Curated hiring intake

Financial Controller

A materially different role showing the same recruiting method across accounting, reporting, scope, and systems requirements.

Pre-generated AI example · synthetic scenario · human reviewed · no fresh public AI analysis

Synthetic source

What the intake analysis received

Job description

Financial Controller · Synthetic employer-style posting

View full job description

Financial Controller

About the role

We are a growing international services group operating through several legal entities. Our finance organization is strengthening group reporting, controls, and systems as the business expands. We are hiring a Financial Controller to take a hands-on role in monthly close, group consolidation, management information, and the quality of financial reporting across the group.

The position works with local finance teams, senior leadership, auditors, and operational stakeholders. It combines recurring delivery with process improvement: the successful person will help the group produce reliable numbers on time while making the close and control environment more scalable.

What you'll do

Coordinate and deliver the monthly close across multiple entities, following up on submissions and resolving reporting issues.
Prepare and review group consolidation, including intercompany balances, eliminations, and consolidated accounts.
Produce management reporting and statutory reporting with clear commentary on material movements and risks.
Maintain IFRS-aligned reporting and support the consistent application of group accounting policies.
Coordinate year-end and interim audit requests, working with local teams and external auditors to provide accurate support.
Strengthen financial controls, reconciliations, documentation, and review evidence across core finance processes.
Partner with business and finance stakeholders on budgets, forecasts, performance analysis, and decision support.
Identify opportunities to shorten the close, reduce manual work, and improve the quality and consistency of group reporting.
Support ERP and finance-process improvements, including testing, data-quality review, and adoption by finance users.
Contribute to the development of two accountants in the wider finance team and help establish clear, repeatable ways of working.

What we're looking for

Relevant experience in financial controlling or group accounting within a multi-entity environment; the role requires strong financial controlling experience.
Practical experience of monthly close and direct work with consolidated accounts.
Strong knowledge of IFRS and confidence applying accounting standards to reporting decisions.
Experience producing management and statutory reporting and coordinating with external auditors.
A sound understanding of financial controls, reconciliations, and the evidence needed for a reliable audit trail.
Experience with ERP systems is required, together with strong spreadsheet and financial-analysis skills.
Ability to work hands-on with detailed financial information while communicating clearly with senior and non-finance stakeholders.
Professional English; Spanish is useful for collaboration with local stakeholders.

Nice to have

Experience with SAP S/4HANA or another major ERP in an international finance environment.
Finance-transformation experience, close-acceleration work, or involvement in an ERP implementation or upgrade.
Exposure to Spanish GAAP alongside IFRS reporting.
Experience in a growing or changing business where processes and ownership are still being standardized.
Prior coaching, coordination, or team-lead experience in a small finance team.

Location and working model

The role is based in Madrid and follows a hybrid working model with three office days per week. The remaining days may be worked remotely in line with team needs. The position works regularly with colleagues in other entities and may involve occasional travel for finance meetings or audit activity.

We are looking for a practical controller who can balance accurate recurring delivery with thoughtful improvement. The role offers meaningful influence over group finance processes while remaining close to the detail.

Hiring-manager context

The person must have personally owned group consolidation, not only supplied entity-level inputs. IFRS is non-negotiable; Spanish GAAP exposure is useful but not required. SAP S/4HANA is a preference. Experience improving another major ERP is acceptable. We need a hands-on controller. Whether the role directly manages two accountants or only coordinates their work is still being decided. The target is to move the monthly close from eight to five working days during the first year. Relocation support and work-authorization sponsorship have not been agreed.

Summary first

What changes the recruiting conversation

Own hands-on group consolidation, close, reporting, controls, and finance-process improvement for a growing international multi-entity services group.

Role shape

Experienced individual contributor or possible small-team lead based in Madrid, working across legal entities and with senior leaders, auditors, local finance teams, and operational stakeholders.

Proposed must-haves

Strong financial controlling or group-accounting experience in a multi-entity environment.
Personal ownership of group consolidation, including direct work with consolidated accounts—not solely entity-level submissions.
Practical ownership or delivery experience in monthly close.
Strong IFRS knowledge and confidence applying standards to reporting decisions.
Experience producing both management and statutory reporting and coordinating with external auditors.
Sound knowledge of financial controls, reconciliations, supporting documentation, and audit trails.
Experience using ERP systems, plus strong spreadsheet and financial-analysis skills.
Professional English and the ability to communicate financial matters to senior and non-finance stakeholders.
Ability to work from Madrid under a hybrid model requiring three office days per week.

Proposed nice-to-haves

SAP S/4HANA experience, with improvement experience on another major ERP accepted as relevant.
Finance-transformation, close-acceleration, or ERP implementation or upgrade experience.
Exposure to Spanish GAAP.
Professional Spanish for collaboration with local stakeholders.
Experience in a growing or changing organization where processes and ownership are being standardized.
Prior coaching, coordination, or small-team leadership experience.

Clarify

The role's formal responsibility for two accountants is undecided.
Relocation assistance and work-authorization sponsorship are unresolved.
The acceptable depth and recency of ERP experience are not defined.
The scope and frequency of travel are unspecified.

Potential tension

The first-year target to reduce close from eight to five working days may depend on authority, resources, systems, and entity readiness that are not described.

Resolve before sourcing

Direct management versus coordination of two accountants.
Relocation and Spanish work-authorization sponsorship policy.
Required ERP depth and accepted platforms.
Compensation and benefits.
Required professional qualification, if any.
Expected consolidation scale and complexity.
Reporting line and cross-entity authority.
Resources and feasibility assumptions behind the five-day close target.

Prioritized discussion

Intake questions

high
Will the controller directly manage the two accountants or only coordinate and coach them?
Clarifies management scope and seniority.
high
What relocation and Spanish work-authorization support, if any, will be available?
Defines the eligible geographic and authorization pool.
high
What group-consolidation scale and complexity must candidates have personally owned?
Allows accurate assessment beyond the broad multi-entity requirement.
high
Is ERP usage sufficient, or is hands-on improvement or implementation experience required?
Prevents a preference from being applied inconsistently as a mandatory screen.
high
What obstacles currently drive the eight-day close, and what authority and resources support the five-day target?
Tests feasibility and identifies the experience needed to deliver the first-year outcome.
high
What are the approved compensation range and material benefits?
Required for market calibration and closing feasibility.
medium
Is a professional accounting qualification required or preferred?
Determines whether credentials should affect candidate eligibility.
medium
Who is the reporting manager, and what authority does this role have over local finance teams and group policies?
Clarifies organizational level and cross-entity influence.
low
What travel pattern should candidates expect?
Provides a concrete expectation for candidate disclosure and closing.

Continue to sourcing strategy Build assessment plan

View full intake analysis

Detailed result

Full intake analysis

Role snapshot

Financial Controller

Own hands-on group consolidation, close, reporting, controls, and finance-process improvement for a growing international multi-entity services group.

Apparent scope: Experienced individual contributor or possible small-team lead based in Madrid, working across legal entities and with senior leaders, auditors, local finance teams, and operational stakeholders.

Deliver reliable monthly close and consolidated group reporting.
Move the monthly close from eight to five working days during the first year.
Improve IFRS-aligned management and statutory reporting.
Strengthen controls, reconciliations, documentation, and audit readiness.
Reduce manual work and support scalable ERP and finance processes.

Human confirmation required

Proposed must-haves

Strong financial controlling or group-accounting experience in a multi-entity environment.

This is the central experience requirement and establishes the necessary group-level scope.

Explicit · Job descriptionRelevant experience in financial controlling or group accounting within a multi-entity environment; the role requires strong financial controlling experience.

Personal ownership of group consolidation, including direct work with consolidated accounts—not solely entity-level submissions.

The hiring manager expressly distinguishes full consolidation ownership from contributing local inputs.

Explicit · Manager notesThe person must have personally owned group consolidation, not only supplied entity-level inputs.

Practical ownership or delivery experience in monthly close.

Monthly close is a core recurring responsibility and a first-year improvement target.

Explicit · Job descriptionPractical experience of monthly close and direct work with consolidated accounts.

Strong IFRS knowledge and confidence applying standards to reporting decisions.

IFRS capability is explicitly non-negotiable.

Explicit · Manager notesIFRS is non-negotiable; Spanish GAAP exposure is useful but not required.

Explicit · Job descriptionStrong knowledge of IFRS and confidence applying accounting standards to reporting decisions.

Experience producing both management and statutory reporting and coordinating with external auditors.

The role owns recurring internal and external reporting and supports audit delivery.

Explicit · Job descriptionExperience producing management and statutory reporting and coordinating with external auditors.

Sound knowledge of financial controls, reconciliations, supporting documentation, and audit trails.

Improving reporting reliability and the control environment is central to the role.

Explicit · Job descriptionA sound understanding of financial controls, reconciliations, and the evidence needed for a reliable audit trail.

Experience using ERP systems, plus strong spreadsheet and financial-analysis skills.

ERP experience is expressly required, although the required platform and depth remain flexible.

Explicit · Job descriptionExperience with ERP systems is required, together with strong spreadsheet and financial-analysis skills.

Professional English and the ability to communicate financial matters to senior and non-finance stakeholders.

The international and cross-functional scope requires professional English and stakeholder communication.

Explicit · Job descriptionProfessional English; Spanish is useful for collaboration with local stakeholders.

Explicit · Job descriptionAbility to work hands-on with detailed financial information while communicating clearly with senior and non-finance stakeholders.

Ability to work from Madrid under a hybrid model requiring three office days per week.

This is an explicit attendance condition, subject to unresolved relocation and work-authorization support.

Explicit · Job descriptionThe role is based in Madrid and follows a hybrid working model with three office days per week.

Human confirmation required

Proposed nice-to-haves

SAP S/4HANA experience, with improvement experience on another major ERP accepted as relevant.

SAP S/4HANA is preferred rather than mandatory, and the manager allows broader major-ERP experience.

Explicit · Manager notesSAP S/4HANA is a preference. Experience improving another major ERP is acceptable.

Finance-transformation, close-acceleration, or ERP implementation or upgrade experience.

This would support the close-reduction and process-scalability objectives.

Explicit · Job descriptionFinance-transformation experience, close-acceleration work, or involvement in an ERP implementation or upgrade.

Exposure to Spanish GAAP.

It may help with local reporting but is expressly not required.

Explicit · Manager notesSpanish GAAP exposure is useful but not required.

Professional Spanish for collaboration with local stakeholders.

Spanish is described as useful, not essential.

Explicit · Job descriptionProfessional English; Spanish is useful for collaboration with local stakeholders.

Experience in a growing or changing organization where processes and ownership are being standardized.

The organization needs someone comfortable combining recurring delivery with evolving processes.

Explicit · Job descriptionExperience in a growing or changing business where processes and ownership are still being standardized.

Prior coaching, coordination, or small-team leadership experience.

The role will contribute to developing two accountants, although formal management responsibility is unresolved.

Explicit · Job descriptionPrior coaching, coordination, or team-lead experience in a small finance team.

Clarify

Ambiguities

The role's formal responsibility for two accountants is undecided.

Direct management versus coordination changes seniority, candidate expectations, title calibration, and leadership screening.

Ask: Will the controller have direct reports, including performance reviews and work allocation, or only coordinate and coach the two accountants?

Explicit · Manager notesWhether the role directly manages two accountants or only coordinates their work is still being decided.

Relocation assistance and work-authorization sponsorship are unresolved.

This determines whether sourcing can include candidates outside Madrid, Spain, or the currently authorized labor pool.

Ask: Will the company offer relocation support, Spanish work-authorization sponsorship, either, or neither—and must candidates already be able to work in Spain?

Explicit · Manager notesRelocation support and work-authorization sponsorship have not been agreed.

The acceptable depth and recency of ERP experience are not defined.

The description requires ERP experience, while the notes prefer SAP S/4HANA and accept improvement experience with another major ERP; this could materially narrow or broaden the pool.

Ask: Is routine ERP use sufficient, or must candidates have led process improvements, testing, implementation, or upgrades—and which non-SAP systems count as major ERPs?

Interpretation · Manager notesSAP S/4HANA is a preference. Experience improving another major ERP is acceptable.

The scope and frequency of travel are unspecified.

Travel expectations can affect candidate eligibility and closing feasibility.

Ask: What travel frequency, typical destinations, and trip duration should candidates expect?

Explicit · Job descriptionmay involve occasional travel for finance meetings or audit activity.

Potential tension

Expectations to align

The first-year target to reduce close from eight to five working days may depend on authority, resources, systems, and entity readiness that are not described.

The controller is expected to maintain hands-on recurring delivery while also redesigning processes across multiple entities; feasibility will vary with current data quality and stakeholder support.

Ask: What are the main causes of the current eight-day close, what resources and decision authority will the controller have, and is five days a firm performance commitment or an aspirational target?

Explicit · Manager notesThe target is to move the monthly close from eight to five working days during the first year.

Before sourcing

Missing information

Compensation range and employment package

Pay and package alignment materially affect market calibration and closing feasibility.

Ask: What are the approved base-salary range, variable compensation, and material benefits for the Madrid role?

Required level of professional accounting qualification

No credential requirement is stated; deciding whether one is required would materially affect eligibility.

Ask: Is a professional accounting qualification required, preferred, or unnecessary, and are equivalent international credentials accepted?

Scale and complexity of consolidation ownership

Entity count, jurisdictions, currencies, and consolidation complexity are necessary to calibrate comparable experience and seniority.

Ask: What are the approximate number of entities, countries, currencies, and major consolidation complexities the role will own?

Reporting line and decision authority

This affects role positioning, seniority, influence over local teams, and candidate expectations.

Ask: Who does the role report to, and what authority will it have to enforce group close deadlines, accounting policies, and control standards across entities?

Operational summary

Search brief

A hands-on Financial Controller or group-accounting professional who has personally owned multi-entity consolidation, monthly close, IFRS reporting, controls, audit coordination, and management/statutory reporting. The person must be able to work in Madrid three days per week and operate effectively across international finance and business stakeholders.

Core requirements

Personal ownership of group consolidation rather than entity-input-only experience.
Strong financial controlling and monthly-close experience in a multi-entity environment.
Strong applied IFRS knowledge.
Management and statutory reporting experience.
External audit coordination and sound controls/reconciliation knowledge.
ERP, spreadsheet, and financial-analysis capability.
Professional English and strong senior/non-finance stakeholder communication.
Ability to meet the Madrid hybrid attendance requirement, subject to authorization and relocation decisions.

Likely flexibility

SAP S/4HANA is preferred; another major ERP may be acceptable.
Spanish GAAP and Spanish-language capability are useful but not required.
Transformation, close-acceleration, and ERP-change experience are advantageous.
Coaching or team leadership is preferred, pending the direct-management decision.

Exclusions / risks

Candidates whose consolidation experience is limited to submitting entity-level inputs.
Candidates without strong applied IFRS experience.
Candidates lacking ERP experience.
Candidates unable to meet the three-day Madrid office requirement.
Candidates requiring relocation or sponsorship may be ineligible unless support is approved.
Profiles focused mainly on oversight rather than hands-on close and reporting delivery may not fit.

Resolve before search

Direct management versus coordination of two accountants.
Relocation and Spanish work-authorization sponsorship policy.
Required ERP depth and accepted platforms.
Compensation and benefits.
Required professional qualification, if any.
Expected consolidation scale and complexity.
Reporting line and cross-entity authority.
Resources and feasibility assumptions behind the five-day close target.

Continue to sourcing strategy Build assessment plan