Senior Director, Corporate Controller

Ghirardelli Chocolate; San Leandro (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Ghirardelli Chocolate seeks a Controller responsible for high-quality financial reporting, financial management, and team leadership. This pivotal role involves managing relationships with banking and external consulting, overseeing cash flow, and implementing internal controls to support the company's growth objectives in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in financial management roles.
• Strong analytical and strategic planning abilities.
• Experience in leading teams and managing cross-functional projects.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the preparation and implementation of financial processes and reporting.
• Ensure accurate financial forecasting and budgeting.
• Lead and develop finance staff, setting objectives and managing performance.

Skills

Financial Analysis

Cost Management

Reporting

Strategic Planning

Team Leadership

Tools

ERP (SAP S4 Hana)

Job description

At Ghirardelli, we’re on a mission to become a one billion dollar brand and beyond. We want to be every consumer’s first choice of premium chocolate, and we believe we can do that through our products and the way we do business, which are all inspired by our brand commitment to Making Life A Bite Better. We are a company committed to both personal and professional growth and believe that each employee contributes directly to Ghirardelli's growth and success.

This position and the team are responsible for providing high-quality financial reporting. The Controller is responsible for protecting and preserving the assets of Ghirardelli. They assist the CFO by making recommendations to improve systems, reporting, procedures, and processes. The Controller works closely with cross-functional teams to monitor and review results and costs, ensuring alignment with set targets. The Controller partners with key internal customers to identify opportunities for improvements and new business initiatives, supported by accurate, timely, and meaningful reporting and analysis.

Qualifications

Manage Financial Systems and Reporting:

• Plan, lead, coordinate, and manage the monthly and annual financial processes with internal and external (Lindt Corporate) reporting.
• Responsible for the preparation, implementation, audit, and update of the LICS (Lindt Internal Control System).
• Perform monthly analysis for the management team to identify and address areas of focus and immediate needs. Ensure visibility of key metrics and accounting judgments.
• Develop and recommend actions to achieve financial objectives. Anticipate cost and margin changes, communicate proactively, and identify improvement opportunities. Focus on procurement analysis and cost reduction.
• Measure, analyze, and report on all responsibility areas, including executive and corporate reporting. Establish systems and procedures to ensure accurate and meaningful reporting.
• Oversee monthly cost center analysis for operations, marketing, advertising, trade promotion, and consumer promotion, ensuring discussions with management explain variances and propose corrective actions if necessary.
• Oversee the Accounts Receivable team to ensure timely recovery of credits and management of credit risks.
• Oversee the Accounts Payable team to ensure timely and proper invoice processing.
• Oversee the Inventory Control team to ensure stock reconciliation and proper booking of movements.
• Oversee the Payroll team to ensure accurate and timely salary and wages payments.
• Ensure accuracy of all inventory-related and cost of goods balance sheet and P&L accounts.
• Participate actively in the annual budgeting and re-forecasting processes.

Manage Relationships:

• Manage banking and treasury relationships, cash flow planning, and management.
• Manage external consulting relationships for tax and compliance, as well as relationships with external auditors.

Manage Systems:

• Develop, implement, and monitor internal controls, including improvements and reporting to Lindt.
• Identify system improvements and work with IT to enhance ERP (SAP S4 Hana) reporting accuracy.
• Serve as the system expert to ensure compliance and accuracy of reporting on all system changes.

Manage Team:

• Hire, train, lead, and develop staff.
• Participate as a member of the CFO’s leadership team, providing leadership in a fast-paced environment with stretch goals.
• Set objectives, plan projects and resources, and manage execution.
• Train and develop staff.