-European production network. Collaboration is central: as a Group, PPF works in a collaboration model that balances between local (in the market) and central (in the Group’s head office) responsibilities, where the boundaries can sometimes overlap. This position will work hand in hand with the Group’s central finance department at head office, whilst retaining responsibility for local performance. In the Netherlands, the turnover is approximately 130 MIO, employs approximately 175 FTE, the head office is located in Utrecht, the production locations are in Ittervoort (wet food) and Doetinchem (dry food) and the Distribution center is in Westervoort.

The position

In this broad, financial advisory role at the heart of the French and Benelux organization, you analyze financial, operational and commercial data. With the outcomes and findings, you support directors and management to make good policy choices that make the organization stronger and facilitate strong growth in the broadest sense of the word.

A selection of the tasks associated with this role:

• Supporting various officials of the French and Benelux entities, including the Finance Director, the General Managers and the commercial management, in making strategic, operational (commercial) choices and considerations to ensure growth and development in the (medium) -) long-term
• Stimulating and improving good (financial) planning tools, which provide the Management with a good set of future-oriented performance figures for the region. You are also invited to take a critical look at the local S&OP process
• Manage the national agenda for financial planning and analysis: looking back and forward in close collaboration with the Finance Director
• Taking care of monthly management reporting process of the regions and checking whether periodic (monthly, quarterly, yearly) goals are achieved. You are also expected to review ad hoc results (P&L, budget)
• Checking performance reports, using group guidelines and deadlines. You manage the data regarding the commercial reporting package for the region and the group, on a monthly and/or actual basis
• (partly) Keeping track of the financial performance of product lines within their distribution channels and customers through margin optimization activities. Presents facts and figures to commercial management, explains deviations and gaps and comes up with an agenda for margin protection and improvement
• Optimizing pricing by having inflation adjusted in a timely manner if margin development requires it
• Initiate and execute the margin expansion program by ensuring growth is generated from the most profitable product lines, customers and channels. Timely identification of unprofitable products and customers so that transformation or exit is initiated
• Supporting the regions’ new product and market development process, where the profitability profile of the new product portfolio is important. Calculating the business case with a balance between product positioning and pricing
• Monitor cash through planning and forecasting and analyzing cash flows

Candidate profile

• Completed business economics training at university level, possibly supplemented with an RC training
• Extensive experience as an analyst and business partner (approximately 10 years) in a large(er), dynamic and complex organization (preference for FMCG, production organization, but that is certainly not required)
• Intelligent and communicative analyst who can be a partner for the leaders of the organization based on facts and figures. Stands firm and speaks out
• Goal-oriented, not shy about challenging the status quo and helping with decision making
• Commercially driven based on figures and facts
• Good listener, strong communicator, fluent in English, possibly another language
• Reliable, proactive and independent

The offer

• Gross salary up to a maximum of € 100,000, including 8% holiday pay and 6% gratification
• 25 vacation days
• Good pension plan where 75% is paid by the employer
• Tax friendly bike plan and possibility to purchase office furniture for home office
• Flexibility in work location, at least twice a week in a modern office in Utrecht, sometimes traveling within Europe
• A spider-in-the-web position as an analyst and business partner within a fast-growing, international animal food production company (PE, buy & build), the strong growth will lead to great career opportunities
• Right hand and advisor to 2 General Managers (Benelux and France) and to the Finance Director, also a dotted line to the head office in Budapest, Hungary

Interested?

You can apply for this position by using the link below.