WHAT DOES A JUNIOR FINANCIAL CONTROLLER DO?

Published: Jan 16, 2026 - The Junior Financial Controller manages outsourced finance providers across multiple countries, reviews financial statements for accuracy and compliance, and ensures consistent accounting controls and adherence to group standards. This position analyzes variances, prepares monthly performance commentary and reports, supports budgeting and forecasting cycles, and advises management on local financial and legal requirements. The individual also prepares investment analyses, supports senior leadership on key projects, and oversees the accuracy of monthly closings and submissions.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Junior Financial Controller

1. Junior Financial Controller Overview

  • Weekly Reporting: Prepare weekly group reporting.
  • Monthly Reporting: Prepare monthly group reporting.
  • Annual Reporting: Prepare annual group and management reporting.
  • Cash Flow Forecasting: Prepare cash flow forecasts.
  • Audit Support: Support annual audit processes.
  • Process Improvement: Improve financial processes and systems.
  • Financial Digitalization: Drive the digitalization of financial processes.
  • Ad Hoc Finance: Perform ad hoc financial duties.

2. Junior Financial Controller Functions

  • General Ledger: Maintain the General Ledger and manage month-end and year-end closure.
  • Payroll Setup: Set up payroll and accounts payable, accruals, and deferrals.
  • Intercompany Accounting: Create journal entries and allocation entries between different reporting entities, generate intercompany invoices, and reconcile intercompany accounts.
  • Account Reconciliation: Prepare monthly balance sheet account reconciliations.
  • KPI Reporting: Prepare daily and weekly KPI reports.
  • Financial Analysis: Analyze revenues and expenses to ensure accurate monthly recording.
  • Fixed Assets: Maintain the fixed assets schedule, process depreciation, and reconcile company credit cards.
  • Invoice Oversight: Indirectly supervise accounts payable invoices to verify correct account postings.
  • Financial Reporting: Assist in completing monthly financial reports, variance reports, internal control documentation, tax returns, and corporate reporting requirements.

3. Junior Financial Controller Accountabilities

  • Financial Reporting: Prepare accurate and timely financial reporting for the location.
  • Financial Analysis: Analyze company expenses, inventories, business plans, and capital expenditures.
  • Margin Analysis: Assist with gross margin analysis and reporting.
  • Cost Reconciliation: Analyze raw material costs and reconcile figures with the middle office.
  • Logistics Costing: Support cost and service analysis of logistics activities.
  • Results Review: Examine actual financial results.
  • Forecast Analysis: Analyze forecasted financial results.
  • Variance Analysis: Explain variances and inconsistencies between actuals and forecasts.
  • P&L Forecasting: Assist in the preparation of quarterly profit and loss forecasts.
  • Budget Support: Support annual budget preparation and improve group financial processes while ensuring control integrity.

4. Junior Financial Controller Responsibilities

  • Budget Reporting: Produce and present a monthly budget versus actual follow-up to executive leadership for the designated perimeter.
  • Variance Analysis: Explain the main variances against the last budget and highlight key areas of attention for upcoming months.
  • Expense Reporting: Communicate monthly expense reports to operational staff, analyze deviations from budget forecasts, and propose corrective measures.
  • Cost Control: Assist operational staff in managing actual expenses within IT systems in collaboration with the accounting department and in compliance with internal rules.
  • Financial Data: Ensure proper maintenance of the financial database by coordinating the cleanup of unmatched receipts and closing inactive purchase orders.
  • Budget Planning: Coordinate the budget process in alignment with planning cycles, including the budget, forecast updates, and the five-year plan.
  • Performance Analysis: Produce performance indicator studies to support decision-making.
  • Ad Hoc Analysis: Conduct ad hoc financial analysis.

5. Junior Financial Controller Details

  • KPI Monitoring: Monitor the plant’s financial position through key performance indicators.
  • Risk Assessment: Identify risks and opportunities affecting current financial projections.
  • Corrective Actions: Take corrective actions to improve margins, costs, and productivity.
  • Performance Improvement: Drive organizational and performance improvements through fact-based strategic plans.
  • Strategic Execution: Execute improvement initiatives aligned with business strategy.
  • Financial Governance: Manage relationships with other finance functions to ensure financial control.
  • Data Consolidation: Gather and consolidate financial inputs from finance stakeholders.
  • Business Reviews: Participate actively in monthly business review meetings.
  • Forecast Reporting: Prepare reports and analyses for rolling forecasts and annual operating plan reviews.
  • Closing Support: Support the month-end and year-end close processes from a controlling perspective.

6. Junior Financial Controller Duties

  • Planning Control: Participate in planning and controlling processes.
  • Annual Budgeting: Contribute to the preparation of the annual budget.
  • Quarterly Forecasting: Contribute to the preparation of quarterly financial forecasts.
  • Monthly Forecasting: Contribute to the preparation of monthly financial forecasts.
  • Accounting Collaboration: Collaborate with the accounting department on quarterly accounting closures.
  • Variance Analysis: Analyze variances arising from accounting closures.
  • Financial Reporting: Prepare monthly and quarterly reporting for the group and main shareholders.
  • Cost Monitoring: Monitor cost structure, including operations, personnel, and administrative costs.
  • KPI Development: Develop dashboards and key performance indicators to support senior management and stakeholders.
  • Profitability Analysis: Perform profitability and ad hoc analyses and support preparation and updates of the business plan.

7. Junior Financial Controller Details and Accountabilities

  • Financial Reporting: Prepare periodic financial reports and maintain accurate financial records.
  • Financial Statements: Assist with the preparation of financial statements in compliance with official guidelines and requirements.
  • Monthly Closing: Support monthly closing activities.
  • Yearly Closing: Support yearly closing activities.
  • Project Participation: Participate in ongoing financial projects.
  • Decision Support: Analyze financial information to support informed decision-making.
  • Deviation Analysis: Detect and explain deviations from expected financial results.
  • Stakeholder Liaison: Liaise with internal stakeholders to collect inputs for accrual calculations.
  • Accrual Management: Determine accruals and provisions based on defined methodologies and submit them to accounting for booking.
  • Budget Control: Control financial performance against budget and suggest corrective actions while supporting cross-department financial process improvements.

8. Junior Financial Controller Tasks

  • IT Budgeting: Maintain and coordinate the department budget with a focus on IT-related items, including software, outsourcing, and IT contractors.
  • Expense Tracking: Track actual expenditures and reconcile them with budgeted amounts.
  • Invoice Processing: Create purchase orders, process and approve invoices, ensuring accuracy before submission for processing.
  • Accrual Accounting: Prepare monthly accruals.
  • Spending Reports: Prepare spending reports to fulfill various reporting needs.
  • Stakeholder Communication: Communicate with Product Owners and management regarding planned projects and financing requirements.
  • Documentation Coordination: Collaborate with internal departments to ensure timely documentation processing.
  • Vendor Coordination: Coordinate with vendors to verify accurate administrative details.

9. Junior Financial Controller Roles

  • Dashboard Reporting: Prepare financial dashboards for sales and commercial teams.
  • Dashboard Maintenance: Update and maintain financial performance dashboards.
  • Variance Analysis: Analyze variances against prior periods.
  • Budget Variance: Analyze variances against budgets.
  • Financial Communication: Explain financial results and variances to business stakeholders.
  • Finance Liaison: Act as primary liaison between the business and the international finance function.
  • Query Management: Respond to finance-related queries from the business.
  • Management Accounts: Assist the financial controller in preparing business unit management accounts.
  • Budget Forecasting: Support the business in building accurate budgets and forecasts.
  • Control Compliance: Ensure compliance with internal controls and commercial policies.

10. Junior Financial Controller Additional Details

  • Financial Statements: Support the preparation and analysis of financial statements, including profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, and statement of financial position.
  • Monthly Reporting: Support monthly financial reporting activities.
  • Cost Analysis: Analyze costs, deviations, and capital expenditures.
  • Annual Budgeting: Support the preparation of the annual budget in compliance with group standards.
  • Financial Forecasting: Prepare quarterly financial forecasts.
  • Variance Analysis: Analyze monthly and year-to-date variances between actual and budgeted performance.
  • Audit Preparation: Prepare documentation for external audits.
  • Business Partnership: Work closely with business units to ensure the completeness and accuracy of planning and forecasting.
  • Project P&L: Monitor and analyze project profit and loss, and explain relevant deviations.
  • Financial Close: Participate in month-end and year-end closing activities.

11. Junior Financial Controller Essential Functions

  • Report Setup: Set up financial reports.
  • Report Maintenance: Maintain financial and operational reports.
  • Finance Planning: Collaborate with the finance manager to define finance priorities for EMEA expansion.
  • Bank Setup: Set up bank accounts for new entities.
  • ERP Integration: Integrate new entities into the ERP system.
  • Monthly Closing: Perform monthly closing procedures.
  • Closing Improvement: Improve monthly closing procedures.
  • Audit Support: Support external audit processes and expansion-related finance projects.

12. Junior Financial Controller Role Purpose

  • Accounting Management: Manage company accounting with support from an external provider.
  • Monthly Reporting: Prepare monthly financial reporting for group entities.
  • Quarterly Reporting: Prepare quarterly financial reporting for group entities.
  • Annual Reporting: Prepare annual financial reporting for group entities.
  • Tax Management: Manage tax matters, including income tax, VAT, and stamp duty.
  • Cash Planning: Coordinate cash planning and budgeting with other group entities.
  • Risk Compliance: Ensure risk management and compliance with applicable regulations.
  • Corporate Governance: Handle corporate governance and operational finance matters.
  • Ad Hoc Projects: Perform ad hoc finance and operations projects.

13. Junior Financial Controller General Responsibilities

  • Financial Performance: Analyze financial performance, including profit and loss, balance sheet, and cash flow.
  • Budget Forecasting: Participate in the preparation and execution of the budget and forecasts.
  • Commercial Controlling: Understand and support commercial controlling with a focus on product profitability studies.
  • Cash Flow Management: Participate in bi-weekly cash flow forecasting, challenge and improve cash collection, and drive net working capital improvement measures, including involvement in receivable collection.
  • Management Reporting: Support the preparation of the monthly management report for internal site management.
  • Statutory Closing: Participate in statutory closings, including support for external audit and tax filings.
  • Internal Controls: Work on implementation and compliance of Internal Control Systems in line with Group requirements.
  • CapEx Control: Participate in investment and capital expenditure control.
  • Variance Review: Review monthly variance analyses, including a detailed review of manufacturing cost variances and operating expense variances, to ensure effective use of cost infrastructure.

14. Junior Financial Controller Key Accountabilities

  • Group Reporting: Prepare group financial reporting.
  • Statutory Reporting: Prepare local statutory reporting.
  • Audit Support: Support audit activities and internal control processes.
  • Tax Management: Manage tax and value-added tax obligations.
  • Balance Sheet: Perform balance sheet reconciliations.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure compliance with statutory, tax, and legal requirements.
  • Financial Accuracy: Ensure reliability, accuracy, and appropriateness of financial reports and ledgers.
  • KPI Monitoring: Monitor and validate key performance indicators.
  • Finance Coordination: Liaise proactively with finance teams to align balance sheet forecasts with business activities.

15. Junior Financial Controller Roles and Details

  • Financial Reporting: Prepare and submit financial reporting packages, including profit and loss (P&L), balance sheet, and cash flow.
  • Reporting Accuracy: Ensure timely and accurate financial reporting.
  • HQ Liaison: Liaise with the headquarters finance team for periodic submissions.
  • Accounting Collaboration: Collaborate closely with the local accounting team and the shared service center.
  • Budgeting Support: Participate in budgeting activities.
  • Forecasting Support: Participate in forecasting activities.
  • Cost Control: Assist the finance manager with cost control, margin analysis, and sales planning.
  • Finance Projects: Support finance initiatives and perform ad hoc finance projects.

16. Junior Financial Controller Responsibilities and Key Tasks

  • Management Reporting: Prepare quarterly management reporting for multiple entities, including France and various African countries.
  • Annual Budgeting: Assist in the preparation of the annual budget.
  • Accounting Oversight: Control all accounting processes across establishments, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, VAT, taxes, payroll, and petty cash.
  • Intercompany Reconciliation: Supervise monthly intercompany reconciliations.
  • Intercompany Billing: Manage and execute intercompany re-invoicing through the head office.
  • Stakeholder Relations: Develop and maintain strong working relationships with affiliate accounting departments.
  • Team Support: Provide daily support and training to local accounting colleagues.
  • Process Standardization: Assist in the creation and implementation of standardized accounting and financial guidelines.
  • Process Improvement: Identify and propose continuous improvements in financial processes and ERP systems.

17. Junior Financial Controller Duties and Roles

  • Planning Support: Participate in planning processes.
  • Planning Coordination: Support and coordinate planning activities.
  • Monthly Closing: Participate in monthly closing activities.
  • Monthly Reporting: Support monthly reporting activities.
  • Deviation Analysis: Perform deviation analysis for monthly reports.
  • Performance Analysis: Analyze financial performance.
  • Target Benchmarking: Benchmark financial performance against targets.
  • Improvement Recommendations: Prepare recommendations to improve target achievement.
  • Business Support: Support business issues, daily accounting activities, and national and international project teams.

18. Junior Financial Controller Roles and Responsibilities

  • P&L Analysis: Analyze daily profit and loss results.
  • Strategic Planning: Perform strategic planning, including three-year plans.
  • Financial Forecasting: Prepare financial forecasts.
  • Trend Analysis: Conduct trend analysis.
  • Financial Dashboards: Produce monthly financial dashboards.
  • Product Profitability: Analyze the profitability of new product launches.
  • Resource Optimization: Evaluate resource optimization opportunities.
  • Margin Compliance: Ensure compliance with budgeted margin targets.
  • Expense Management: Manage expenses and analyze variances against the budget.

19. Junior Financial Controller Overview

  • Third-Party Management: Manage outsourced third parties across multiple countries.
  • Accounting Review: Examine, review, and analyze accounting records, financial statements, and other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and adherence to reporting and procedural standards.
  • Accounting Controls: Maintain accounting controls by preparing and recommending policies and procedures to ensure consistency across responsible regions.
  • Discrepancy Reconciliation: Liaise with outsourced third parties to reconcile and understand financial discrepancies.
  • Variance Analysis: Investigate budget and reforecast variances and prepare monthly commentary to explain gaps.
  • Financial Review: Review financial information prepared by outsourced third parties before submission to the group.
  • Closing Reporting: Report monthly closings in accounting and consolidation software.
  • Standards Compliance: Support outsourced third parties in complying with group accounting standards.
  • Regulatory Advisory: Understand local financial and legal requirements thoroughly and advise management on necessary actions.
  • Special Reporting: Prepare special reports by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing data, information, and trends.
  • Performance Reporting: Prepare performance reports for the group.
  • Group Planning: Participate in group budget and forecast processes, including profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, and capital expenditure.
  • Investment Analysis: Prepare investment appraisals and analysis for new opportunities.
  • Executive Support: Support the Group Financial Controller and the CFO on various projects.

20. Junior Financial Controller Functions

  • Bookkeeping Operations: Perform bookkeeping tasks jointly for two entities located in the Netherlands within a group of fifteen consolidated entities.
  • General Accounting: Execute general accounting activities and post transactions in SAP Business ByDesign, including bank entries, inventories, vendor invoices, intercompany invoicing, capital transactions, and prepayments or accruals.
  • Financial Reporting: Prepare monthly reports for results, cash flow, and investments, and perform monthly and quarterly consolidations.
  • Financial Close: Handle monthly and annual closing processes in accordance with Group and local closing calendars.
  • Variance Analysis: Prepare variance analysis for balance sheets and profit and loss accounts.
  • Account Reconciliation: Review account reconciliations for balance sheet items.
  • Treasury Management: Manage daily treasury tasks, including payment processing and preparation of manual payment instructions.
  • Cash Management: Record cash call transactions and interest accruals.
  • Audit Coordination: Coordinate internal information flows and support half-year and annual audit processes.
  • Tax Compliance: Prepare VAT and corporate income tax returns.
  • Tax Coordination: Collaborate closely with external tax advisors and contribute proactively to the financial aspects of tax planning.
  • GAAP Reporting: Complete monthly reporting and reconciliation tasks under Dutch GAAP using the reporting system.
  • Regulatory Reporting: Submit reports to the Group, the Dutch Central Bank, and the Chamber of Commerce.
  • Stakeholder Reporting: Present and explain financial figures to external stakeholders.
  • Budget Coordination: Coordinate the annual budgeting process, including the collection of necessary information.
  • Financial Compliance: Ensure full compliance with local and Group financial requirements.
  • Process Improvement: Support ad hoc reporting tasks and contribute to simplification projects aimed at improving financial processes.
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