Controller - Austria

Role Summary

Tempo is seeking a Senior Accountant / Finance Manager (m/w/d) to join its Austrian subsidiary, Tempo Energy Innovations GmbH, based in Dornbirn, Vorarlberg. This is a fully remote, permanent position, available full-time at 38.5 hours per week; a part-time arrangement from 30 hours per week is negotiable. The role reports to the Director of Finance & Accounting in the United States and is expected to begin as soon as possible. Both German and English are required as working languages.

The Senior Accountant / Finance Manager will serve as the sole owner of the finance function for Tempo's Austrian entity, with end-to-end responsibility for accounting, payroll, tax, purchasing, and EU grant reporting. This is an individual contributor role, working in close coordination with the Director of Finance & Accounting in the United States and alongside Tempo's external Steuerberater and payroll provider.

Responsibilities

Accounting and Month-End Close

• Own AP, AR, GL, bank and credit card reconciliations, fixed assets and depreciation, accruals, prepaids, and inventory and WIP for prototype and pilot builds.
• Close monthly to the group calendar: reconcile all balance sheet accounts and deliver the close package on deadline.
• Maintain multi-currency accounting (EUR functional, USD group reporting), FX revaluation, and intercompany balances with the US parent and Spanish holding entity.
• Prepare the Jahresabschluss under UGB with our Steuerberater, plus the bridge to US GAAP for group consolidation.
• Deliver monthly management reporting by cost centre and project.
• Support the group audit: PBC schedules, sample support, documentation.

Payroll

• Run the monthly Lohnverrechnung cycle with our external provider; review the payroll register and post payroll journals.
• Administer ÖGK and ELDA filings, Lohnsteuer, DB, DZ, and Kommunalsteuer.
• Maintain employee master data, leave accruals, expense reimbursements, Taggeld and Nächtigungsgeld.
• Allocate personnel cost by project, work package, and cost centre.
• Handle cross-border employment matters with the US team, including A1 certificates and posted-worker filings.

Tax and Statutory Compliance

• File UVA, Zusammenfassende Meldung, and Intrastat via FinanzOnline.
• Apply reverse-charge and intra-community treatment to cross-border purchases across Austria, Germany, Spain, and the US.
• Coordinate Körperschaftsteuer returns and advance payments with external advisors.
• Maintain intercompany and transfer pricing documentation for cost-plus service arrangements.
• Prepare the annual Forschungsprämie claim, including the FFG Jahresgutachten and supporting cost documentation.
• Own the statutory filing calendar.

Purchasing and Procurement

• Run procure-to-pay in NetSuite: requisitions, purchase orders, blanket POs, receipts, and three-way match.
• Act as first-line reviewer for Austrian requisitions, purchase orders, and vendor bills under the purchasing policy and approval authority matrix.
• Onboard and maintain vendor master data: UID validation, bank verification, tax status, sanctions screening.
• Manage payment runs, supplier terms, and Austrian cash requirements; feed group treasury forecasting.
• Track committed and actual spend against budget and grant work packages, including long-lead capital equipment and refractory materials.

EU Grant Accounting and Reporting

• Own financial administration for EU and national grant-funded projects, including Horizon Europe.
• Track grant cost by work package and eligible cost category: personnel, equipment, subcontracting, other direct costs, indirect flat rate.
• Prepare periodic cost claims and Financial Statements in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; ensure personnel-cost methodology, timesheets, and depreciation comply with the Model Grant Agreement.
• Manage Certificates on the Financial Statements where thresholds are triggered.
• Act as financial contact for funding bodies and consortium partners, including FFG and aws.
• Keep grant documentation audit-ready and support grant audits.

Systems and Process

• Operate NetSuite as system of record (multi-subsidiary, multi-currency, multi-book): saved searches, reports, approval workflows, SuiteProcurement.
• Build, document, and automate Austrian finance process with the Director of Finance & Accounting.

Required Qualifications

• Bilanzbuchhalter under the BiBuG, or equivalent qualification in accounting, finance, or controlling (HAK/HLW, FH, university).
• Five or more years of full-cycle accounting in Austria, including sole responsibility for a legal entity’s books and the Jahresabschluss under UGB.
• Working command of Austrian payroll and payroll tax.
• Practical command of Austrian and EU VAT: intra-community supplies, acquisitions, reverse charge.
• Professional fluency in German and English.
• Advanced Excel; ERP-native rather than spreadsheet-dependent.
• Authorisation to work in Austria.

Preferred Qualifications

• EU grant financial reporting (Horizon Europe or Horizon 2020, EU Innovation Fund, FFG or aws programmes), including periodic cost claims and grant audit experience.
• US GAAP and reporting into a US parent company.
• Manufacturing or capital-equipment environment: inventory, work orders, WIP.
• Personalverrechner certification.
• Startup or scale-up experience, ideally hardware.