Financial Controller

Our preference is for a candidate living and working in the Netherlands. This hiring process is not supported by a visa sponsorship or relocation package. 

About ZDHC

The ZDHC Foundation develops and implements the Roadmap to Zero Programme with a focus on reducing the chemical footprint of the Fashion Industry. We are the leading sustainability organisation driving sustainable chemistry, innovations, and best practices in textile, apparel, leather, and footwear manufacturing to protect consumers, workers,s and the environment.   Through collaborative engagement,   alignment, and large-scale implementation, we take a holistic approach to sustainable chemical management and enable tangible progress in the wider industry through the delivery of guidelines, platforms, and solutions, including capacity building and innovation projects. For more information about ZDHC, see www.roadmaptozero.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

Vision & Mission

The ZDHC Vision is a World in which better chemistry leads to the protection of life, land, air and water. The ZDHC Mission is to lead our global value chain to achieve the highest standard for sustainable chemical management, driving resource efficiency and circularity.

Job Purpose

Are you a finance professional who wants to contribute to something genuinely meaningful? Do you feel ready to move beyond routine corporate mandates and apply your financial expertise in a mission-driven organisation that works with some of the world's largest brands to help transform an entire industry? If so, we would like to hear from you.

Join our dynamic finance team, based in the Netherlands, where your work helps build the financial foundations for global development projects and supports collaboration across the textile supply chain to drive real environmental progress. Your work ensures accurate accounting, robust internal controls, timely close and reporting, and continuous audit readiness across the Dutch Foundation and BVs. The Financial Controller safeguards compliance with Dutch statutory requirements and donor/grant conditions, provides reliable financial insight to support decision-making, and drives improvements in processes, documentation, and systems as the organisation scales.

This is more than a job. It is an opportunity for a financial professional who recognises the power of finance to shape a more sustainable future, and who is looking for a role with genuine scope, variety, and purpose.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

1. Financial Accounting and Period Close

• Oversee end-to-end accounting for multiple Dutch entities (Foundation and BVs), ensuring consistent application of accounting policies and chart of accounts. 

• Lead the monthly close process, ensuring accurate journal postings, reconciliations and timely delivery of management reporting. 

• Prepare monthly, quarterly and annual financial statements, including supporting schedules, analysis and consolidated views where required.

2. Statutory Compliance and Tax Coordination

• Ensure compliance with Dutch statutory reporting and financial governance requirements. 

• Coordinate year-end statutory accounts, audit preparation and regulatory filings. Manage VAT/BTW administration and filings, and coordinate corporate tax matters with external advisers where applicable.

3. Payroll and People Cost Accounting

• Maintain accurate payroll accounting and reconciliation, including benefits, pension elements and international employment structures. 

• Ensure appropriate allocation of people costs across departments and projects and maintain strong financial controls related to joiner, mover and leaver processes in collaboration with HR.

4. Funded Project Financial Oversight

• Provide financial oversight of donor-funded and EU-funded projects, ensuring compliant budget structures, cost allocations and financial reporting. 

• Monitor project expenditure against grant budgets, highlight variances and risks, and support donor reporting and project audits in line with funding requirements.

5. Audit Management and Financial Assurance

• Lead the coordination of statutory and project audits, acting as the primary finance contact for auditors. 

• Maintain an audit-ready environment through clear documentation, reconciliations and strong financial controls, and ensure timely resolution of audit findings and management recommendations.

6. Financial Controls, Processes and Systems

• Continuously strengthen financial processes, internal controls and documentation, including close procedures, segregation of duties and standard operating practices.

• Support the effective use and development of finance systems (e.g. Exact Online), ensuring data quality, process adherence and opportunities for automation or efficiency improvements.

7. Business Partnership and Financial Insight

• Partner with operational teams, HR and project managers to provide financial guidance and ensure adherence to finance policies. 

• Deliver clear financial analysis and variance reporting to support informed decision-making by budget holders and leadership.

8. Cash and Operational Finance Oversight

• Support effective cash flow management and working capital monitoring, including oversight of invoicing, payables and banking controls. 

• Ensure robust payment and treasury processes in collaboration with authorised approvers.

Qualifications and Experience

• Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or similar.

• 8+ years’ experience in financial accounting/controlling and/or audit, with clear end-to-end ownership of the general ledger and period close.

• Demonstrable experience in a multi-entity environment and working with external auditors.

• Strong track record of preparing statutory financial statements and maintaining audit-ready working papers.

• Strong technical accounting knowledge and hands-on GL experience.

• Ability to set up compliant project structures in the ledger, allocate costs correctly, and maintain evidence packs aligned to grant conditions.

• Strong analytical skills: variance analysis, forecasting support, and turning finance data into clear management insights.

• Experience with funded project finance (EU, donor-funded, NGO/grants) and project audit support is desirable.

• High proficiency in Excel (advanced formulas, pivots, data validation, lookups, structured analysis; Power Query a plus).

• Experience with Exact Online (strong plus) or comparable accounting/ERP systems; able to drive good system usage and data quality.

• Comfortable working with expense management tools and payroll provider outputs; able to reconcile and interpret payroll journals.

• Fluent in Dutch and English (spoken and written).

Competencies

• Analytical Skills (Data) — Critically examine data to identify trends and relationships, draw logical conclusions, and generate insights for sound decision-making and problem-solving.

• Business Acumen — Understand how a business creates value, including financial metrics and strategic priorities, and make informed decisions that drive growth, profitability, and sustainability.

• Organisational Effectiveness (Planning & Prioritisation) — Align and optimise resources (people, financial, operational) to meet strategic goals, enable collaboration, and sustain high performance.

• Responsibility — Act reliably and accountably, and deliver on promises and tasks in a timely and effective manner.

• Result-Driven — Set clear, challenging goals, prioritise effectively, take ownership of outcomes, and persist to achieve or exceed targets.

• Teamwork — Work cooperatively with others, communicate openly, support colleagues, manage conflict constructively, and focus on shared goals for collective results.

What We Offer

At ZDHC, we believe that a fulfilling career goes beyond a competitive salary. We are committed to creating a supportive and inspiring workplace where you feel valued, energised, and empowered to do your best work. That’s why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your growth, help you achieve your goals, and encourage strong connections with your team.

• 25 holidays a year, based on 40 hours a week

• Gym membership allowance - for your physical wellbeing

• Access to Open Up - for your mental wellbeing

• Hybrid and flexible working environment

• Support in setting up your workstation at home (if needed)

• Working remote - up to 6 weeks of remote work per year (after 1 year)

• Working abroad development experience - the opportunity to work abroad from one of our offices (Netherlands, USA, Italy, China, India, Portugal) for 1-3 months 

• MacBook and iPhone

The successful applicant will join a small team in a growing organisation at a critical time, contributing to the evolving ZDHC Roadmap to Zero Programme and making a genuine impact on the global textile and footwear sector. As an international organisation, ZDHC works across cultures, locations, and time zones, and collaborates effectively through remote and online working.

IMPORTANT NOTE

To apply: Please submit your CV and a 1-page motivation letter in PDF and click the button below "Apply for this job" where you can upload the documents.