HR Cost Controller

Guala Closures Group; Milano; On-site; EUR 50,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

Guala Closures is seeking an HR Cost Controller to join our international team in Milano. You will work across countries, Finance and HR to understand labor cost movements and build cost bridges, challenging assumptions and turning data into a clear business story.

The role owns the Group labor cost controlling process, ensuring accurate monitoring of personnel expenses worldwide and proposing corrective actions.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5–7 years in HR Controlling, Financial Controlling or FP&A.
• Solid experience in personnel cost controlling including headcount monitoring, budgeting and forecasting.
• Strong analytical skills to identify cost drivers and provide actionable insights to management.
• Knowledge of labor cost components (salaries, bonuses, employer contributions).
• Experience in a matrix/international environment with cross-functional collaboration.
• Advanced Excel; Power BI and SAP are a plus.
• Fluent English, written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Monitors global headcount and labor cost evolution.
• Validates new HC requests from countries and budgets.
• Analyzes labor cost forecasts and variance analysis.
• Leads monthly cost review calls with regional HR and Finance teams.
• Consolidates labor cost bridges and translates data into insights for Group management.
• Prepares regular executive reports highlighting gaps.
• Analyzes MBO accruals and releases.

Skills

5–7 years of professional experience

Solid experience in personnel costCont

Strong analytical skills

Experience in matrix and international

Advanced Microsoft Excel

Fluent English

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Economics, Finance, Business Administration or related discipline

Tools

Power BI

SAP

Job description

Guala Closures is a leading global producer of closures for spirits, wine, edible oil, water and a wide range of other beverages, with a long-lasting expertise in premium design and luxury bottle closures.

With over 40 production plants, 7 R&D centres located across five continents, its global footprint means proximity to customers’ plants, offering localized services and solutions in more than 100 countries, with a production capacity of more than 18 billion closures per year.

High-quality, sustainable and innovative closure solutions that offer protection and convenience to consumers while enhancing brand image are the main pillars and the core of Guala Closures strategy.

Numbers tell a story. We are looking for someone who knows how to read it — and challenge it!

We are looking for an HR Cost Controller to join our international team.

Reporting to the Group Compensation & Benefit Manager, you will work across countries, Finance and HR teams to understand what is really behind labor cost movements — building cost bridges, challenging assumptions, analyzing variances and turning complex data into a clear business story.

Scope of the Role

The HR Cost Controller owns the Group labor cost controlling process, ensuring accurate monitoring of personnel expenses worldwide and suggests corrective actions.

Main Activities

• Monitors and analyzes global headcount and cost evolution
• Validates new HC requests from countries
• Analyzes labor cost forecasts, budgets, and periodic reforecasts in collaboration with Finance and local HR teams.
• Analyzes deviations between actual labor costs and budget, FCST, YTD, month on month, identifying root causes and proposing corrective actions together with the Regional HR Director
• Leads monthly calls with the countries to review and deep-dive into labor cost bridges, challenging key assumptions, explaining main variances and ensuring a clear understanding of the drivers behind cost movements.
• Consolidates and prepares labor cost bridges and supporting analyses, translating country-level data into clear and actionable insights for Group management.
• Monitors HR costs KPIs as Direct employees per volumes, labour cost on net sales, direct vs SG&A etc
• Produces regular executive report to explain gaps for each monthly BRM
• Analyzes MBO accruals and releases.

Skills/Experience Required

• 5–7 years of professional experience in HR Controlling, Financial Controlling, Management Control, FP&A or a related function, preferably in a multinational and/or industrial environment.
• Solid experience in personnel cost controlling, including headcount monitoring, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis and management reporting.
• Strong analytical skills and ability to identify cost drivers, investigate variances and provide clear, actionable insights to management.
• Good understanding of labor cost components, including salaries, bonuses, incentives, employer contributions and organizational changes.
• Experience working in a matrix and international environment, with strong collaboration skills across HR, Finance and local entities.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills; experience with Power BI and/or SAP is considered a plus.
• Strong attention to detail, organizational skills and a proactive, hands-on approach.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to present financial and HR data clearly to different levels of management.
• Fluent English, both written and spoken.

Education

• Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Economics, Finance, Business Administration or a related discipline.

Employment Terms & Compensation

• CCNL: Gomma-Plastica
• Level: A
• Gross Annual Salary (RAL): €50,000–€55,000, to be determined based on professional experience, technical skills, level of autonomy and overall suitability for the role.

Guala Closures is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to ensuring that recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, and all other employment practices are free from discrimination. We encourage candidates from all gender identities, age groups, and nationalities to apply for this position. We are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace and believe that a wide range of perspectives strengthens our team.

Find out more about our commitment here: Welcoming diversity, valuing inclusion | GualaClosures