Director of Accounting & Controlling

About the role

Destinus, a fast-growing aerospace and defence company building UAVs and partnering with government agencies and defence organisations worldwide, is looking for a Director of Accounting & Controlling based in Valkenburg. Reporting to the CFO, you will own the integrity of the group's financial reporting, set the standard for IFRS and local GAAP compliance and make sure the numbers are accurate, controlled, scalable and audit-ready. The role suits someone who sets the agenda, challenges processes and drives execution across a distributed international finance organisation.

Key responsibilities

• Lead the monthly, quarterly and annual group close across all consolidated entities, own the close calendar and coordinate Accounting, Controlling, FP&A, Tax, Treasury and regional finance teams.
• Resolve complex accounting and close issues and drive consolidation adjustments, intercompany eliminations and foreign currency translation.
• Strengthen internal accounting controls, policies and their consistent application across the group.
• Drive ERP and finance system improvements, including Microsoft Dynamics environments, IFRS and local GAAP configurations, VAT setups, transfer pricing and consolidation processes.
• Own group-wide cost accounting standards and the Operations Finance function, including standard and actual costing, absorption, WIP and variance analysis, and link manufacturing, procurement and program management to forecasts and budgets.
• Own accounting judgments on inventory, WIP and program cost capitalization under IAS 2, govern the group chart of accounts and balance sheet quality, and partner with FP&A and Treasury on working capital and capex accounting.
• Oversee AP and AR, strengthen controls and segregation of duties, and drive DSO and DPO discipline.
• Act as the main contact for external auditors, own audit timelines and PBC processes, and ensure statutory statements are filed on time.
• Standardise accounting processes, build accounting policies and SOPs, and develop a high-performing accounting and controlling team across European jurisdictions.

Required profile

• 10+ years of progressive accounting, controlling or finance experience, including a multi-entity, multi-currency European environment.
• Public company experience is required.
• Proven experience leading group close and consolidation at significant scale, ideally in environments exceeding EUR 1 billion in revenue.
• Strong manufacturing cost accounting experience and experience working closely with Manufacturing and Operations teams.
• Experience leading geographically distributed finance teams and mentoring controllers and accounting managers.
• Excellent English; additional European languages are an advantage.
• Aerospace, defence, industrial manufacturing or another regulated, program-driven environment is strongly preferred.

Required skills

• Deep technical knowledge of IFRS and familiarity with local GAAP across European jurisdictions.
• ERP experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP, Oracle or an equivalent large-scale platform, including chart-of-accounts design, costing structures and consolidation.
• Experience with statutory reporting across multiple European jurisdictions is a strong advantage.