Financial Controller

Thinkahead; Breda; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

AHEAD, a growing tech and services platform, is seeking a Financial Controller in the Netherlands. You will lead day-to-day finance for the Netherlands, coordinate month-end close, reporting, and cash flow while supporting budgeting, audits, and system transitions.

The role spans across growth initiatives, potential team development, and collaboration with global finance. The candidate should bring strong Dutch accounting knowledge and English fluency to work with international teams.

Qualifications

• Qualified accounting professional or equivalent experience.
• Broad hands-on finance experience in growing/international business.
• Strong knowledge of month-end close, reporting, reconciliations and control.
• Experience budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management and audits.
• VAT expertise in Netherlands; payroll and expenses management.
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams and global finance.
• Right to work in the Netherlands; willing to attend Breda/Nijmegen.
• Fluent English for international communication.

Responsibilities

• Own day-to-day Netherlands finance function.
• Lead month-end close and reconciliations.
• Prepare management accounts, variance analysis, cash flow reports.
• Support budgets, forecasts, reforecasts.
• Oversee invoicing, accounts receivable, credit control.
• Oversee accounts payable, cash allocation and admin.
• Support compliance with Dutch statutory reporting and audits.
• Transition to global finance systems and improve processes.
• Develop scalable finance function and onboard future team members.

Skills

Financial control

Month-end close

Reporting

Cash flow management

VAT expertise

Payroll management

English proficiency

Stakeholder management

Independent work

Education

Accounting qualification or equivalent

Job description

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation.

At AHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and do not discriminate based on an individual's age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage & civil partnership, pregnancy & maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived.

We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD.

Due to AHEAD’s continued global expansion and the recent acquisition of Prolimax NL, we have an exciting opportunity for a Financial Controller to join AHEAD in the Netherlands. This is a pivotal hire that will play an important role in supporting our growth and ongoing expansion across Europe, while taking ownership of the local finance function within a small but growing entity.

This is a hands-on role suited to an experienced finance professional who is comfortable leading the day-to-day finance operation while also being willing to undertake transactional or administrative finance tasks during the earlier stages of growth. The successful candidate will be confident working independently, strengthening financial control, improving processes, supporting budgeting and reporting cycles, and helping lead the transition from current local systems to AHEAD’s global systems and ways of working.

Over the next 12 to 18 months, the role is expected to develop alongside the business and may offer the opportunity to support or manage a growing local finance team. Previous line management experience would therefore be advantageous, although a willingness to remain hands-on and work across both strategic and operational priorities is essential.

Financial Control & Reporting

• Take ownership of the day-to-day finance function for the Netherlands entity whilst collaborating with the wider international finance organisation.
• Lead month-end close activities including journals, accruals, prepayments, reconciliations and reporting.
• Prepare management accounts, variance analysis, and cash flow reporting.
• Support budgets, forecasts, and reforecasts.
• Maintain robust financial controls and provide financial insight.

Operational Finance

• Oversee sales invoicing, accounts receivable, and credit control.
• Support accounts payable, cash allocation, and finance administration.
• Oversee local payroll, pension contributions, employee expenses and related finance administration.
• Undertake operational, transactional, and administrative finance activities where required.
• Work collaboratively across Finance, Sales and Operations.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement.

Compliance & Governance

• Support compliance with Dutch statutory reporting, corporate tax, VAT and other regulatory requirements.
• Support audits and maintain audit readiness.
• Maintain financial controls and documentation.
• Develop finance policies and scalable processes.

Systems & Transformation

• Support transition to global finance systems.
• Support testing, process mapping, and implementation.
• Promote consistency of reporting and controls across the Group.

Growth & Team Development

• Support development of a scalable finance function.
• Support onboarding and development of future finance team members.
• Maintain a practical and collaborative approach.

Essential:

• Relevant professional accounting qualification (or equivalent), or demonstrable equivalent experience gained through progressively responsible finance roles.
• Broad hands-on finance experience within a growing or international business.
• Strong knowledge of month-end close, reporting, reconciliations, and financial control.
• Experience of budgeting, forecasting, cash flow management, and audit preparation.
• Experience improving finance processes and supporting systems change.
• Strong understanding of Dutch accounting, tax and regulatory requirements.
• Strong VAT expertise, including experience managing VAT implications when purchasing products from vendors and selling products to customers within and outside the Netherlands.
• Experience managing payroll, pension contributions, and employee expenses.
• Experience working with shared services, regional or global finance teams.
• Legal right to work in the Netherlands and ability to attend the Nijmegen office regularly and the new facility in Breda from ~April 2027.
• Excellent organisational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English, required for effective day-to-day communication, reporting and collaboration with the wider international finance organisation, including colleagues and stakeholders in the UK & US.
• Ability to work independently and adapt to changing business needs.

Desirable:

• Previous supervisory or people management experience.
• Experience of finance system implementation or migration.
• Experience in a multi-entity international environment.

Right to Work

To be considered for this role, you must be legally entitled to work in the Netherlands. Employer-sponsored work authorisation is not available for this position.

Other Duties

The responsibilities described above are intended to outline the general nature of the role and are not an exhaustive list of duties. Responsibilities may reasonably evolve in line with business requirements.

Travel

Occasional domestic and international travel may be required to support business operations and collaboration with the wider finance organisation.

The compensation range indicated in this posting reflects the On-Target Earnings (“OTE”) for this role, which includes a base salary and any applicable target bonus amount. This OTE range may vary based on the candidate’s relevant experience, qualifications, and geographic location.

Why AHEAD:

Through our daily work and internal groups like Moving Women AHEAD and RISE AHEAD, we value and benefit from diversity of people, ideas, experience, and everything in between.

We fuel growth by stacking our office with top-notch technologies in a multi-million-dollar lab, by encouraging cross department training and development, sponsoring certifications and credentials for continued learning.

Use of AI:

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, assessing responses, or to capture recordings and create transcriptions or summaries during interviews. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.

If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please refer to the UK Candidate Privacy Notice / Netherlands Candidate Privacy Notice or contact us at [e-mail].

You may opt‑out of the review or analysis of your application and resume by AI tools by using the General Application. Please include the role you wish to apply for in the Additional Information field. You may also choose to opt‑out of recording and transcription at any time, including after joining an interview. Candidates will not be penalized for choosing to opt‑out.