Financial Controller (Fintech / EMI)

We are a UK-licensed Electronic Money Institution (EMI), building modern financial infrastructure across accounts, payments, cards, FX, and analytics. We are looking for a Finance Controller to take ownership of our finance function and support the company through its next growth stage. This is a strategic yet hands-on role where you will own the financial backbone of the business - ensuring clean, audit-ready numbers, strong internal controls, and reliable reporting across all key areas (month-end close, reconciliations, regulatory reporting, budgeting and forecasting). You will help build a scalable finance function aligned with the expectations of a regulated fintech/EMI environment.

Given our rapid expansion, this role will require a proactive, commercially minded finance leader who is comfortable with the complexities of safeguarding, capital adequacy, multi-entity group structures, cashflow management, statutory audits and building internal financial processes. With a lean finance team in the early stages, this role will be very much “hands-on” - from reconciliations and management accounts to designing financial processes and liaising with external accountants, auditors, and regulators.

The successful candidate will be both strategic and hands-on: capable of designing, implementing, and scaling finance processes and procedures from the ground up, while also executing day-to-day responsibilities with precision. As volumes grow, you will build and lead a finance team to support sustainable growth, regulatory excellence, and investor confidence. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA) who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth, and highly regulated environment.

• Define and deliver the workflows, including service pricings across product lines (cards, accounts, acquiring, FX).
• Ensure effective management of regulatory capital, safeguarding arrangements, liquidity, and treasury operations.
• Lead financial planning, budgets, cashflow forecasting, and scenario modelling across group entities.
• Build and scale the future finance function (accountants, treasury specialists, controllers, analysts).

Financial Management & Reporting

• Oversee all aspects of financial management, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency.
• Produce and review monthly management accounts, P&L, balance sheet reconciliations, and cashflow statements.
• Ensure compliance with UK GAAP/IFRS, FCA returns, HMRC obligations, VAT, and corporation tax.
• Manage the annual audit process, preparing all necessary documentation and liaising with auditors.
• Conduct reconciliations (bank, safeguarding, card schemes) and ensure timely resolution of variances.
• Design and maintain a strong internal control environment to prevent errors and fraud.

Financial Planning, Business Partnering & M&A

• Provide timely financial insights to senior management to support decision-making.
• Prepare budgets, forecasts, and variance analysis with actionable recommendations.
• Partner with compliance, risk, operations, and commercial teams to optimise performance and support sustainable growth.

Systems, Processes & Treasury

• Lead the optimisation and automation of financial processes to improve efficiency and accuracy.
• Act as the key finance lead for accounting systems (Xero, QuickBooks), with roadmap to ERP implementation.
• Implement automated integrations between payment systems, accounting, and reporting tools.
• Manage daily safeguarding reconciliations, treasury movements, and liquidity planning.
• Ensure payroll, pensions, employee loan deductions, and HMRC submissions are completed accurately and on time.

Audit, Compliance & Risk Management

• Lead risk management and financial governance across the group.
• Conduct regular internal audits of financial processes and systems for accuracy and compliance.
• Liaise with regulators and auditors to demonstrate ongoing compliance and financial resilience.

Support and mentor junior finance staff, fostering a culture of high standards and continuous development. Work collaboratively across departments to embed financial discipline into all business operations.

Experience in fintech, payments, EMI or regulated financial services. Strong understanding of safeguarding and reconciliations. Experience with multi-entity finance operations. Hands-on experience with Xero or similar accounting systems. Experience preparing management accounts and working with audits. FCA / EMI regulatory reporting experience. ACA / ACCA / CIMA qualification. Experience building finance processes from scratch. ERP implementation experience.

A unique opportunity to join a high-growth fintech at a senior leadership level. Ownership of the finance agenda, with the autonomy to design and build a best-in-class finance function from scratch. Competitive compensation package with potential long-term incentives. Benefits: company pension, paid sick leave, work from home possibility. A dynamic, innovative, and collaborative environment where finance is central to growth, governance, and regulatory excellence.