Commercial Controller

LAPP is a family-owned company headquartered in Stuttgart and a global leader in cable and connection technology. Founded in 1959, we are still fully family-owned today. With around 5,800 employees, we are operating in over 80 countries – globally connected and regionally rooted. Working at LAPP means more: this is where inventive spirit and a hands-on mentality meet cherished values and tradition. We offer all employees the freedom to develop and pursue new opportunities. Flexibility and personal responsibility are just as important to us as a family-friendly work environment. We value all our colleagues with their talents, ideas and perspectives.

Summary: The role of the Commercial Controller is a critical role within our group/region, requiring close collaboration with top management, sales executives as well as several departments in the organization. The individual in this role is responsible for supporting the strategic alignment & budgeting of sales, analyzing and optimizing sales performance, analysis of financial performance and reporting on Key KPIs, and develops, provides, and implements financial analysis on key metrics and KPIs, providing valuable data-driven insights.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities – include the following. Other duties may be assigned.

• Act as the primary point of contact for top management and sales executives, actively supporting them as a business partner. 

• Develop revenue forecast model that enables copper base and full copper projections for all sales entities for different perspectives like customer or products. Manage the budget and mid-term planning process for the commercial functions.

• Develops and reports on the appropriate set of performance metrics for the functions and ensures the appropriate financial metrics and reports, and related insights are provided to operating management on a timely basis.

• Lead the variable compensation for the commercial team and enable the organization to drive the desired results by effective commercial variable plan management.

• Support end to end margin analysis, interacts with R&D, Operations, commercial functions and any other key functions in creating business plans and performs financial evaluation to assess the opportunity. Through continuous analysis of sales, margin, and result development of sales companies in the Americas region, the position holder contributes to identifying causes of deviations. 

• Align and co-operate with the global functions regarding processes, KPI definition & systems.

• The position holder significantly contributes to the development and implementation of sales strategy by identifying potentials and providing recommendations to enhance sales performance. 

• Responsibilities include conducting monthly and annual closings, as well as preparing analyses, ad-hoc evaluations, and regular reports for the respective target groups. Monitoring the implementation of planned objectives. 

• The position holder is accountable for the process of planning the profit and loss accounts of the entities/profit center (i.e. ÖSNA), including review of forecasts & budgets and suggestion of changes. 

• Additionally, the position holder supports the P&L Budget & Forecast process as well as the overall reporting of the Americas region and maintains regular communication with Controlling Operations, Lapp Holding, and other relevant departments. 

• Regular communication & collaboration with the regional finance leads, finance managers and managing directors regarding deviation analysis, processes, systems & reports

• The position holder maintains and develops relevant systems such as databases and BI front ends, as well as the corresponding technical definitions.

• Support of projects such as SAP HANA rollouts as a key user for the CO module

Supervisory Responsibilities:This position has no supervisory responsibilities.

Competencies:

• Strong project and data management skills – able to develop workable implementation plans and able to prioritize work activities to develop and deliver stated goals on time and on budget.

• Ability to manage many and changing priorities while meeting critical business commitments.

• Demonstrates attention to detail and accuracy in all aspects of work product.

• Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; applies feedback to performance.

• Demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills through professional communication, strong work ethic, and positive attitude.

• Ability to communicate and collaborate across the organization to achieve stated objectives regarding revenue, profitability, and market share.

• Upholds organizational values and demonstrates a working knowledge of company policies and procedures.

• Working knowledge of LAPP business, customers, served markets, and products.

• Ability to incorporate a business strategy into communications deliverables while respecting/ evolving Corporate Identity guidelines.

• The position holder should be resilient, demonstrate professionalism, possess assertiveness, and exhibit a structured approach to work. 

• Strong communication skills independently across departments & hierarchies

• Strong visual language and sense of design, creativity, and aesthetic.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform each essential duty. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or business-related field. 

• Several years of practical experience in sales or sales controlling within an industrial company or sales-related department is required.

• Profound knowledge of Excel and SAP BI or similar BI tools is indispensable, as well as knowledge of SAP (ECC / HANA) esp. CO module and excellent analytical skills.

• Experience with databases (such as TM1, SQL) or other analysis and evaluation tools (e.g., Power BI) is desirable. 

WORK LOCATION:

This position is located in New Jersey and reports to the Florham Park, NJ office. 

Incumbents of this position are required to work a hybrid schedule (3x per week in the office- Tues & Wed 1).

TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS: 10-15% of domestic travel. A valid driver’s license is expected to be maintained. International travel may be required to Canada or Mexico and a valid passport must be maintained. 

LANGUAGE SKILLS: Proficiency in the English language both written and verbal is required. Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.  Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.  Effective in gathering and analyzing disparate data elements as well as presenting information and responding to inquiries from groups of managers, customers, the general public and global colleagues

COMPUTER SKILLS: To perform this job successfully, an individual should have working knowledge and demonstrated proficiency in the Microsoft Office Suite—specifically Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, and Excel. They should also be familiar with photography, graphic design, and interactive online marketing tools.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here represent those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is occasionally exposed to moving mechanical parts. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this Job, the employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is frequently required to stand and walk. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

COMPENSATION: After thorough market analysis, LAPP takes many factors into consideration when determining base salary such as experience, knowledge, skills, abilities, etc. of the candidate. The base salary range for this role is $135,000 - $150,000 plus participation in LAPP's bonus plan. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package including Medical, Vision, Dental, Paid Time Off, Paid Holidays, 401(k), HSA/FSA, Life Insurance, and more!

*LAPP is an Equal Opportunity Employer*

Salary : $135,000 - $150,000