Group Raw Materials & Procurement Controller

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Together with you we want to empower you to achieve this mission with us. We value you as a person and actively support you on your professional journey, while caring for your future. Join our big little family and let’s make products for you and the world to love. 
Do you share our taste for life?

Your role        
As Group Raw Materials & Procurement Controller within the finance function, your primary responsibility is to manage & govern the financial aspects of raw materials and procurement (value of about 2 billion €). You will provide visibility on spend, drive savings and value creation, and support strategic sourcing decisions. You will work closely with raw materials and procurement teams and internal stakeholders to ensure good and transparent understanding and reporting of spend vs budget, results and risks, thanks to pro-active and meaningful recommendations. As a business partner you will help drive the various forecasting processes and tracking of performance. 
Your role is crucial in maintaining financial integrity while supporting operational needs related to raw materials and procurement management. 
The role reports to the Group Accounting & Controlling Director. You are also member of the Raw Material Committee, where the CEO, CFO and Managing Directors of the two business divisions sit, among other senior colleagues.

Your main responsibilities are:

1. Improve understanding of raw materials / procurement activities
   1. You analyse hedging coverage for FX and underlying raw materials, comparing forecasts, actual coverage and compliance with the Raw Materials Policy.
   2. You ensure correct recognition of financial instruments in line with IAS 39 / IFRS 9.
   3. You track the evolution of raw materials, ingredients and packaging components, including raw material versus conversion costs, and monitor procurement spend against approved budgets.
   4. You assess financial risks related to raw materials, ingredients and packaging procurement, such as currency fluctuations, supplier reliability and market volatility, including the tracking of commitments.
   5. You contribute to sustainability initiatives and non-financial KPI reporting, in line with the company’s future sustainability organization.
   6. You develop insightful financial reports using the raw material quotation software tools.
   7. You ensure accurate tracking of pure procurement savings and cost avoidance versus market price developments.
      
      
2. Budgeting/ Forecasting
   1. You collaborate closely with procurement teams and divisional controlling to develop annual budgets and forecasts, translating raw material impacts into the P&L, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow based on operational needs and market trends.
   2. You monitor budget variances and provide management with clear insights into key drivers, cost-saving opportunities and potential risks.
      
      
3.  Analysis of actual raw material results & closing activities
   1. You monitor market pricing and align procurement strategies accordingly.
   2. You track contractual market indices and ensure transparency in index-linked contracts.
   3. You create dashboards to visualize and analyse Purchase Price Variance across all purchase categories.
   4. You analyse volume and supplier data to identify opportunities for cost optimization.
   5. You assess the impact of payment terms on procurement activities.
   6. You perform GR/IR (goods received/invoice received) analysis and monitor transaction aging on a monthly basis.
   7. You propose risk mitigation strategies for single-source suppliers.
   8. You discuss monthly operational results with Raw Materials Management, providing insights into underlying drivers and identifying areas for improvement.
      
      
4. Costing
   1. You define costing approaches based on market developments and future expectations.
   2. You work closely with the Pricing team to ensure all cost changes are accurately and timely reflected in market pricing.
      
      
5. Sustainability
   1. Ensure that sustainability impacts relating to raw materials, packaging and energy are correctly assessed and followed up (as an example carbon credits, sustainable sourcing, certifications etc).
      
      

What’s in for you?

• You will join our big little family: Our associates are the beating heart of our company – they bring the flavour to our organisation. We cherish each member, prioritise their well-being and support their professional journey.
• We value you as a person: At Vandemoortele we value each one of our associates and recognise their unique contributions to team successes. You will have flexible working hours and the opportunity to work from home 50% of the time. We also invite you to join our sports and wellbeing activities!
• We care about your future and we support your professional journey: We embrace individual ambitions and encourage our associates to create a successful professional journey and entrust them to take ownership.
• We make products for you to love: We are a team of passionate food enthusiasts. In our mission to shape a tasty future we strive to create a wide range of food solutions that connects people, cultures and traditions.
• Easy to reach: Our HQ is located close to a bus stop and highway exits. Want to come by bike? Lease a bike at Vandemoortele!
  
  

Are you the one we’re looking for?

• You hold a Master’s Degree in Economics or Finance;
• You have 5-10 years of relevant experience, ideally with strong understanding of procurement processes and financial controls;
• You are highly analytical with a flair for numbers and you have a good knowledge and understanding of financial topics, turning insights into actions;
• You have excellent interpersonal and communication skills, written and verbal, in English;
• You excel in stakeholder management. Within the role, you will be in close contact with a lot of internal stakeholders (procurement, finance, legal, compliance, …) and are able to constructively challenge them;
• You are able to understand and explain the total picture of projects and processes;
• You are eager to learn and to further grow within the organization (possibility for rotation program within the finance team). You will be part of a young and dynamic controlling team;
• You are highly flexible, proactive, stress resistant and result oriented. There is also an attractive home working policy (50%) in place;
• You have excellent knowledge of MS Office, knowledge of SAP, SAP BW, Power BI and Orax is an advantage.

Join us in making sweet memories!
We're looking forward to welcoming you to our delicious journey!
Submit your updated CV and compelling cover letter (optional) highlighting your relevant experience and motivation.
For questions or additional information, mail: louise.dejaeger@vandemoortele.com

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