Head of Finance & Controlling

GasNet is the leading gas distribution provider in the Czech Republic, operating over 69,000 km of networks and serving approximately 2.3 million off-take points. As a regulated business, the company focuses on stable cash flow generation through strong regulatory management, cost and capex efficiency, and a prudent financial policy. We ensure safe and reliable gas delivery for over 2.3 million customers and are a critical part of the country’s infrastructure, backed by responsible shareholders including ČEZ Group, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), and Allianz Capital Partners.

About the role

The Finance and Controlling team supports management, shareholders, financing banks, and internal departments through budgeting, planning, forecasting, reporting, liquidity management, covenant compliance, and financial risk management.

Responsibilities

• Manage costs by developing cost structures and driving cost optimization initiatives.
• Develop a bridge between Controlling, Regulation, Asset Management, and Operations, ensuring cross-departmental and long-term impact (e.g., actions in 2026 affecting 2027–2030).
• Increase financial, operational, and regulatory knowledge within the team and the company.
• Oversee financing, cash flow planning, budgeting, forecasting, reporting, financial risk management, and liquidity management for six companies within the Group, including reporting to bondholders and financing banks.
• Lead, develop, and motivate a Finance and Controlling team of approximately 12 colleagues across three locations (Prague, Ústí nad Labem, and Brno).
• Take proactive ownership of responsibilities, continuously driving performance and constructively challenging existing approaches.

Finance

• Manage external long- and short-term financing.
• Responsibility for FX and interest rate hedging.
• Systematic management of financial risks, including group insurance policy.
• Ensure payment services and daily cash management, liquidity planning, and profit distribution proposals.
• Oversee the grants and subsidies agenda, including identifying funding opportunities, coordinating applications, and ensuring compliance.
• Manage relationships and negotiations with banks and rating agencies.
• Drive continuous improvement of treasury and financial risk management processes, including liquidity planning, foreign exchange, interest rate, and credit risk management, and support related IT system development.
• Ensure the regulatory WACC and other key rates are determined on a sound and reasonable basis to provide an adequate return.
• Provide financial expertise and support to the Regulatory team in negotiations with the Regulator, including leading negotiations when required.

Controlling

• Responsibility for budgeting, planning, and forecasting, including challenging assumptions, logic, and accuracy of planned or reported numbers.
• Drive performance to optimize business operations, costs, revenues, capital expenditure efficiency, and financing structure.
• Oversee reporting activities, ensuring quality and consistency for business heads, management, shareholders, banks, and rating agencies.
• Present budgets, forecasts, actual results, and financial outlooks to management and investors.
• Assess business cases, ensure financial robustness, and challenge underlying assumptions.
• Oversee operational controlling activities, including cost center management, monthly financial closing, and SLA setup and management.
• Provide support and advice to the team and liaise with business departments where oversight or leadership intervention is needed.
• Support team development through coaching, feedback, guidance, and targeted initiatives.

Requirements

• At least 7 years of professional experience in finance, including a minimum of 2 years in a leadership role.
• Master’s degree in Finance, Economics, Business Administration, or a related field. ACCA, ACA, or similar professional qualification is an advantage.
• Excellent analytical skills, experience in valuation, modeling, and risk management methodologies.
• Fluency in English and Czech or Slovak, both written and spoken.
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills; demonstrated effective listening and questioning skills.
• Understanding of the corporate environment, stakeholders, and corporate functions.
• Experience from regulated business or utilities is advantageous.

Benefits

• Openness to new ideas and an interesting, challenging role with significant scope for professional growth in an international stakeholder environment.
• Competitive salary.
• Company car.
• Extensive employee benefits package.

Schedule

• Full-time position.
• Fixed-term contract.

Work location: Prosecká 855/68, 19000 Praha - Prosek, Czech Republic.