About the Role:
The Regional Finance Manager will lead financial operations for the German and Italian entities, ensuring compliance with local and international accounting standards, driving commercial performance, and providing strategic financial support to sales and marketing leadership. This role focuses on revenue growth, margin optimisation, and ROI analysis for marketing investments.
In addition to core finance responsibilities, this role will act as the senior back-office leader for both regions, overseeing Human Resources coordination, sales order processing, and the streamlining of administrative and operational processes.
The position reports to the General Manager – Germany & Italy with a dotted line reporting to the Group Head of Finance based in the UK.
What you will be doing:
Commercial Finance & Business Partnering
- Partner with Sales and Marketing leadership to drive profitability and revenue growth.
- Provide financial insights on pricing strategies, discount structures, and promotional campaigns.
- Evaluate return on investment on marketing spend and customer acquisition initiatives.
Accounting & Compliance
- Responsible for preparing financial statements under HGB (Germany) and Italian GAAP, plus consolidated reporting under UK GAAP (FRS 102)
- Perform monthly accounting tasks, including:
- Month-end close for Germany and Italy entities.
- Preparation of monthly management accounts and variance analysis.
- Reconciliation of balance sheet accounts and intercompany transactions.
- Accruals, prepayments, and journal entries.
- Review and posting of payroll and expense reports.
- Ensure compliance with statutory requirements, tax regulations, and internal controls.
- Manage external audits and liaise with auditors and tax advisors in both countries.
Budgeting & Forecasting
- Lead annual budgeting and forecasting processes for both the Germany and Italian entities.
- Monitor revenue performance, marketing spends, operating expenditure and variance analysis.
Cash Flow & Risk Management
- Manage working capital related to receivables and payables.
- Monitor credit risk and ensure timely collections.
Team Leadership
- Manage the finance teams in Germany and Italy, acting as the senior back‑office leader for both regions. This includes oversight of Human Resources coordination, sales order processing, and the streamlining of all administrative and operational processes.
- Foster collaboration between commercial and finance teams.
- Act as deputy to the General Manager Germany & Italy
Projects & Transformation
- Implement financial systems and reporting tools tailored for commercial operations.
- Support the implementation of a new ERP system, ensuring finance requirements are captured and integrated.
KPIs & Performance Metrics:
- Revenue Growth: Actual vs. forecast.
- Gross Margin: By product line and region.
- Business Unit profitability
- Marketing ROI: Return on promotional and advertising spend.
- Budget Accuracy: Variance between forecast and actuals.
- Working Capital Efficiency: Days Sales Outstanding (DSO).
This is not an exhaustive list of responsibilities. Additional duties may be assigned as required to meet the needs of the business.
Location:
The candidate will be primarily based at the German office in Emmering, with some travel to the Italian office in Milan.
What we are looking for:
Qualifications & Experience:
- Degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business Administration
- Minimum 10+ years of finance leadership experience, ideally in sales & marketing or commercial finance.
- Strong knowledge of HGB, Italian GAAP, UK GAAP, and tax regulations.
- Experience in pricing, margin analysis, and marketing ROI evaluation.
- Fluent in German, Italian, and English.
Skills & Competencies:
- Strong commercial acumen and analytical skills.
- Excellent leadership and stakeholder management abilities.
- High integrity and ability to work under pressure.
- Advanced Excel and ERP/CRM system experience (Sage and MS Dynamics preferred).
What you will be getting:
This is a full time, permanent position, 39 hours per week and the standard staff workings hours are applicable – Monday to Thursday 8am – 5pm and 8am-4pm on Fridays, with an hour lunch break, with flexibility on the start and finish times in line with the Company’s core working hours policy.
- 28 days holiday per annum (plus additional Public Holidays);
- Sickness absence pay;
- Vermögenswirksame Leistungen (VWL) allowance;
- Mandatory contributions for Social Security benefits:
- Health insurance;
- Pension contributions;
- Unemployment insurance;
- Long-term care insurance.
Staff Development is key to our continued success, and we have a well-funded staff development budget, and dedicated staff development team. The staff development program operates throughout the global Company, and allows for professional, personal and tailored development and training to suit the individual needs and requirements of each staff member.
