Without realizing it, you probably already know TenCate. Whether you are on the hockey or football field every weekend, hitting a ball on the golf course or going to the playground with your son or daughter, there is a good chance that when you look down you will see the product of TenCate, the world's largest artificial grass and yarn backing manufacturer. In 2023 TenCate has been acquired by PE firm Leonard Green & Partners and together they will continue their ambitious growth strategy (both organically and through acquisitions). To support this growth and the next phase of professionalization in the EMEA region, the position of Group Controller has been created. In this position, you report to the Group Finance & Risk Director and will work together in a team at HQ Hoofddorp.

Group Finance at TenCate has a dual focus: consolidated management reporting on one hand and ad hoc projects, analyses and requests on the other hand. First of all, as a Group Controller you will support the consolidated reporting of all the Group companies for the EMEA region. You analyse, and validate the monthly financial results and prepare the internal reporting for your companies. You monitor main KPI’s, understand and comment on main developments and do trend analyses and benchmarking. To get the story behind the numbers, you proactively seek contact with the local controllers, to understand and challenge them on the results. You provide support to your local (finance) colleagues, for example in process changes or training them on the appropriate treatment of accounting standards (IFRS/US GAAP). You support them with the annual closing, external and internal audit. Furthermore, you are involved in the financial planning process, including the yearly budget and forecasting process (on entity and Group level). You review and adjust ongoing financial projections based on actual performance vs. forecast and budget.

You are an ambitious, eager and entrepreneurial financial with a strong technical accounting background and excellent stakeholder management. You thrive in an international setting and drive continuous improvement.

“Having to deal with so many different Group companies, all with their own product, business model, and organizational structure, means that you need to understand what the companies do and have a high level of adaptivity. It’s important to tailor your approach accordingly. For example, for one company you will have a reviewing role towards the local Controller, while for the other company you have to support the local MD in the periodic reporting cycle and support his business decisions.  
Although being a carve-out from a corporate, our culture is very entrepreneurial. We have a ”flat” hierarchy and are flexible to quickly react to (business) opportunities. You’ll feel right at home at TenCate when you’re eager to learn new things, willing to roll up your sleeves and get things done.’’

• Bachelor degree in the field of accounting, finance and economics, Master is a plus
• 3 - 4 years relevant working experience in audit or controlling, preferably within a project environment
• Strong communication skills in English, Dutch is a plus
• Experience with IFRS and/or US GAAP and group structures, including consolidation procedures is a plus
• Affinity with IT and financial tooling; experience in consolidation tools and Smart Insights/ PowerBI is a plus
• Self-starter, roll up your sleeves and getting things done mentality
• You have a strong analytical skillset combined with a hands-on mentality: pragmatic and action-oriented

TenCate is a global leader in the development, marketing, and manufacturing of synthetic turf components and the design of synthetic turf systems for sports applications such as football, hockey, rugby, tennis, and many other sports, as well as for landscaping and leisure. TenCate has a global footprint, including manufacturing and distribution facilities in the Netherlands, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates, and does business in more than forty countries across North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Africa. They serve a broad range of global customers including the Johan Cruyff Foundation, The Home Depot, the University of San Francisco, Harvard University, and various professional sports teams including the Dallas Cowboys and PSV Eindhoven.

The impressive growth over the last couple of years (both organically and by acquisitions), has not gone unnoticed. In February 2024, Leonard Green & Partners became the majority shareholder as they acquired the company from Crestview Partners. TenCate has multiple Group companies all over the world, each operating in a different stage of the supply chain. Over the last couple of years, multiple companies have been acquired by the Group, which now leads to a turnover of more than USD 2,000M.

TenCate recently acquired Sport & Leisure Group (SLG), a leading artificial grass solution provider for sports and outdoor living, which further strengthens TenCate’s position in the main European markets. SLG’s subsidiaries Limonta Sport and Domo Sports Grass also allow for TenCate to significantly expand its presence in Italy, the Middle East, Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America.

Besides the Group in Hoofddorp, TenCate Grass companies can be divided into four categories: manufacturing of yarn and R&D (with plants in the US, the Netherlands, and Dubai/Abu Dhabi), Distribution (developing, tufting, and selling synthetic tuft), outdoor living (distribution of artificial grass products for gardens as well as carpets like golf mats, batting cages and baseball plates, mainly in the US) and Design & Installations (installation and maintenance of playing fields and gardens). Another major focus of TenCate is sustainability and circularity.  Already in the design phase, they anticipate recyclability, as they continually create new initiatives that improve sustainability and make steps towards circularity. For example by designing systems with biomaterials, natural infills, and systems that do not even need infill materials at all. And with co-founding GBN Artificial Grass Recycling they took the next step towards a circular synthetic turf market, as GBN recycles end-of-life turf in a circular way. Refer to ESG report on website (https://tencategrass.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/TenCate_ESG-Report_2023.pdf)