Accounting, Finance & Controls Manager

Job Description

Cespira is a joint venture between Volvo Group and Westport Fuel Systems, dedicated to advancing sustainable transportation solutions. With offices in Gothenburg (Sweden), Vancouver (Canada), and Brescia (Italy), Cespira is leading the way in developing and commercializing High-Pressure Direct Injection (HPDI) technology for heavy-duty engines. This innovative technology supports the use of hydrogen and renewable fuels, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our mission is to provide practical, scalable solutions that accelerate the transition to a decarbonized future, ensuring cleaner air and a better world for future generations. We are committed to building on our strong reputation for excellence and pushing the boundaries of what's possible in transportation.

Position Overview
The Manager, Accounting, Finance & Control is responsible for leading all accounting, financial planning, and management control activities. The role ensures accurate financial reporting, robust internal controls, and high-quality financial insights to support strategic and operational decision-making. 
A key focus of this position is to drive management control (controlling) across the organization, particularly within an industrial/manufacturing environment, ensuring effective monitoring of performance, cost efficiency, and profitability. 

This role acts as a key business partner to senior leadership and plays a critical role in steering business performance in a complex, multi-plant environment. 

Requirements

Education 

• Degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field
• chartered accountant professionalregistration area plus;

Experience 

• 10+ years of progressive experience in Finance, including: 
  • Financial accounting
  • Financial planning & analysis
  • Management control / industrial controlling
• Mandatory experience in the automotive sector OR in industrial/manufacturing environments (e.g., metalworking, machinery, components)
• Proven experience in: 
  • Costaccounting and industrial KPIs management
  • standard costing, product costing, and variance analysis
• Experience in complex, fast-paced industrial environments, with strong interaction with Operations / Plant Management
• Demonstrated experience managing teams and acting as a business partner to senior leadership
• Preferred experience in multinational, multi-plant, and/or global organizations, including: 
  • coordination across multiple sites
  • reporting to international headquarters
  • process standardization and group reporting

 
Skills & Competencies 

• Strongexpertise in management control and cost accounting
• Deep understanding of industrial and manufacturing financial dynamics
• Strong business partnering and stakeholder management skills
• Advanced analytical and problem-solving capabilities
• Ability to implement processes
• Leadership and team management skills
• High levelof accuracy, reliability, and attention to detail
• Advanced Excel;ProficiencyinmajorERP systems (e.g.,JDE/SAP/Oracle/NetSuite) and BI tools
• Highly analytical withmeticulousattention to detail.
• Self-starter who can work within a cross-functional team.

Languages 

• FluentItalian andEnglish (written and spoken)isrequired
• Ability tooperatein an international environment, interact withleadership, and manage reporting in English

Responsibilities

 
Accounting operations & reporting 

• Oversee the preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements
• Ensure compliance with IFRS / local GAAP and statutory requirements
• Manage general ledger activities, accruals, provisions, and balance sheet reconciliations
• Lead the month-end and year-end closing processes
• Coordinate external audits and ensuretimelyresolution of audit findings

Management Control & Industrial Controlling 

• Lead and continuously improve the management control framework
• Drive budgeting, forecasting, and rolling forecast processes
• Analyze variance vs budget/forecast,identifyingroot causes and corrective actions
• Deliver detailed profitability analysis (by product, customer, business unit, plant)
• Oversee cost accounting systems, including: 
  • standard costing
  • product costing and cost allocation
  • manufacturing variance analysis (materials, labor, overheads)
• Monitor and improve key industrial KPIs, including: 
  • gross margin and contribution margin 
  • production efficiency and absorption rates 
• Partner with Operations tooptimize: 
  • plant performance and cost structure
  • inventory levels and obsolescence
  • working capital (inventory, receivables, payables)
• Support pricing strategies and strategic initiatives through financial modeling and business case development
• Ensure data consistency and accuracy across ERP and reporting systems

 Internal Controls & Compliance 

• Design, implement, andmonitorinternal control systems
• Ensure compliance with corporate policies, regulatory requirements, and SOX 
• Identifyfinancial and operational risks and implement mitigation measures
• Maintain and update finance policies and procedures

 Treasury & Cash Management 

• Oversee cash flow planning and liquidity management
• Monitor working capital and cash conversion cycle
• Manage relationships with banks and financial institutions
• Support financing activities andoptimizecashutilization

Business Partnering & Leadership 

• Act as a strategic business partner to CFO and Integrated supply Chain
• Translate financial data into actionable insights
• Lead, coach, and develop the finance and accounting team
• Foster a performance-driven culture based on accountability and data

Systems & Process Improvement 

• Drive automation and improvement of finance and controlling processes
• Ensureoptimaluse of ERP and BI tools (e.g., JDE/SAP/Oracle;Power BI)
• Support finance transformation initiatives
• Strengthen data governance and reporting reliability

At Cespira, we are committed to fair, transparent, and merit-based employment practices. Compensation is set using objective, gender-neutral criteria and supports equal pay for equal work or work of equal value. We do not ask candidates about current or previous pay. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates and provide equal employment opportunities. Personal information is handled in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

Benefits

Company Car (mixed use)