Controller Job Description

When writing your job ad, it is essential to answer the question ‘What does a Financial Controller do? A Controller monitors, reports on and, to a degree, optimises a company’s finances.

Scroll down for our free Controller job ad template.

What is in a Controller’s job description?

The Controller looks after the general finances of a company. They’re responsible for processes, payroll, inventory and compliance. They will have a great overview and idea of a company’s financial position and will use this knowledge to create reports and advise on future moves.

Essential parts of a Financial Controller’s job description:

  • A Financial Controller will work closely with Auditors, Accountants and other members of the finance team to collect, analyse and report on financial information.
  • They generally also work closely with managers or C-Level executives to provide insight into the company’s financial performance.
  • A Controller can help to advise on financial matters for the company, from taking on a high salary position to investing in a new area.
  • They can typically be hired in any growing SME business or can work for external agencies to consult with businesses.

Interview questions available

Also see our Controller interview questions

Controller Job Description Example

  • Be clear in your description. Know the tasks of the role and ideally who the candidate should be.
  • This means you won’t need to read through too many CVs to find your superstar.
  • You might be tempted to use bullet points in this section, but resist the urge! Tell a story, show off all the cool things they would be responsible for, and get them excited to apply.
  • You should be more focused on your company culture and what your mission is, instead of their daily tasks.

About the role

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Do you enjoy being an analytical thinker and problem solver? Are you passionate about improving the financial status of a company and building strategies to do so? Are you a responsible individual with experience in creating timely reports and maintaining accounting records? If yes, we may have the next adventure for you here at {Company_Name}.

We are currently on the lookout for our next Controller to join our finance team. To be successful in this role you should be experienced in creating budgets and forecasts, be a responsible person and be able to keep a level of anonymity.
Du bist passionierter analytischer Denker und Problemlöser? Du hegst eine Leidenschaft für die Verbesserung der Finanzlage eines Unternehmens und die Entwicklung von entsprechenden Strategien? Du bist eine verantwortungsbewusste Persönlichkeit mit Erfahrung in der zeitnahen Berichterstellung und der Aufbewahrung von Rechnungsunterlagen? Wenn ja, haben wir vielleicht das nächste berufliche Abenteuer für dich hier bei {Unternehmen_Name}.

Wir suchen einen verantwortungsbewussten und verschwiegenen Controller (m/w/d) mit Erfahrung in der Erstellung von Budgets und Prognosen für unser Finanzteam.
  • This section is all about your candidate's experience and responsibilities. You should outline very clearly what they should expect from the job role, not from the company itself. 
  • You should use language that speaks to the candidate directly, use of “you”, “we” and “our” are all positives. 
  • Hard skills in this section are important, but don’t overlook the significance of soft skills, like communication and being a team player, these can make a huge difference to the way people work alongside each other and gel professionally. 
  • What do you believe in, and what are your core values?

Controller Responsibilities

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Remember, these are just example responsibilities for a Controller's job description, you should edit and adapt as you need.

· Maintain and enforce a documented system of accounting policies and procedures.
· Be the first point of contact on a wide range of financial topics from many different departments.
· Experience in creating monthly financial reviews, IC invoicing and recharges of costs for planning.
· Support the setup of rolling forecasts and deviation analysis.
· Be actively involved in the financial planning, forecasting, and budgeting.
· The ability to coordinate with numerous stakeholders to understand business and steering needs.
· Develop internal control guidelines, policies and procedures for budget accounting, cash and credit management, and administration.
Denken Sie daran, dass es sich hierbei nur um Beispielaufgaben handelt, die Sie nach Bedarf bearbeiten und anpassen sollten.

· Du setzt ein dokumentiertes System von Rechnungslegungsrichtlinien und -verfahren durch und pflegst es.
· Du bist der erste Ansprechpartner für ein breites Spektrum von Finanzthemen aus verschiedenen Abteilungen.
· Du erstellst monatliche Finanzübersichten, IC-Rechnungen und Weiterbelastungen von Kosten für die Planung.
· Du untersrstützt die Erstellung von Rolling Forerecasts und Abweichungsanalysen.
· Du beteiligst dich aktiv an der Finanzplanung, und Budgetierung.
· Du stimmst dich mit zahlreichen Interessengruppen ab, um die geschäftlichen und steuerungsbezogenen Anforderungen zu verstehen.
· Du entwickelst Leitlinien für die interne Kontrolle sowie Strategien und Verfahren für die Haushaltsbuchführung, das Kassen- und Kreditmanagement und die Verwaltung.
  • This section is essential to finding the candidate with the skills and qualifications that will help them in their job role.
  • This should be clear and concise and set boundaries for submissions.
  • The more information you add to your skills section, the less candidates you’ll have to sift through to find the right one.
  • This would waste both your time and the potential candidate so avoid being wordy as much as possible. Think about what would be an essential part of this role, and what would the applicant need to be successful in the job?

Controller Requirements

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Remember, these are just example requirements, you should edit and adapt as you need.

· 3+ years of experience in a finance role, preferably within a fast paced and ever changing start-up environment.
· An organised and focused mindset with a great sense of initiative.
· The ability to demonstrate strong analytical skills with an outstanding attention to detail.
· Great communication skills with the passion to educate other departments in the organisation.
· Knowledge of payroll, accounts payable and accounts deductible.
· A deep understanding of finance laws and regulations, taxes and reporting.
· Fluency in English, any other language skills are a bonus.
Denken Sie daran, dass es sich hierbei nur um Beispielanforderungen handelt, die Sie nach Bedarf bearbeiten und anpassen sollten.

· Du bringst mindestens 3 Jahre Berufserfahrung im Finanzbereich mit, vorzugsweise in einem schnelllebigen und sich ständig verändernden Start-up-Umfeld.
· Du bist gut organisiert, zielstrebig und überzeugst mit einer ausgeprägten Hands-on-Mentalität.
· Du verfügst über ausgeprägte analytische Fähigkeiten und hervorragende Detailgenauigkeit.
· Du bringst sehr gute Kommunikationsfähigkeiten mit und gibst dein Know-how leidenschaftlich gern an andere Abteilungen des Unternehmens weiter.
· Du besitzt Kenntnisse in den Bereichen Gehaltsabrechnung, Kreditorenbuchhaltung und abzugsfähige Kosten.
· Du bringst umfassendes Verständnis der Gesetze und Vorschriften im Bereich Finanzenen, Steuern und Berichterstattung mit.
· Du sprichst fließend Englisch, weitere Sprachkenntnisse sind von Vorteil.

Need inspiration?

Your job description will not attract talent all on its own. So when putting together your job post, be sure to show what it's like working at your company not just textually but visually!

  • Remember, attracting a candidate is just as much about your company culture as the job role itself. Make sure to include points that make you seem desirable too!
  • Add photos that show off your office space, team events and your team having a great time.
  • Maybe you could include a video of some team members explaining why they love coming to work, or why they like their role.
  • Include a grid of attractive perks with some nice illustrations. Maybe you have unlimited holidays, or you have an attractive parental leave cover - show off!
  • Why not embed your company's Instagram feed to give a IRL overview of the day-to-day.

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