Project Cost Controller

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Job Description 
    Develop a strong understanding of the project scope, structure, and objectives.
    Ensure effective financial control over project spend, including invoices, commitments, and costs across vendors, consultants, and workstreams within the SAP S/4 program.
    Monitor consultancy hours, collaborate closely with project managers and workstream owners, and ensure accurate invoice validation, processing, and cost allocation.
    Oversee purchase orders, committed costs, and overall project-related expenditures (including consultants, travel, and accommodation) to maintain clear visibility of budget versus actuals.
    Support project financial reporting in collaboration with the Business Finance Partner (CFO Area located in HQ), ensuring robust cost governance and control throughout the project lifecycle.

Roles and Responsibilities
Roles and Responsibilities

Project cost ownership
    Responsible for controlling and following up on project costs, ensuring spending stays aligned with budget, forecast, and approved commitments.
    Responsible for controls and compliance, reviewing and implementing risk mitigating measures. 

Vendor and consultant cost control
    Owns financial control of invoices, hours, and costs related to major vendors, external consultants, and consultancy firms.

Budget, Commitments & Spend Visibility
    Maintain a comprehensive view of budget consumption, purchase orders, committed costs, and available funds. 
    Track and manage project spend across key cost buckets including consultants, travel, and operational expenses.

Cross-functional coordination
    Works closely with project managers, workstream owners, and the Business Partner to ensure accurate cost allocation and financial transparency.
    Align financial tracking with operational progress across workstreams

Financial accuracy and compliance
    Ensures project postings, invoice handling, and CAPEX/OPEX allocations are correct and compliant with project and financial requirements.

Stakeholder engagement
    Ensure good stakeholder engagement and high-end user satisfaction. 
•    Minimal disruption of business/transactional flows.
•    Ensure that support systems and processes are easy to access and navigate for employees of Novonesis.
•    Inspires customer centricity in team members by own actions.

Reporting support
    Supports monthly reporting and provides clear financial status updates on actual spending versus budget.

Tasks include (not exhaustive):

Invoice control
    Control invoices from major vendors and several smaller consultancy houses.
    Review invoices for correct hours, prices, and scope.
    Follow up on missing invoices and raise accruals where needed.

Hours and consultant tracking
    Monitor consultant hours across different workstreams and align with project managers.
    Check that hours align with approved hour budgets.
    Align reported hours with workstream and process owners.
    Control invoices for external consultants.

Project postings and cost allocation
    Review postings on the project, including both the CAPEX system part and the OPEX integration special items.
    Correct postings that are not allocated to the right SAP project.
    Adjust incorrect CAPEX/OPEX splits where necessary.

PO and spend overview
    Follow up purchase orders and link them to the project budget.
    Maintain an overview of committed costs, especially for consultants, travel, and hotels.
    Track new POs and ensure they are included in the overall budget overview.

Travel cost control
    Monitor PO status for travel vendors.
    Check travel costs for consultants and internal team members.
    Follow up on any travel-related discrepancies.

Reporting
    Prepare monthly reporting together with the Business Partner.
    Track and report spend versus budget monthly.

Internal Controls 
    Have a very high focus on controls and compliance, segregation of duties, Audits (Internal & external). 

Documentation 
    Ensure processes are well documented and updated in a timely manner.

Qualification & Work Experience 
Essential:
    Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field from a reputable institution, with a strong understanding of accounting principles, including Balance Sheet and P&L concepts
    8 to 10 years of experience in Corporate Finance/ or Financial Project Controlling
    Proven experience in Project Controlling, including budgeting, cost tracking, and financial governance
    Hands-on experience working with SAP modules
    Proficiency in MS Office tools (especially Excel and PowerPoint)
    Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively and influence stakeholders
    Experience working with global/MNC stakeholders in a cross-functional environment
    Familiarity with project management tools

Desired:
    ICWA/ CA/CA (inter)/ or equivalent 
    IFRS Knowledge 
    Work experience in SAP S4 Hana

Interpersonal skills/ Behaviours

Ownership and Accountability - Act with ownership, proactively monitor progress, ensure strong follow-up, and manage tasks effectively within mandate.

Communication & Stakeholder Management - Demonstrate strong communication, customer focus, and the ability to build relationships, influence, negotiate, and manage internal/external stakeholders.
Problem-Solving & Process Excellence – Apply a structured, process- oriented mindset to solve problems, drive simplification, improve efficiency, and leverage technology.

Professional Mindset   – Exhibit compliance awareness, adaptability (especially during deadlines), change management capability, and continuously build competencies.

Our purpose guides the way

In Novonesis, we know that solutions rooted in biology can help solve humanity’s biggest challenges. Since we began more than a century ago, this has been our guide. It’s how we've gotten so far. And it’s how we'll impact the future. Now, more than ever, the world needs change. And with biosolutions, the possibilities for transformation are endless. If our purpose resonates with you, we encourage you to apply.

Opportunities for everyone

We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process and equal opportunity for all applicants. Therefore we ask you to apply without a cover letter or photo and instead include a few sentences in your CV explaining your motivation for applying.

We make all employment decisions based on business needs and welcome candidates with a wide range of backgrounds, including ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status.

Explore other openings

If this position isn’t the right fit, you may still find other opportunities with us. You’re welcome to explore open roles or create a job agent to stay connected with future opportunities at novonesis.com/Career