Business/Project Controller

WWF-NL is a professional and dynamic organization with a casual work culture based in Zeist, the Netherlands.

The organization consists of four departments: Conservation, Engagement, Organization & Talent Development (OTD), and Finance & Operations (F&O). The F&O department is responsible for the business operations of WWF-NL and consists of the Finance, ICT, and Legal & Compliance Teams. The Finance Team is responsible for the organization’s planning and control cycle, external reporting, financial, personnel, and payroll administration, as well as the financial planning and monitoring of global WWF nature conservation projects and Engagement revenue.

With this in mind, the Finance Team at WWF-NL is looking for a proactive and analytical

Business/Project Controller

(32–40 hours per week)

to drive financial insights, optimize reporting, and professionalize our performance tracking. In this role, you will play a key role in enhancing our reporting, managing our projects, and improving financial decision-making. Your ability to translate complex data into actionable insights will support key decision-making and help shape the future of WWF-NL.

The Business Controller reports directly to our Business Control Team Lead, Ben Steijns.

Key Responsibilities

As a Business Controller, you will work within the annual plan developed by the CFO and support the Engagement & Conservation department in financial management. In this role, you will have the following tasks and responsibilities:

Financial Controlling & Analysis

• Monitor and analyze financial performance, variances, and trends;
• Develop forward-looking insights to support strategic decision-making;
• Ensure that financial processes are aligned with the organization's goals;
• Provide advice on the financial and tax aspects of business cases.

Project Reporting & Management

• Prepare financial reports for internal and external stakeholders.;
• Oversee the financial aspects of projects, ensuring compliance with donor requirements;
• Coordinate with project managers to ensure financial accuracy and efficiency;
• Identify and mitigate financial risks in projects.

KPI Tracking, Dashboarding & Reporting

• Define, refine, and implement new KPIs that reflect business success;
• Establish automated, real-time performance tracking methods;
• Design and implement new dashboards to improve financial and operational visibility;
• Optimize reporting structures to make data more accessible, accurate, and timely.

Competencies

• You are analytical, data-driven, and quality-oriented, with expertise in tools such as Power BI and Tableau;
• You enjoy digging into the numbers and spending a lot of time working with Excel to analyze and manage data;
• You are proactive, a self-starter, and able to work independently; you make suggestions and take action that lead to process and efficiency improvements;
• You enjoy interacting with colleagues both within your team and across the organization, as well as within the broader international network, such as business partners;
• You are collaborative and cooperative, and you find it easy to share knowledge, information, and ideas on your own initiative;
• You are customer-focused and respond promptly to requests from the (internal) client;
• You maintain the highest standards of integrity and confidentiality.

WWF-NL is part of a large international network, so a strong command of English and Dutch (both spoken and written) is required.

Education and experience

• Educational background in finance, business economics, or business administration;
• 1–5 years of work experience as a controller, and a desire to learn and grow in the role;
• Fluency in spoken and written Dutch and English is essential;
• Experience with grant applications and working with Exact Globe, Salesforce, and BI tools is a plus.

Core values

You identify with the core values of WWF-NL:

• Courage
• Integrity
• Respect
• Collaboration

What do we offer?

• An office surrounded by nature;
• Fun coworkers and the opportunity to build an international network;
• An employment contract for 32–40 hours per week. We initially offer a one-year fixed-term employment contract with a one-month probationary period;
• Salaries that are in line with the standard in the Dutch nonprofit sector; the minimum gross salary for the Business Controller role is 4,147 EUR per month and the maximum gross salary is 5,752 EUR per month, depending on relevant experience (based on a 40-hour workweek) (Please note that, due to the maximum salary, we are unable to sponsor a highly skilled migrant permit for individuals over the age of 30. Please see the IND (Immigration & Naturalization Service of the Netherlands) website for more information);
• Employees receive a personal budget consisting of an 8% vacation allowance and a 2.08% flexible budget, and are entitled to 6 weeks of vacation per year (based on a 40-hour workweek);
• We offer a hybrid work environment; you can work from home for 50% of your working hours;
• We encourage flexible work arrangements, the use of public transportation, and biking for work-related travel. Employees receive an NS Business Card for second-class travel to and from work.

Information and procedure

If you are interested in this position, please apply by April 6, 2025, via our website. 

Please note that you must have a valid work permit to work for WWF-NL.

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Babette Vanlancker (Recruitment Coordinator) at bvanlancker@wwf.nl. Questions about this role can be directed to Ben Steijns (Team Lead, Business Control) at bsteijns@wwf.nl. For more information about WWF-NL, please visit our website: www.wwf.nl

We actively strive to ensure that our workforce reflects society and the international nature of our organization. We therefore particularly encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply. To minimize the impact of unconscious biases during the recruitment process, we use (semi)structured interview templates.

We take the safety and protection of our colleagues seriously. The successful candidate is therefore required to complete an integrity statement and provide a Certificate of Good Conduct (Verklaring Omtrent Gedrag). We may also request references.

If you are an intermediary, please do not contact us. We will contact recruitment agencies directly if necessary.