Business Controller (1 year contract)

Summary

• Financial Stewardship & Accuracy: Ensure the transparency and integrity of regional financial data through monthly reporting to HQ and leadership.
• Strategic Decision Support: Act as a value-added business partner by translating complex data into actionable insights that drive ROI and business growth.
• Cross-Functional Partnership: Bridge the gap between cross functions and operations (Country Management, IT, Facilities & Procurement) to ensure budget alignment and cost accountability.
• Sourcing Competitive Intelligence: Support country sourcing strategy through data-driven insights by analysing and interpreting data to monitor market sourcing trends, gather competitive intelligence and generate sourcing opportunities.
• Operational Excellence: Modernize and simplify workflows (SOPs) to increase the speed and accuracy of the planning cycle.
• Digital Transformation: Support the evolution of the Business Controlling function by transitioning from legacy systems to advanced cloud-based platforms

What you'll do

Planning, Forecasting & Reporting

• Support and participate in coordination of regional financial planning and forecasting cycles.
• Produce monthly reporting packages and review decks for the Leadership Team.
• Analyze P&L performance, specifically focusing on Actual vs. Budget variance analysis.
• Prepare quarterly postmortem reviews for Merchandising teams and Country Management teams to evaluate selection performance.

Business Partnering & Analysis

• Serve as the Finance Business Partner for the Country Management, IT and Facilities/Procurement divisions.
• Build financial models to simulate the impact of new business initiatives.
• Execute ad-hoc financial analysis to support urgent business needs.
• Assist with approving and monitoring Asset Requests of the organisation.

Strategic Sourcing / Market Mapping

• Support the development of strategic sourcing initiatives through data-driven insights
• Conduct market research, source and gather datasets or platforms relevant to Lidl & Kaufland Asia products and categories
• Analyse, interpret, visualize data and provide insights on market trends, competitor sourcing footprint and the identification of sourcing opportunities
• Work closely with Analytics team and Concept & Services team to streamline process flow and drive engagement of the competitor market mapping dashboard internally
• Stay up to date on sourcing, industry trends and competitor actions

Process Governance & Optimization

• Assist and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all reporting and planning activities.
• Identify 'bottlenecks' in current processes and implement simplifications to drive organizational efficiency.

Digital & Systems Transition Projects

• Play an active role in supporting the implementation of digital transformation projects.

What you'll need

• A Recognised University degree in Accounting, Finance, Business or related field; CPA is a plus
• Minimum 5 years of experience in Business Controlling or FPA
• Advanced ERP & Reporting; experience with SAP, BI Tools
• Experience as Model Builder in Anaplan is a plus
• Comfort working within Google Workspace environment for collaborative financial modelling,  and hands-on experience  in Python/Appscript for data maintenance.
• Hands-on experience utilizing AI tools like Gemini to optimize daily workflows and data modeling.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and to deliver accurate results
• Independent, proactive and well organised with a focus on detail and accuracy
• Strong communication skills with the ability to simplify complex financial concepts
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team and adapt to a fast-paced environment
• Sensitivity to different timezones to work with stakeholders from various geographies
• Knowledge of supply chain and retail industry is a plus
• Change Management Mindset

What you'll receive

We are dedicated to fostering a family-friendly culture and work environment. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all candidates with the required skills and experience. We enable fair pay within the company by creating non-discriminatory salary systems. Working at Lidl & Kaufland Asia is rewarding, in every sense, because we give you the training to succeed in your role and plenty of opportunities to progress your career here. We are accredited as a Fair and Progressive employer by the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP).

Market Leading Remuneration Package:

• Annual wage supplement and discretionary bonus
• Life Insurance
• Medical Insurance

Supportive Environment:

• Out of Office leave for important appointments
• In-house training courses
• Training sponsorship scheme

Work-life Balance:

• 5-day week
• Competitive Annual Leave
• Charity, Community and Sporting Events