Business Controller - Footwear, Bag & Socks - Salomon

Amer Sports is a sporting goods company with internationally recognized brands including Salomon, Arc’teryx, Peak Performance, Atomic and Wilson.

“The Mountain Sport Company”, Salomon was born in 1947 in the heart of the French Alps and the birthplace of modern alpinism. Salomon’s commitment to innovative design and passion for mountain sports created a vast range of revolutionary new concepts in bindings, boots, skis and apparel for both Alpine and Nordic skiing and brought innovative solutions to footwear, apparel and equipment for snowboarding, adventure racing, mountaineering, hiking, trail running, and many other sports.

Through performance driven design, Salomon delivers innovation and progression to mountain sports; converting new ideas into action and expanding the limits of possibility. Salomon’s heritage, culture, and commitment are tied together by one simple concept: the world’s leading mountain people creating the world’s leading mountain products. Diversity is one of Salomon’s five values, therefore we are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all.

Salomon is headquartered in Annecy, France, with a U.S. headquarters in Ogden, UT.

As a Business Controller, you are responsible for managing all financial activities related to the Footwear and Bags & Socks business units in the North America region. Key responsibilities include overseeing financial performance, preparing budgets and forecasts, managing operating expenses, and reporting financial results. The Business Controller will implement Go-to-Market strategies, guide the team towards profitable growth, and support organizational development efforts.

WHAT MAKES THIS A GREAT PLACE TO WORK & PLAY:

• Hybrid work schedule
• A generous PTO policy, plus 15 paid annual holidays and 3 floating holidays
• Half-day Fridays for 6 months of the year
• An exceptional employee discount on all our products and sister brands (Arc’teryx, Armada, Atomic, Wilson)
• “Powder Bell” powder days throughout the winter season
• Complimentary gym membership and resort season pass to local locations & mountains
• Opportunities to engage in the community and with industry partners

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty and responsibility satisfactorily:

Business Controlling – Planning & Control

• Manage all aspects of the Footwear GTM financial budgeting and forecasting process by working with regional sales, finance, & commercial management and also the global BA finance and commercial teams.
• Financial and business planning, steering & monitoring performance and optimizing operating capital.
• Prepare, analyze and report financial results – sales trends, product gross margins, average net selling price analysis, direct operating expenses and inventory and balance sheet items
• Analyze GTM results versus budget, forecast and prior year (sales, margins, operating expenses and inventory management) and drive actions needed to meet financial targets & overall GTM objectives
• Sign off on month end processes including journal entries, OPEX control and GM analysis in SAP.
• Provide financial impact analysis of sales program/discounting structures including:
  • Sales volume rebate agreements
  • Coop agreement analysis
  • Warranty/defective allowance analysis

Financial Reporting and Analysis: 

• Perform managerial and legal reporting using Oracle management reporting. 
• Conduct monthly financial reviews and governance meetings with Commercial Leadership and GTM teams.
• Prepare ad-hoc reports and analyses to support decision-making on channels, customers, and programs.
• Enhance management reporting to improve communication and maintain accountability for financial performance across all organizational levels.

Benchmark Analysis: 

• Perform internal and external benchmark analyses on key business areas.
• Identify opportunities to improve operations and achieve more profitable growth.

Support Sales and Operational Planning Process:

• Conduct inventory management, working capital analysis, and forecasting.
• Analyze DSI, inventory turnover, and sell-thru rates.
• Review and analyze replenishment orders.
• Act as the primary Finance liaison with Softgoods Merchandising, Marketing, and Sales teams.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, ABILITIES & COMPETENCIES

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Essential Skills & Experience

• 5+ years of related work in financial analysis and business controlling, with proficiency in Excel and financial metrics.
• Strong ability to build business cases, with both a strategic overview and detailed analytical skills. Skilled in convincing others to support ideas or actions.
• Strong ability to interpret data and derive meaningful insights.
• Understanding of business operations and identify and drive commercial opportunities.
• Capability to make decisions promptly and take the initiative in challenging situations.

Essential Competencies

• Communication: you are recognised as an exceptional communicator who can tell stories and messages to a high regard. You operate with high integrity and can adapt voice, style and tone to any audience across multiple channels.
• Collaboration: You have the ability to work with peers and partners to drive results & improve performance. You model teamwork, volunteer help or ideas to benefit colleagues and share best practices across business units or functions.
• Critical Thinking: You have the ability to analyse situations and information, to form objective judgement and problem solve effectively. You have high intellectual & emotional insight and a consistent approach to complex problems, utilizing multiple methods to socialize problems and gather information; applying accuracy, empathy, relevance, precision, and logic in your thinking.

Desired Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field from a four-year college or university; MBA is a plus.
• IT: Advanced level of Excel, experience with SAP FICO and BI systems is a strong plus.

Full-Time, Permanent

Job based in Ogden, Utah