About the role

Focus: Understanding why performance looks the way it does 

 
At Howden Thomassen Compressors, we are committed to delivering clear, accurate, and meaningful financial insights that support strong business performance. As our Financial Controller, you will play a key role in analysing cost structures, understanding performance drivers, and supporting operational leaders with actionable financial insights. 

 
This role is hands‑on and closely connected to the business. You will own cost centre structures, budgets, forecasts, and actuals, while challenging spend and driving efficiency. If you enjoy diving into financial performance, explaining results, and improving reporting quality, this role offers the opportunity to make a direct impact.

What you will do

Own cost centre structures, budgets, forecasts, and actuals; challenge spend and drive efficiency 

Act as finance business partner to cost centre owners and operational leaders 

Analyse cost structures, drivers, and operational efficiency; support decision-making

Calculate and analyse variances and efficiency; identify root causes and corrective actions 

Define, maintain, and update standard labour and overhead rates 

Analyse financial performance vs. budget, forecast, and prior year; identify risks and opportunities 

Translate financial data into actionable management insights 

Explain results, trends, and variances in a clear narrative 

Improve reporting efficiency, automation, and insight quality 

Support MEC reporting process 

What do you bring

An ideal candidate would likely have the following profile:

Education at HBO+ or WO level (e.g., Accountancy, Economics, SPD) 

Experience with controlling in a project organisation, including Percentage of Completion (POC) 

Experience with financial controlling and variance analysis 

Knowledge of ERP systems; Dynamics 365 is a strong advantage 

Knowledge of reporting in a high‑demanding environment 

Strong experience with Excel 

Fluent Dutch and strong English proficiency

 
We’ve put together some criteria that we think is important for this role, but don’t worry if your experience and expertise isn’t an exact match. If you feel that you can add value to our role and to Howden more broadly, we would welcome your application and be eager to learn more about you. 

Why you'll love working with us

This role offers the best of both worlds: the stability of a long‑established engineering company and the energy of a business that’s evolving. You’ll collaborate with colleagues across departments, across the Netherlands, and across the global Howden/Chart network. You’ll also work closely with external partners such as auditors, banks, and tax authorities. 
 

 
And while our current systems require some manual work, that also means you’ll have a real opportunity to influence how we operate in the future. If you enjoy improving processes, making things smarter, and building something better, you’ll feel right at home.

Our benefits

Type of Employment: Full time (40 hours a week)

Collective Labor Agreement: The "CAO Metalektro" is applicable

Additional Compensation: Commuting Allowance

Holidays: 27 days

Additional "ADV" days: 13 days

Pension: We are with the PME pension scheme which is in line with the CAO Metalektro

Equipment: Laptop

Insurance: Additional collective insurances related to loss of income due to a long period of incapacity to work plus a collective accident insurance 

Howden is an equal opportunity employer

The Company intention in respect of recruitment, selection and promotion is to appoint the most suitable candidate for each job regardless of that person’s race, religious beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age or disability.