Regional Cost Controller

Pacific International Lines (PTE) Ltd; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 260,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Pacific International Lines (PTE) Ltd seeks a Regional Cost Controller based in Riyadh to drive cost transparency, financial discipline, and efficiency across the MEA region. You will monitor costs, analyze variances, and partner with country finance teams to enhance profitability and performance.

The role requires a Bachelor’s degree in finance or related field and 5–8 years of regional cost control or FP&A experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field.
• 5–8 years of cost control or regional finance experience.
• Experience in multi-country regional environments and budgeting/forecasting.
• Strong Excel and financial analysis skills; ERP experience.

Responsibilities

• Monitor and control regional operational, logistics, warehousing, and admin costs.
• Collect, consolidate, and validate monthly cost data from country finance teams.
• Perform variance analyses against budget, forecast, and prior-year results.
• Prepare cost performance dashboards and management reports.
• Support budgeting, forecasting and regional cost planning.
• Ensure accuracy and consistency of cost data across agencies.

Job description

We are seeking a Regional Cost Controller based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to drive cost transparency, financial discipline, and operational efficiency across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. The successful candidate will play a key role in monitoring and analyzing operational costs, supporting strategic decision-making, strengthening financial controls, and partnering with country finance teams and business leaders to enhance profitability and performance across the region.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor, analyze, and control operational, logistics, warehousing, transportation, and administrative costs across all countries within the region.
• Collect, consolidate, and validate monthly cost data from country finance teams.
• Perform detailed variance analysis against budget, forecast, and prior-year performance.
• Investigate significant cost fluctuations and identify root causes, risks, and opportunities.
• Review and challenge cost assumptions, explanations, and analyses submitted by country teams to ensure consistency and accuracy.
• Drive regional benchmarking initiatives to identify cost optimization opportunities and best practices.
• Monitor cost-saving initiatives and track savings achieved against objectives.
• Prepare regional cost performance dashboards, reports, and presentations for management and leadership reviews.
• Partner with stakeholders to develop corrective action plans and improve cost efficiency.
• Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of cost-related financial information across agencies.
• Analyze financial performance and provide insights on operational and logistics cost trends.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and planning activities related to regional cost structures.
• Prepare and review journal entries in compliance with accounting policies and reporting requirements.
• Perform account reconciliations and support month-end and year-end closing activities.
• Support compliance with accounting standards, company policies, and internal procedures.
• Support adherence to financial policies, governance requirements, and internal control frameworks.
• Maintain proper documentation and audit trails for cost analyses, financial reporting, and approval processes.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related discipline.
• Minimum 5-8 years of experience in Cost Control, Financial Analysis, Management Accounting, FP&A, Finance Business Partnering, or Regional Finance roles.
• Experience working in a regional or multi-country environment.
• Strong knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, cost accounting, and financial controls.
• Experience using ERP systems and financial reporting tools.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and financial analysis applications.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.
• Open to Saudi Arabia nationals or individuals who currently have the legal right to work in Saudi Arabia.