Business Controller

About Talent Garden

Talent Garden is a leading digital skills academy in Europe, empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in the innovation ecosystem through diverse learning experiences. With online, offline, and hybrid courses, corporate programs and work and events spaces we offer an unparalleled vision to combine work life and learning.

Founded in Italy in 2011, Talent Garden has trained over 25,000 professionals in digital skills and business innovation, developed tailored corporate education programs for Fortune 500 companies, and built a network of 11 campuses in 4 countries, hosting over 4,500 innovators from startups,corporate labs, investors, and SMEs.

Role Overview

We are looking for a Business Controller to join our Finance & Control team. You will play a key role in supporting financial planning, reporting, and analysis across the organisation, working closely with the CFO, department heads, and business unit leaders to provide the financial insights needed to drive informed decision-making.

This is a hands-on role with real visibility into Talent Garden's pan-European operations. You will be part of a small, collaborative finance team where your work directly shapes the company's strategic direction.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Planning & Reporting

• Support the monthly financial close process, including variance analysis against budget and forecast
• Prepare and present monthly management reports for the CFO, leadership team, and department heads
• Contribute to the preparation of annual budgets and quarterly rolling forecasts
• Monitor KPIs and financial performance across business units and geographies

Business Partnering & Analysis

• Act as a financial business partner to operational and commercial teams, translating data into actionable insights
• Conduct ad-hoc financial analyses to support strategic decisions, investment appraisals, and new initiatives
• Identify risks, cost optimisation opportunities, and efficiencies across Talent Garden's campus and training business
• Support the evaluation of business cases for new campus openings, partnerships, and product launches

Controlling & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with internal financial procedures (purchasing, opex/capex split, approval workflows)
• Coordinate with local finance teams across countries to ensure consistency and data integrity
• Support the preparation of statutory reporting and liaise with external auditors as required
• Maintain and improve financial models, dashboards, and reporting tools

Systems & Process Improvement

• Work within Talent Garden's ERP and reporting environment; contribute to system improvements
• Help automate and streamline recurring reporting processes to increase efficiency
• Ensure data quality and accuracy across financial systems

About you

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field
• Up to 5 years of relevant experience in business controlling, FP&A, or financial analysis
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and financial modelling
• Fluent in English and Italian (written and spoken) — working language for reports and cross-border communication
• Solid understanding of financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) and management accounting principles
• Strong analytical mindset with high attention to detail and ability to synthesise complex data
• Team player with excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across functions and countries

Nice to Have

• Experience with NetSuite ERP (a significant plus)
• Experience with Amazon QuickSight or other BI/data visualisation tools (a plus)
• Passionate about AI use in dashboarding
• Previous experience in a fast-growing, international, or EdTech/tech company and/or Coworking firm
• Italian language skills (helpful for local stakeholder communication)
• Exposure to multi-entity, multi-currency consolidations

Perks and benefits

• Hybrid work environment — with required two days / week presence in our offices in Milan
• Access to all our co-working spaces across Europe
• Free access to all our Master courses
• Satispay meal vouchers and a €1,000 welfare budget to spend as you like
• Mum&Dad policy offering (even more) flexible remote work options for expecting parents, a €1,000 bonus, and additional leave for dads to bond with their child
• An extra 6 working days of vacation each year, on top of local regulations
• December 24 and 31 automatically become holidays when they fall on weekdays
• Company-provided MacBook or Laptop as preferred
• Access to discounts, events, and networking opportunities at our co-working spaces
• P.S. We're pet-friendly, so you're welcome to bring your furry friend to work!

Selection process

Submit your application. Send us your CV and feel free to showcase your personality. If you prefer a creative format, go ahead.

Response time. We’ll get back to you within 10 days if we’re a match. If not, we’ll still do our best to notify you promptly.

Initial video call. An initial video call will be scheduled to assess cultural fit. Make sure to check out our company page beforehand.

Next steps. For this role, there will be a couple of rounds of interviews, one of which may include a project work assignment.

Final step. The last stage in the process is a call with our CFO.

At Talent Garden, diversity is our strength. We're committed to a safe, inclusive environment, welcoming applicants regardless of background. While we set high standards, we encourage individuals, especially women, not to let the fear of not being a perfect fit hold them back.

We prioritize talent over traditional qualifications and invite passionate individuals to apply. Your unique strengths could make a valuable contribution to our team!

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