Plant Controller

Bayer AG

Role Purpose

  • Playing an active business partnership role in driving finance and operational performance and managing KPI’s across various business units; from Research & Development, Quality, Safety, Commercial, production and Inventory.
  • Providing critical Business intelligence of COGS and Seed Treatment analysis, providing support and analysis, adding value that will assist in strategic and operational decision making.
  • Liaison and support with stakeholders within and cross functionally.

Key Responsibilities and Tasks

Operational excellence:

  • Playing a crucial part in implantation and maintaining internal Controls.
  • Support projects listed with calculations verifying the savings.
  • Support team members to achieve and to work towards obtaining robust savings in our production operations.

Costing & Transfer Pricing:

  • Costing corn seed for local productions and Import Business.
  • Maintain cost estimates and material masters in SAP system for all materials.
  • Updating yearly and month-end cycles in SAP master data according to budget.
  • Determining export costs, confirming & approving exports and Transfer pricing.
  • Responsible for Transfer price agreements between different entities within EMEA and Asia.

Monthly closing & reporting activities:

  • Managing KPIs to achieve lowest cost of production.
  • Manage & reconcile all balance sheet inventory accounts.
  • Cost Centre management, engagement with cost centre owners with deep dive & analysis. Planning, budgeting & Forecasting.

Supply business

  • Determining unitary COGM (Cost of Goods Manufactured) based on calculated total production costs and total units produced in Malawi.
  • Variance analysis of forecast compared to Budget, previous forecast and LRP.

Special Projects and Savings Initiatives:

  • Working with Production Lead to re-work savings calculations and opportunities for the implementation of new Advanced Manufacturing equipment process engineering.
  • Document the process flow and procedures for the Destruction of seeds and the handling of culls in the plant
  • Tracking and managing special capital projects and their ROI.

SAP Production Process Management (Process orders & Material & Ledger Better analysis):

  • Support SAP and Plant administrators with process orders on a regular basis, be consistent with Process Order checks to ensure accuracy.
  • Ensure good end-to-end process order flow Business critical tasks:
  • Reconciling Grower payments.
  • Support where needed stock counts in the plants & reconciliations.
  • Conducting internal audit on procedures and production cycles in SAP.
  • Collaborating with global external auditors to get the audited financial statements signed off.
  • Support & Guidance on Cost Centre & P&L allocations, Imports and Exports procedures for intercompany purposes.
  • Play an important part in identifying external and internal risks and security threats.

Involvement with Commercial business and Business Analyst:

  • Provide monthly COGS per country & PII release entries.
  • Analysis of Seed Treatment variations, comparing to prior forecast and budget.
  • Calculating LRP information for Seeds & Traits business (COGSiia, COGSiib, D&O).
  • Explaining any Upside/Downside compared to prior forecast & Budget (COGS, Pricing, Volume, ECA, Parity, NSC etc.)

Systems Management:

  • SAP – Inventory management (Stock control and procedures).
  • SAP – Cost Accounting and Balance sheet reconciliations.
  • SAP – Process order management.
  • Oracle Hyperion Financial Management.
  • Implementation of Material Ledger in SAP.

 Key Working Relations

  • East Africa PS functions, Site Managers, Supply chain, planning and quality
  • Finance and Controlling
  • Procurement and Safety

Experience, Skills and Qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related business field, Chartered accountant (CA Malawi) or similar
  • At least 5 years’ experience
  • Experience in agriculture, manufacturing or seed industry is an added advantage
  • Experience in cost accounting
  • Experience in inventory management
  • Working experience of SAP a plus
  • Have good relationships all-round and networking skills
  • Of good temperament and ability to communicate at all levels
  • Ability to manage and motivate people
  • Able to prioritise and deliver tasks on time (time management)
  • Excellent presentation skills
  • Strong business acumen
Advertising Period: 25 September – 09 October 2025

Employment type: Permanent   

 Position grade: VS1.2

Location: Lilongwe, Malawi

 

 

 

Apply Now

To apply for this job please visit jobs.bayer.com.