Job Description

EMEA Recruitment is proud to support a leading industrial business in its search for an Interim Head of Controlling to join the office in Neu-Isenburg, Germany.

This interim position will provide critical leadership and stability to the German controlling function during a period of transition.

You will assume end-to-end responsibility for a team of controllers and support staff, covering plant controlling for up to three manufacturing sites as well as commercial and cost controlling across seven German legal entities.

This assignment is designed to bridge to a permanent hire, with the possibility to explore a long-term opportunity for candidates who are a strong fit and interested in a permanent role.

Role responsibilities of the Interim Head of Controlling:

• Lead and coach a mixed team of four controllers (plant, sales/commercial, cost, and controlling support)
• Take rapid ownership of the German controlling function across multiple plants and legal entities, ensuring high-quality, timely reporting to regional and global stakeholders
• Oversee plant controlling for 3 active manufacturing sites
• Drive budgeting, forecasting, and business planning activities for the German entities, ensuring alignment with regional EMEA targets and automotive industry dynamics
• Act as a key business partner to operations, sales, and management, providing margin, pricing, and product/customer profitability analysis to support commercial decisions
• Ensure correct application of IFRS in all controlling-related processes (e.g., cut-offs, revenue recognition, leasing) in close collaboration with the separate finance/accounting teams
• Provide hands-on operational support where needed, stepping into details in SAP (R/3) and other systems to secure business continuity during the interim period

The ideal candidate:

• A solid Controlling/Finance background with proven experience as a Plant/Head of Controlling, ideally within the automotive or wider manufacturing industry
• Hands-on SAP user (ideally, SAP R/3 - other SAP experience is considered essential)
• Comfortable working under IFRS and with typical topics such as cut-offs, revenue recognition, and leasing from a controlling perspective
• Proven people management skills, able to lead, coach, and stabilize a mixed-experience team of 4 while remaining operational and close to the details
• Previous interim/consulting experience, with the ability to step into a new environment, build trust quickly, and take ownership at short notice
• Fluent in German and English

EMEA Recruitment is committed to promoting Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the workplace. We act as a neutral third party in the recruitment process, basing our candidate searches on skills and experience. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, sex, relationship status, disability, race, religion/beliefs, or sexual orientation.