Senior Project Controller

Financeroles; New York (NY); On-site; USD 105,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Paid holidays and PTO

401(k) employer match

Tuition reimbursement

Wellness incentive program

Employee Assistance Program

Health Savings Account

Job summary

GEA Group seeks a Senior Project Controller to establish strong working relationships with NAM Leaders and key business partners. You will own project financials, oversee risk, and ensure accurate cost control throughout the project lifecycle.

Responsibilities include budgeting, reporting, and collaborating with PMs to deliver precise forecasts and month-end closes. The role requires deep accounting knowledge and the ability to drive improvements across processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance; IFRS knowledge a plus.
• 5+ years of progressive responsibility in finance, accounting or audit.
• Minimum of 2 years FP&A responsibility with clear reporting.
• Strong leadership and ability to influence senior management.

Responsibilities

• Lead project reviews per global guiding: risk and frequency; communicate status.
• Track risk and opportunity registers through project life.
• Ensure accurate WBS and analyze financial performance vs baseline.
• Coordinate budgets, change orders, and cost-to-complete in ERP systems.
• Maintain timely financial reporting: gross margin, billing plans, accruals, and contingencies.
• Provide monthly close support and cross-functional collaboration.

Skills

Finance leadership

ERP/Finance systems

Advanced Excel

Data analysis

Communication with leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance

Tools

Cognos

Tableau

PowerBI

BW (CBI)

SAP

Microsoft Dynamics

Job description

GEA Group, founded in Germany in 1881, is a global leader in engineering solutions, serving industries such as food and beverage, pharma, dairy, and more. With over 18,000 employees worldwide and a strong U.S. presence since 1929, GEA combines the heritage of a well-established company with the innovation of a forward-thinking industry leader. At GEA, we’re not just building equipment, we’re building lasting careers with an average employee tenure range from 5 to over 11+ years, reflecting the strong culture, growth opportunities, and support we provide.

Responsibilities / Tasks

Working at GEA Group has significant benefits:

• Start strong – Medical, dental, and vision coverage begins on your first day
• Recharge and refresh – Enjoy 12 paid holidays, including a flexible floating holiday, and 136 hours of PTO to relax or explore
• Invest in your future – A 7% 401(k) employer match helps grow your retirement savings faster
• Keep learning – Take advantage of tuition reimbursement to further your education or skillset
• Live well – Our wellness incentive program rewards healthy habits
• Get support when you need it – Access to a confidential Employee Assistance Program for personal or professional guidance
• Save smart – Flexible Health Savings and Spending Accounts to manage out-of-pocket expenses

The typical base pay range for this position at the start of employment is expected to be between $105,000 - $125,000 per year. GEA Group has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States.

The pay range is not a guarantee of compensation or salary. The estimated range is the budgeted amount for the position. Final offers are based on various factors, including skill set, experience, location, qualifications, and other job-related reasons. You may be eligible for additional rewards, such as discretionary bonus (based on eligibility) and/or equity awards.

Senior Project Controller

Establish constructive close working relationships with the NPE (Nutrition Plant Engineering) NAM Leaders and Key Business Partners.

Ownership of key project activities:

• Project Reviews according to global project controlling guidance (risk and frequency) and proactively communicate status and results of reviews.
• Tracking of risk and opportunity register throughout the life of the project
• Accuracy of project work breakdown structure
• Analysis of project financial performance compared to baseline

Collaborate with Project Managers to:

• Ensure comprehensive project budgets (including change orders), cost recognition and estimates for completion are updated and accurate within the local ERP and other applicable systems.
• Maintain the accuracy of reported project financials including gross margin, billing plan, overdue receivables, cost to complete, cost overruns, percentage of completion, risks and contingencies, change orders and accruals
• Evaluate project cash flow versus planned cash flow model within contract and upscale significant deviations for resolution.
• Capture, summarize and report quarterly revenue forecast, cash flow forecast, project risks and related mitigation plans.
• Communicate key risk areas or projects requiring increased focus to Business Line and Finance Leadership.
• Coordinate with intercompany partners to ensure timely documentation and accounting for percentage of completion on project-related intercompany purchases.
• Partner with other Project Analysts within the legal entity to complete all required closing tasks and analysis to deliver month end financials, project summaries and a rolling quarterly estimate based on existing backlog.
• Liaison with Shared Services team to facilitate transactional processing, timely vendor invoice processing, customer billing, collections and accurate financial records
• Drive continuous improvement through automation, data modeling, and enhanced reporting to improve visibility and decision‑making speed
• Coordinate with Accounting team to ensure timely and accurate monthly close and financial ledger
• Provide finance expertise to assist others in better understanding financial information to drive better business results

Your Profile / Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance (strongly preferred but not required), demonstrating a working knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles and financial analysis principles (IFRS knowledge a significant plus)
• 5+ years of progressive responsibility in any of the following functions: finance, accounting or audit.
• Minimum of 2 years of financial planning and analysis responsibility, demonstrating the ability to execute complex analysis, prepare comprehensive, clear, concise and action‑oriented reporting.
• Strong leadership skills, ability to influence Senior Management Resilient in a fast‑paced, changing environment.
• Strong working knowledge of ERP/Financial Systems and Application
• Demonstrated proficiency in Microsoft Office, including advanced Excel skills required
• Access or other multi‑dimensional analysis experience (ability to build a relational database and queries is strongly preferred)
• Experience with reporting tools such as Cognos, Tableau, BW (CBI) or PowerBI (preferred) Microsoft Dynamics or SAP (preferred)
• Strong data analysis experience, demonstrating the ability to understand business needs, obtain and validate data, build queries to address targeted analysis, interpret results, root cause anomalies and generate meaningful results
• Percentage of Completion Accounting Experience (strongly preferred)
• Manufacturing/Costing experience a plus
• Knowledge of Finance or accounting professional certification, is a plus
• Solid time/project management skills and demonstrated ability to balance multiple tasks
• Effective written communication skills, demonstrated technical writing skills through development of training materials, example worksheets for costing and other relevant templates to convey new system functionality to key stakeholders
• Ability to “think on your feet” and respond constructively with action‑oriented ideas during meetings with Key Stakeholders and Senior Management
• Desire to consistently learn and take on additional responsibilities
• Knowledge of finance operational cycles, preferably gained through hands‑on experience, a plus.
• Other duties as assigned.

GEA is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will therefore receive consideration for employment without regard to age, sex, race, color, religion, world view, national origin, genetics, disability, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other protected characteristic required by applicable law. Applicants with disabilities are welcome and will be given special consideration if they are equally qualified.

#engineeringforthebetter.

This position is based in the United States and does not offer visa or work sponsorship. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without current or future sponsorship.

#engineeringforthebetter.