Senior Project Controller

WINK; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

€2,500 personal development budget

6% pension plan

Profit-sharing program

Visible role with mandate

Global brands projects

Daily catered lunches

Massages at HQ

Diverse, international team

Job summary

WINK is seeking a Senior Project Controller in Amsterdam to keep our projects financially healthy and ready for action. You will act as the financial gatekeeper between operations and Finance, ensuring budgets, milestones, POs, invoicing, and cash flow are solid before work starts.

You’ll review project P&Ls, advise Account Directors and Project Managers, and escalate when the numbers don’t add up. Dutch and English fluency are essential in a fast-paced, hybrid-work environment at our Amsterdam

Qualifications

• HBO level in Finance, Business Economics or comparable.
• At least five years of experience in Project Control or project finance in a project-driven organisation.
• Strong understanding of project P&L, costing, milestone invoicing and receivables.
• Experience with financial project gates and commercial project control.
• Familiar with time-registration and project administration systems.

Responsibilities

• Safeguard financial health of projects from budget through invoicing and payment.
• Review project budgets before kick-off with Account Directors and Project Managers.
• Act as gatekeeper before commitments are made.
• Monitor project P&Ls and portfolio; spot deviations early.
• Coach Project Managers on PO, milestones and invoicing to ensure financial hygiene.

Skills

Project control

Financial analysis

Stakeholder management

Dutch language

English language

Education

HBO degree in Finance

Tools

Exact

Job description

We have both eyes open on the hunt for a sharp, fearless Senior Project Controller who keeps our projects as financially healthy as they are brilliant, and who isn't afraid to say “not yet” when the numbers don't add up.

As Senior Project Controller, you're the financial gatekeeper between our operation and Finance. WINK is a project-driven business, so margin and cash flow depend on smart decisions being made before the work starts. You'll have a fixed seat at the table where project starts, costing and PO coverage are decided, and the mandate (backed by our Head of Finance and COO) to challenge, escal

As Senior Project Controller, you'll keep the WINK magic alive by:

• Safeguarding the financial health of projects from budget and commercial commitment through to invoicing and payment
• Reviewing project budgets before kick-off together with Account Directors and Project Managers, so every project starts on the right footing
• Acting before commitments are made, not only after the fact
• Monitoring project P&Ls and the wider portfolio, and spotting deviations early
• Keeping an eye on the financial implications of MSAs, SoWs and addenda, and flagging risks without playing lawyer
• Making sure no project starts without a PO or written commitment, and no external costs are committed without an approved budget
• Checking cash coverage before projects move into production, and taking outstanding receivables into account before extra work for the same client gets the green light
• Stopping or escalating work when the financial basis isn't there, and having the backing to do it
• Making sure invoices go out on time and are accurate, against milestones, POs and delivered work
• Actively managing receivables, escalating overdue invoices and improving DSO and unbilled revenue
• Acting as functional lead for client-side Project Control and coaching Project Managers on good financial hygiene around POs, milestones and invoicing
• Improving Project Control processes and building consistent ways of working across projects
• Teaming up with Accounting and Financial Control on invoicing, reporting and reconciliations, and sharing recurring issues with the Head of Finance so we can fix them structurally

While we're looking for out-of-the-box people, there are a few boxes we need you to tick:

• You have HBO working and thinking level in Finance, Business Economics or something comparable
• You have at least five years of experience in Project Control or project finance within a project-driven organisation (agency, events and production backgrounds are a big plus; broader commercial finance experience is welcome if you bring real Project Control depth)
• You have a strong understanding of project P&L, project costing, milestone invoicing and receivables
• You've worked with financial project gates and commercial project control
• You're comfortable in time-registration and project administration systems
• You have hands-on experience working with Exact accounting software
• You understand the financial impact of commercial agreements, without needing to own the legal side
• You communicate with confidence across operational, commercial and Finance stakeholders
• You're analytical and financially sharp, proactive rather than reactive, and organised and disciplined
• You're ready to challenge senior stakeholders, comfortable saying no, and persistent enough to follow an issue through to resolution
• You have native-level Dutch proficiency and a strong command of professional English
• This is a full-time, Amsterdam-based position with a hybrid working model in line with WINK’s working arrangements. You'll report directly to our Head of Finance.

What a great first year looks like:

• Financial project gates are used consistently in practice, and projects don't start without the agreed coverage
• You have a firm place in project-start, costing and PO decisions
• DSO and unbilled revenue in your portfolio have improved, or are clearly explained and actively managed
• Project Managers apply financial hygiene around POs, milestones and invoicing as a matter of course
• Invoicing and receivables have clear ownership and solid back-up
• Meaningful Project Control improvements have been put in place
• Project Control is known at WINK as an active gatekeeper, not a reporting function after the fact

Why work when you could WINK? We offer:

• A €2,500 personal development budget as part of our WINK Academy program, because WINK has a responsibility to empower you and our collective
• A 6% pension plan and participation in the company's profit-sharing program, recognizing your contributions to our success and securing your future
• A visible role with a real mandate and the backing of the Head of Finance and COO
• The opportunity to work on globally recognised experiential work for some of the world's leading brands
• Daily catered lunches at our eighth-floor A'DAM Tower office
• Regular massages at our HQ to ensure you're always feeling good
• A colourful, international team where creativity, care and collaboration go hand in hand

*Please note that incomplete applications and applications that do not meet the stated requirements will not be considered.

About WINK

Join the party! Our universe is a colourful collective and feel-good safe haven for everyone who values uniqueness. WINK celebrates life in all its diversity, and it is part of our mission to uphold and encourage accessibility, sustainability and representation in every meaningful way we can. We do this together.