Senior Sales Controller (All Genders)

YOU & AHEAD

At ahead, we are on a mission to clean up the world's candy drawers. We make the snacks everyone actually craves, reformulated with less sugar and zero compromise on taste. We are 140 people strong, with 170+ SKUs and aggressive growth across D2C, retail, Amazon, and new European markets.

Growth across that many channels only pays off when we know exactly where it comes from. Commercial controlling is where numbers turn into decisions: which customers, channels, products and promotions actually make us money, where the plan is drifting, and what we should do about it. We are building that function to keep pace with our growth.

Are you a hands-on commercial finance professional who owns the numbers, challenges assumptions, and turns insights into action? If so, read on.

YOUR TASKS

• Sales KPI Reporting: Own reporting on revenue, volume, margin, sell-in/sell-out, distribution, and forecast accuracy, with clear dashboards, early-warning indicators, and a standardized customer and channel P&L.
• Budgets, Forecasts & Rolling Plans:  Build baseline forecasts, challenge input from sales channels in the consolidated demand plan, track plan versus actual, and recommend corrective actions.
• Profitability & Trade Terms:  Analyse profitability by customer, channel, product, and promotion. Review discounts, bonuses, listing fees, and trade marketing spend, and back customer negotiations with scenarios and minimum targets.
• Budget Monitoring:  Track D2C, Retail, Field Sales, and Trade Marketing budgets, flag risks early, and turn deviations into concrete recommendations.
• S&OP Interface: Represent commercial planning in our monthly S&OP cycle: challenge demand assumptions, link commercial signals to supply constraints, and prepare decision-ready scenarios.
• Data, Tools & Automation:  Improve data quality and KPI definitions, automate recurring work in Google Sheets and our planning tools, and use AI and systems like APS to simplify processes and sharpen decisions.

YOUR PROFILE

• Several years in Sales Controlling, Commercial Controlling, FP&A, or similar, with hands-on ownership of sales budgets, forecasts, rolling plans, and plan-versus-actual analyses.
• Solid grasp of net sales, contribution margin, customer and channel profitability, and trade terms (discounts, bonuses, listing fees, trade marketing). You've built KPI dashboards and consistent cross-channel reporting yourself.
• Strong Google Sheets skills, plus experience with BI, ERP, CRM, and planning tools such as Odoo or APS. A doer and builder who has used automation or AI to improve data quality and cut manual work.
• Analytical, structured, and pragmatic: comfortable with imperfect data, quick to challenge assumptions, and focused on turning insights into action.
• Collaborative and low-ego, while keeping owners accountable for their inputs.
• Fluent German and confident English.

WHAT MAKES YOUR PROFILE COMPLETE

• Experience in an FMCG company.
• Hands-on experience with S&OP.
• Qualification in Business Administration, Finance, or similar, though your track record matters far more than the diploma.

AND WHY AHEAD?

Working at ahead is more than just a job - it’s your opportunity to develop as a professional and as a person, while shaping the future of snacking. Our mission is to make low sugar the new standard, and we pour that ambition into every product we create. You’ll become part of a team where international talent, startup drive, real impact, and true ownership come together.

• Hypergrowth Environment: If you're looking for greenfield, creative freedom, and real impact, you're in the right place. We're a team that is scaling fast - with purpose
• Amazing Team: Young, international, ambitious - inspiring colleagues who collaborate, support each other, and genuinely enjoy working together
• Career Growth: Develop through cross-functional projects, structured feedback cycles, and a steep learning curve in a dynamic, high growth environment. We offer a fair, attractive salary with role-dependent bonus opportunities
• Great Benefits: Fuel yourself with ahead snacks, drinks, and merch - we’ve got you covered. On top: a €50 monthly allowance to spend as you like - Urban Sports Club, mobility options, or vouchers from your favorite brands (IKEA, MediaMarkt, Lego and more)
• Vacation Days: Enjoy 28 vacation days plus two extra days off on December 24 (Christmas Eve) and December 31 (New Year’s Eve)
• Events & Offsites:  Regular after-work hangouts and legendary annual team offsites you won’t forget

This role is based in Hamburg or Berlin, with the flexibility of up to 2 home office days per week and the option to work from abroad for agreed upon periods. If this resonates with you, we'd love to get to know you!

Disclaimer

ahead GmbH is an equal opportunity workplace and is devoted to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, or gender identity.

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