Central Sales Financial Controller

IMI plc

We are a global specialist engineering company that creates breakthrough solutions. We are curious and like to solve problems, partnering with our customers to solve the demands of today and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. We embrace innovation and care about outcomes that are good for business, everyday life and making a better world – creating lasting impact for everyone.

We design, build and service highly engineered products in fluid and motion control applications. We focus on five market sectors: Industrial Automation, Process Automation, Climate Control, Life Science and Fluid Control, and Transport.

Our partnership approach breaks through problems and reduces complexity. We don’t invent in isolation – we collaborate with our customers. We listen closely and we think differently, creating space for diverse minds to innovate. We are working together to make businesses safer, more sustainable and more productive.

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled Central Sales Financial Controller to support our sales organization. 

This critical role is responsible for managing and optimizing the financial operations related to the sales department. The ideal candidate will have experience supporting a sales organization, handling large databases, and navigating between the big picture and detailed analysis. This position requires a strong analytical mindset, attention to detail, and the ability to collaborate effectively with various teams to ensure accurate financial reporting and insightful analysis. This role is crucial in standardizing processes and reports across countries, ensuring consistent and accurate data delivery, with a specific focus on sales performance, including product and customer mix, and margin analysis.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the preparation and distribution of daily sales and order reports, ensuring accuracy and timeliness. Conduct detailed analysis of the orderbook, including its phasing and expected margins, to provide insights into future sales performance.
• Consolidate the monthly latest view on a weekly basis, ensuring all relevant data is accurately compiled and reported.
• Examine sales development by market and product group, and analyze margin development, comparing current performance to the previous year (PY) and the forecast to identify trends, areas for improvement, and understand profitability trends.
• Analyze aged debtors and debtor days, identifying and explaining key variances by country compared to the previous year (PY) and the forecast.
• Drive continuous process improvement and automation initiatives. Support the deployment of Power BI reports to ensure all heads of sales have access to up-to-date and actionable data.
• Work closely with sales teams to understand their reporting needs and provide relevant insights. Collaborate with finance teams across different regions to standardize processes and reports. Communicate financial insights and recommendations to senior management.

Critical Competencies for Success

• Strong understanding of financial principles, budgeting, forecasting, and data analysis to provide actionable insights and drive strategic decisions.
• High level of precision in preparing and reviewing financial reports, ensuring reliable and accurate data.
• Excellent communication skills to convey financial insights and recommendations, and the ability to work closely with sales and finance teams across regions.
• Experience in driving process improvements and leveraging tools like Power BI to enhance reporting and efficiency.
• Ability to align financial strategies with organizational goals, navigate from high-level overviews to detailed analysis, and maintain high ethical standards.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field is typically required. Advanced degrees (e.g., MBA) or professional certifications (e.g., CPA, CMA) are highly desirable.
• Proven experience in financial management, preferably within a sales environment. Typically, at least 5-7 years of relevant experience is expected.
• Proficiency in financial software and tools, such as Excel, ERP systems, and Power BI. Strong analytical skills and the ability to work with large datasets.
• Fluency in English, both written and spoken. Proficiency in any other European languages is highly advantageous.

IMI is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to age, race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, marital status, affectional or sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, nationality, sex, or veteran status.