Financial Controller

ABOUT US 

Gooch & Housego (G&H) is a global precision photonics manufacturer operating across industrial, aerospace & defense, life sciences, and semiconductor markets. With operations spanning North America, Europe, and Asia, G&H designs and manufactures advanced optical components, systems, and subsystems that enable some of the world's most demanding applications.

JOB PURPOSE

The Financial Controller will partner closely with the Rochester site leadership team and the Optical Systems Division to ensure the site delivers against its financial budgets, forecasts, and long-term strategic growth plans. This role is responsible for end-to-end site financial control, reporting, planning, and decision support within the G&H financial framework.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Site Financial Leadership & Business Partnering

• Provide timely, accurate, and insightful financial reporting to the Rochester site leadership and Optical Systems Division management to support achievement of budgets and forecasts.
• Act as a trusted finance business partner to site leadership, ensuring financial implications of business decisions are clearly assessed, communicated, and understood.
• Support and challenge operational leaders with data-driven insights to improve profitability, efficiency, and performance.

Financial Planning & Control

• Lead the development of the site's annual budget, periodic forecasts, and long-range financial plans.
• Ensure robust business cases are prepared to support capital investments  sourcing decisions, pricing strategies, and other key initiatives.
• Provide financial review and approval of customer quotes and proposals through the Proposal Gate Review process.
• Maintain and analyze standard costs, identifying variances and partnering with operations to drive corrective actions.

Accounting, Compliance & Reporting

• Ensure complete, accurate, and timely financial accounting and reporting for the Rochester site, including ownership of the month-end close process.
• Ensure full implementation and ongoing adherence to the G&H Financial Control Framework at the site.
• Ensure financial systems and processes support compliance with customer-mandated financial reporting requirements.
• Liaise with external auditors as required to support efficient and effective site audits.
• Prepare and submit site tax packs to support the Group's U.S. consolidated tax return.

Operational Excellence

• Partner with site leadership to develop and implement financial processes and controls that support efficient and profitable manufacturing operations.
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve finance processes, reporting quality, and operational decision support.

RESPONSIBILITIES – G&H FINANCE TEAM MEMBER

As part of the broader G&H Finance team, the role holder will also:

• Provide ad hoc support to Group Finance and participate in cross-site and group-wide finance initiatives.
• Support periodic reviews of other sites' adherence to the G&H Financial Control Framework.
• Contribute to projects aimed at improving the effectiveness and efficiency of finance function activities across the Group.

REQUIREMENTS

Specialist Functional Knowledge

• Strong working knowledge of U.S. GAAP; familiarity with IFRS preferred.
• Deep experience operating ERP systems and associated reporting tools in a manufacturing environment.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and overall Microsoft Office proficiency.
• CPA or CMA strongly preferred.
• MBA preferred.

Experience

• Significant experience in a senior finance role with leadership responsibility, ideally as a Financial Controller.
• Proven experience acting as a finance business partner to non-finance leaders.
• Manufacturing environment experience is required.
• Strong hands-on experience with ERP systems and standard costing methodologies.

Core Competencies

• Strong communication and influencing skills
• Leadership and collaboration
• Delivering results
• Attention to detail and accuracy
• Accountability and ownership

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This job description is not intended to be exhaustive, but rather to define the fundamental purpose and responsibilities of the role. Employees may be required to perform other reasonable and related duties as assigned by their manager.

G&H is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and applicants. We do not discriminate based on gender, race, religion or belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

This role may involve access to items or technical data subject to U.S. Export Control Laws, including the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). As part of the recruitment process, candidates may be required to confirm whether they meet the definition of a "U.S. person" under these regulations. Information collected for this purpose will be used solely for compliance and evaluation purposes. Failure to provide required information may limit our ability to consider an application.