Global Financial Controller

Job Specification
Role: Global Financial Controller
Contract Type: Freelance – 12 months
Start Date: Mid-May / Early June
Location: Vilvoorde – on-site 5 days per week initially (with potential flexibility over time)
Reporting Line: Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Scope: Global
Role Overview
The Global Financial Controller will play a critical role in overseeing and coordinating the company’s global financial control activities during a key period. This individual will be responsible for ensuring robust monthly financial processes, high-quality reporting, and strong financial governance across the organisation.
Acting as a true sparring partner to the CFO, the role goes beyond traditional financial control. The successful candidate will actively contribute to financial insights, continuous improvement initiatives, and selected strategic projects, while helping the business better understand the story behind the numbers.
Key Responsibilities
Financial Control & Reporting

• Coordinate and lead the end-to-end global monthly closing process, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and timeliness
• Oversee general accounting activities, including key journal entries, balance sheet reviews, and reconciliations
• Consolidate group financial results and ensure alignment with internal and external reporting requirements
• Organise, maintain, and enhance financial reporting and steering tools used by senior management

Budgeting & Forecasting

• Coordinate global budgeting and forecasting cycles in close collaboration with finance and business stakeholders
• Ensure assumptions are clearly understood, robust, and aligned with business realities
• Analyse variances between actuals, forecast, and budget, translating figures into meaningful insights

Business Partnership & CFO Support

• Act as a trusted sparring partner to the CFO, providing critical financial analysis and constructive challenge
• Support senior management with clear financial narratives explaining why results are what they are – not just what they are
• Participate in management discussions at a global level, contributing a strong finance perspective

Projects & Continuous Improvement

• Jump into selected finance or business-related projects as required (e.g. process optimisation, reporting improvements, system enhancements)
• Identify inefficiencies in current processes and proactively propose and implement improvements
• Strengthen financial governance, controls, and standardisation across regions

Candidate Profile
Experience & Background

• Minimum 10+ years of experience in senior controlling and/or financial control roles
• Proven experience in a global or multi-entity environment
• Strong track record of coordinating complex financial processes and consolidations
• Solid understanding of both finance and the underlying business drivers

Skills & Competencies

• Strong analytical mindset with the ability to interpret numbers and explain their business meaning
• Hands-on, proactive, and comfortable operating in a dynamic environment
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, capable of challenging and influencing at senior level
• Structured, detail-oriented, yet able to step back and see the bigger picture

Languages

• Fluent English is mandatory (spoken and written)