The Senior Sales Controller is responsible for economic and financial aspects (budgets, monthly dashboards, internal controls, year-end audits, etc.) across the European operations; namely profitability tracking, accurate forecasting and providing accurate data to ensure sound commercial decision-making.
He/she is responsible for ensuring the reliability of financial data in accordance with Group standards and applicable financial rules.
Key Responsibilities
- Monitor and analyze European sales revenues, margins, and profitability by customer, product line, and region on a monthly and quarterly basis.
- Prepare and present regular sales performance reports (actuals vs. budget vs. forecast) to senior management and European Sales leadership.
- Identify deviations, risks, and opportunities in the sales P&L; provide actionable recommendations to drive performance improvement.
- Develop and maintain KPI dashboards and reporting tools for the European sales organization.
- Lead the annual budgeting and rolling forecast process for European sales volumes, revenues, and contribution margins in close coordination with the Sales and Finance teams.
- Support business planning cycles (Short-Range Outlook, Medium-Term Plan) with accurate and timely financial data.
- Manage volume and pricing assumptions in collaboration with Sales Managers and Program teams.
- Provide financial analysis and modeling for new business opportunities, RFQ pricing decisions, and contract negotiations.
- Assess commercial risks and profitability of new customer programs and annual price change negotiations.
- Work closely with program management and product engineering on cost-to-serve and contribution margin analyses.
- Support price escalation and recovery negotiations with OEM customers (indexation clauses, steel/material surcharges, etc.).
- Act as a trusted financial business partner to the European VP of Sales and regional Sales Managers.
- Collaborate with plant controllers, regional finance teams, and the central APG Finance organization to ensure consistent financial reporting and data integrity.
- Present financial analysis and recommendations clearly to both finance and non-finance audiences.
- Ensure compliance with APG financial policies, internal controls, and reporting standards across sales-related financial activities.
- Drive continuous improvement in sales controlling processes, tools, and reporting infrastructure (SAP, BW/BI, Excel, Power BI).
- Support internal and external audit requirements related to sales revenues and receivables.
Qualifications & Requirements
- Master's degree in Finance, Controlling, Business Administration, or a related field. A qualification in Management Accounting (CIMA, ACCA, or equivalent) is a plus.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in a Controlling, FP&A, or Commercial Finance role, within an international manufacturing environment
- Experience from Automotive an advantage
- Proven experience supporting a sales or commercial function with financial controlling and analysis.
- Proficiency in SAP (FI/CO, SD modules) and strong MS Excel skills are essential.
- Experience with BI/reporting tools (SAP BW, Power BI, Tableau, or similar) is an advantage.
- Strong financial modeling and analytical capabilities.
- Fluency in English is required. Additional EU language advantage.
