Christian Dior Industrial Controlling Director

About Christian Dior

Christian Dior, founded in Paris in 1946, stands as one of the world’s most influential maisons, uniting haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather goods, fragrance, beauty, and exceptional retail experiences. As an employer, Dior offers a culture shaped by artistic audacity, meticulous craftsmanship, and the pursuit of excellence, where heritage and innovation continually enrich one another. Its teams collaborate across ateliers, studios, boutiques, and corporate functions within an international environment that values elegance, precision, inclusivity, and entrepreneurial spirit. Working at Dior means contributing to a legacy of timeless style while helping define the future of luxury with creativity, discipline, and purpose.

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead the LG Business Unit’s industrial controlling function across production plants and industrial hubs, participating in key decisions and governance bodies.
• Build, manage, mentor, and develop a high-performing industrial controlling team; provide training and growth opportunities, facilitate team meetings, knowledge sharing, and performance reviews.
• Establish a strong partnership with the LG Business Unit Industrial Director and act as a strategic advisor through reporting and financial consultation.
• Structure and improve industrial controlling practices in support of the LG business’s strategic development.
• Coordinate with the Finance Department and LG Business Unit, aligning financial objectives with operational and industrial priorities; align local practices with corporate financial and controlling standards.
• Oversee month-end closings, cost-center reporting, and plant-level analysis; implement and maintain consistent standard cost structures across sites.
• Develop and enforce consistent policies for inventory valuation, fixed-asset management, and cost allocation.
• Analyze business scenarios, industrial investments, and efficiency projects, providing actionable recommendations to business-unit leadership and Finance.
• Identify and mitigate financial and operational risks in industrial processes, propose action plans, and monitor the effectiveness of measures.
• Coordinate annual budgets and rolling forecasts across plants and industrial hubs; consolidate periodic forecasts for industrial costs, including production, labor, raw materials, factory overheads, and depreciation.
• Consolidate and analyze plant performance metrics, including COGS, variances, labor, and overhead efficiency; develop forecasting models, monitor deviations, and recommend corrective actions.
• Analyze deviations, trends, risks, and standard-versus-actual production costs, identifying variance drivers and inefficiencies.
• Monitor profitability by product, product line, plant, and distribution channel, informing production-mix and pricing decisions.
• Conduct make-or-buy and value analyses to support procurement and in-house production decisions.
• Define and drive the LG Business Unit’s industrial controlling roadmap, identifying improvement, innovation, and best-practice opportunities aligned with business objectives.
• Partner with Operations, Supply Chain, Executive Management, engineering, production, and IT on strategic planning, capacity planning, operational decisions, process optimization, cost reduction, and ERP, BI, and data analytics systems.
• Lead ad hoc financial analyses and scenarios for cross-plant operational decisions; present results and data-driven recommendations to the Industrial Director and senior management.
• Measure production efficiency, capacity utilization, waste, and defects, and propose continuous-improvement initiatives.
• Monitor inventory levels, value, and turnover for raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods; identify working-capital opportunities and collaborate with Supply Chain to improve inventory management and reduce warehousing costs.
• Implement controlling best practices across sites and ensure the accuracy and integrity of financial and operational data used in risk-based analyses.
• Promote continuous improvement and innovation in industrial controlling, including new methodologies, tools, and technologies such as BI and AI/ML for predictive analytics.
• Define and implement industrial and financial KPIs for the LG Business Unit; prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual reports on COGS, production variances, operational efficiency, and industrial investment performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business Administration; a master’s degree or CPA/CMA is a strong plus.
• At least 15 years of experience in manufacturing or industrial finance, including at least 7 years in a leadership role managing controllers or plant finance teams.
• Solid knowledge of cost accounting, inventory management, and variance analysis in an industrial setting.
• Proven experience with multi-plant operations and matrix management.
• Expertise in ERP systems, preferably SAP.
• Advanced Excel skills; knowledge of Power BI or similar tools is a plus.
• Strong analytical mindset and ability to synthesize complex data into actionable insights.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to influence across levels.
• Experience in lean manufacturing or continuous-improvement environments.
• Understanding of supply-chain and production KPIs.
• Willingness to travel to plant locations 10–30% of the time.
• Fluent English; French is highly appreciated.
• Gross annual salary of at least €90,000 under the CCNL Pelli e Cuoio.

Skills

Experience

At least 15 years in manufacturing or industrial finance, including at least 7 years in a leadership role managing controllers or plant finance teams; the ATS also states at least 10 years.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or Business Administration; a master’s degree or CPA/CMA is a strong plus.

Compensation

The base compensation for this position is EUR 90,000 per annum.

Culture

Christian Dior fosters a culture of refined creativity, exceptional craftsmanship, and continuous innovation, where teams are encouraged to uphold the Maison’s heritage while shaping the future of luxury. As an employer, it offers a dynamic and exacting environment that values collaboration, excellence, and the development of talent across artistic, retail, and corporate disciplines.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.