Procurement Controller
Praha 13, CZ, 155 00 Brno, CZ, 617 00
Senior Procurement Controller operates as a critical interface between Corporate Finance and the global Procurement organization. Embedded within Corporate FP&A, this senior role serves as the primary financial business partner to the EVP Procurement and all strategic procurement functions across the Group. The position demands a seasoned finance professional capable of translating complex procurement dynamics into clear financial insight, challenging operational assumptions, and driving accountability for cost performance at the highest level.
Beyond operational reporting, this role shapes the financial governance framework for procurement, fosters data-driven decision-making, and acts as a trusted advisor in strategic initiatives — including major supplier negotiations, category strategy reviews, procurement transformation programs, and M&A integration workstreams.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Strategic Business Partnering & Executive Advisory
- Serve as the primary financial advisor to the EVP Procurement, providing forward-looking analysis, scenario modeling, and commercially sound recommendations
- Prepare and present high-quality executive-level materials for EVP Procurement leadership reviews, CFO briefings, and Board-level reporting
- Challenge and validate business cases for sourcing decisions, supplier consolidation, and major procurement initiatives with a rigorous financial lens
- Actively participate in EVP Procurement leadership meetings, translating strategic procurement ambitions into measurable financial targets and milestones
- Support negotiations with financial modeling of contract structures, volume commitments, pricing escalation mechanisms, and risk-sharing arrangements
- Lead ad-hoc strategic analyses including total cost of ownership (TCO), should-cost modeling, and supplier profitability assessments
2. Savings Governance & Performance Management
- Own and continuously evolve the Group's procurement savings methodology, ensuring clear definitions and consistent application across Direct and Indirect spend categories
- Independently validate and challenge claimed savings from Category Managers using robust financial techniques (Price-Volume analysis, like-for-like comparisons, baseline reviews)
- Ensure full integration of validated procurement savings into the P&L, budget, and rolling forecast with clear audit trails
- Drive the development of a comprehensive procurement KPI framework and ensure implementation across all Divisions
- Produce the monthly Procurement Performance Dashboard for the EVP Procurement and CFO with actionable commentary and exception flagging
- Lead the annual savings target-setting process in alignment with Group FP&A and business strategy
3. Planning, Forecasting & Budgeting
- Lead the end-to-end procurement budgeting process as the finance owner, consolidating input from all category teams & divisional procurement controller and aligning with Group financial planning cycles
- Translate market intelligence (commodity indices, FX movements, supplier capacity trends) into quantified financial risk and opportunity assessments
- Drive variance analysis between actuals, forecast, and budget with rigorous root-cause identification and clear escalation of material deviations
- Collaborate with Treasury on commodity hedging strategies and assess their P&L impact within the procurement context
- Embed scenario planning and sensitivity analysis as a standard tool in procurement financial reviews
4. Spend Analytics & Data Intelligence
- Active Support procurement digitalization and functional excellence team with commercial input and gate keeping (e.g. productivity and spend definition) to achieve best in class spend analytics and data intelligence.
5. Procurement Governance & Compliance
- Serve as the procurement finance owner during internal and external audits, ensuring full documentation and traceability of savings claims and procurement decisions
- Monitor and report on supplier payment terms compliance, working capital impact of procurement decisions, and alignment with Group cash flow targets
- Ensure compliance with IFRS requirements relating to procurement (e.g., IFRS 16 lease accounting, inventory valuation, long-term supply agreements)
6. Transformation, Projects & Change Leadership
- Act as the finance workstream lead in procurement transformation programs (e.g., digitization, global category rollouts, operating model redesign)
- Support M&A transactions as the procurement finance expert: conduct procurement due diligence, quantify synergy potential, and lead savings tracking post-close
- Drive automation and process improvement initiatives within FP&A and Procurement Controlling, leveraging ERP enhancements and digital tools in collaboration with Functional excellence team
- Mentor and develop junior controllers within the FP&A team, building procurement finance capability across the organization
- Act as a center of excellence for procurement finance best practices across regional and divisional finance teams
Key Interfaces
• Reports to: Head of Controlling, work as commercial partner to EVP Procurement, CFO and the Team of procurement controller in the Divisions
Candidate Profile:
Education
- Master's degree in Finance, Business Administration, Economics, Industrial Engineering, or a comparable field (MBA is an advantage)
- Continuous professional development in procurement, supply chain finance, or advanced analytics is highly valued
Professional Experience
- 4-8+ years of experience in Procurement Controlling, FP&A, or Procurement Finance, with a minimum of 5 years in a corporate or group-level finance role
- Proven track record as a business partner to senior procurement leadership (VP/EVP Procurement level) in a complex, multinational environment
- Deep expertise in procurement savings methodology, spend analytics, and procurement KPI design
- Demonstrated experience leading financial workstreams in procurement transformation or M&A integration projects
- Hands-on experience with SAP (MM/FI/CO modules)
- Strong experience with BI tools and advanced Excel / financial modeling capabilities
- Experience working in industries with significant procurement complexity (e.g., automotive, FMCG, industrial manufacturing, retail, pharma)
Technical Skills
- Expert-level financial modeling and scenario analysis
- Advanced spend analytics and data visualization (Power BI, Tableau, SAP Analytics Cloud)
- Proficiency in ERP systems (SAP S/4HANA preferred) and procurement platforms
- Working knowledge of commodity markets, hedging instruments, and FX exposure management
- Familiarity with automation tools (RPA, Power Automate) and modern data stack concepts
Leadership & Personal Competencies
- Exceptional analytical rigor combined with the ability to synthesize complexity into clear, actionable executive narratives
- Outstanding stakeholder management skills
- High degree of initiative and intellectual curiosity; proactively identifies problems and drives solutions
- Resilient and adaptable under pressure with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment
- Strong team player
- Sound commercial judgment and an entrepreneurial mindset beyond the traditional controller role
- Uncompromising integrity and discretion in handling sensitive commercial and financial information
Languages
- English: Full professional proficiency – mandatory (all corporate reporting and executive communication)
- German: Professional proficiency optional
Further we can offer:
- 5 weeks holidays
- Meal vouchers
- Flexible working hours with the possibility of remote work 3 days a week
- Office in Brno
- 32000, - per year for health and leisure activities (Benefit plus)
- Discount program for employees