Guerlain Central Cost Controller
- Location
- Employment
- Contract
- Seniority
- Manager
- Department
- Finance, Accounting & Revenue Management
- Posted
- Apr 28, 2026
About Guerlain
Guerlain is an iconic French maison specializing in high perfumery and luxury cosmetics, renowned for craftsmanship, olfactory creativity and premium beauty products. The house operates within the Parfums & Cosmétiques division and is part of the LVMH group, offering an environment that blends heritage brand excellence with group-scale resources and strategic ambitions.
Guerlain (Paris) seeks a Central Cost Controller (CDD) to manage central expenses, budgeting and reporting at its Paris headquarters.
Role & Responsibilities
- Own the financial control and monitoring of central (corporate) expenses, ensuring data integrity across reporting systems.
- Act as Business Partner to Executive Committee members: defend budget allocations, challenge expenditures and support resource optimization through rigorous financial analysis.
- Lead the annual budgeting cycle (Budget, Revised, Plan), challenge operational hypotheses, and maintain monthly budget-to-actual follow-up with variance analysis and corrective actions.
- Prepare regular forecasts to anticipate budget deviations and propose corrective measures.
- Conduct in-depth cost analyses, identify optimization levers, evaluate investment requests and assess project profitability and cost impact.
- Define and monitor relevant KPIs for cost control and collaborate with HR on payroll monitoring.
- Supervise monthly closing tasks in coordination with operations and accounting; produce concise monthly reporting for Finance and operational stakeholders.
- Maintain and enhance reporting tools and dashboards (advanced Excel, BI, ERP) and propose improvements to processes and financial governance.
- Line-manage and mentor a junior management controller, delegating tasks and ensuring quality of deliverables.
Qualifications
- Master's degree (Bac+5) from a university or business school with specialization in finance, accounting or management.
- Minimum 3 years' demonstrable experience in external audit, consolidation/reporting and/or management control; 3–5 years preferred.
- Proven ability to partner with senior stakeholders and to challenge budgets constructively.
- High level of discretion and respect for confidentiality of financial information.
- Strong organizational skills, autonomy, rigor and a proactive mindset; demonstrates curiosity and continuous-improvement orientation.
Skills
Experience
Minimum 3 years of progressive experience in audit, consolidation/reporting and management control, including exposure to budgeting, forecasting and monthly closing processes; experience in a matrix, luxury or consumer-goods environment is advantageous.
Education
Master's degree (Bac+5) in Finance, Accounting, or Business (university or Grande École) with specialization in financial management or control.
Workplace
The successful candidate will be located in Paris, Île-de-France, France.
Culture
Guerlain combines deep heritage and artisanal savoir-faire with an ambition for modern excellence, fostering a culture that values creativity, precision and elevated client experience. The workplace encourages collaboration, continuous improvement and a rigorous yet benevolent approach to performance, aligned with the standards of the LVMH group.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Guerlain, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Central Expenses Management Controller», «Corporate Cost Controller», «Central Budget Controller», «Management Controller — Central Expenses», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.