Financial Control, Accountant in London

ClearBank is a technology-enabled bank transforming banking infrastructure through innovative technology and a full banking licence. We provide cloud-based banking and payment solutions to a growing range of clients and are committed to delivering reliable, scalable financial services while maintaining the highest standards of financial control, governance and regulatory compliance.

The Financial Control team is responsible for ensuring ClearBank’s general ledgers are controlled, maintained and reconciled to support timely and accurate reporting across the organisation and externally to regulators and tax authorities. As ClearBank continues to grow, the team plays a critical role in building scalable, efficient and well-controlled finance processes that support the Bank’s strategic ambitions.

Role Purpose

The Financial Control Lead owns allocated month-end activities within a small, hands-on team, supporting accurate, timely and well-controlled financial information. Reporting to the Financial Control Manager, you will complete month-end tasks, investigate balances and variances, and prepare accounting entries and reconciliations to keep the general ledger accurate and fully supported. The role will also be expected to stay close to all key aspects of the Financial Control team’s remit, including journals, reconciliations, reporting inputs, controls, audit support, process documentation and stakeholder queries. As ClearBank continues to grow, the Financial Control Lead will be at the forefront of identifying, driving and implementing scalable, efficient and well-controlled processes, helping the team reduce manual effort while maintaining strong financial control standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Own allocated month-end close activities and ensure they are delivered accurately and on time.
• Prepare, review and approve general ledger journals as required, ensuring postings are technically accurate, appropriately supported and comply with internal control requirements.
• Own revenue and expense analysis for the relevant areas, ensuring variances are investigated, understood and appropriately communicated to stakeholders.
• Own the monthly capitalisation and amortisation process for intangible assets, ensuring entries are accurate, supported and appropriately controlled.
• Partner with Financial Planning & Analysis to ensure accruals and accounting adjustments are identified, calculated and recorded accurately.
• Prepare, review and approve bank reconciliations as required, ensuring reconciling items are investigated and resolved promptly.
• Own monthly balance sheet reconciliations for the relevant areas, including preparing and reviewing reconciliations where required, ensuring all balances are fully supported and outstanding issues are appropriately managed.
• Take ownership of non-automated accounting entries, ensuring they are accurate, appropriately supported, controlled and clearly documented, with clear audit trails maintained.
• Build and implement scalable, efficient processes while remaining hands-on in day-to-day delivery where needed.
• Support the preparation of management, regulatory, statutory and tax reporting requirements as required.
• Ensure compliance with accounting policies, financial reporting standards and internal control frameworks.

Systems, Automation & Continuous Improvement

• Help drive and implement automation and process improvements across finance processes, controls and reporting activities, helping to reduce manual effort and improve scalability.
• Lead initiatives to automate the capture and posting of accounting entries from ClearBank’s core banking and operational systems into the general ledger.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, scalability and data quality across Financial Control processes.
• Drive the adoption of AI-enabled tools and technologies to reduce manual effort, improve accuracy and enhance team productivity.
• Ensure process changes are documented appropriately and supported by effective control frameworks.

Stakeholder Management

• Build strong working relationships across Finance and the wider business to support accurate financial reporting and operational effectiveness.
• Work collaboratively with Accounts Payable, FP&A, Tax, Treasury, Regulatory Reporting and external auditors to ensure reporting requirements are met.
• Support audit activities by coordinating information requests and providing timely, accurate responses.
• Contribute to cross-functional projects requiring accounting, control or process expertise.

What success looks like in the role:

• Month-end reporting processes are delivered accurately, on time and in line with agreed timetables.
• The general ledger remains well-controlled, supported and reconciled, with minimal audit findings or control weaknesses.
• Complex accounting areas, including share-based payments, are supported with accurate analysis, appropriate documentation and clear escalation where technical judgement is required.
• Practical capex accounting experience is applied to ensure capitalisation and amortisation are accurate, well-supported and appropriately controlled as part of the wider Financial Control remit.
• Financial control processes become increasingly automated, scalable and efficient as ClearBank grows.
• AI-enabled tools are successfully adopted to improve productivity, insight and operational effectiveness.
• Stakeholders receive accurate, timely and reliable financial information that supports decision-making and reporting obligations.
• The role works effectively with colleagues across Finance and the wider business to deliver high-quality outcomes.
• Financial Control contributes to a strong control environment while continuously improving efficiency and reducing operational risk.
• The role demonstrates excellence in both what is delivered and how it is delivered through strong collaboration, ownership, continuous improvement and leadership behaviours.

Skills & Experience (must-have)

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA).
• Strong financial accounting and financial control experience within a regulated financial services environment.
• Experience managing month-end close activities, balance sheet reconciliations and general ledger controls.
• Experience managing the monthly capitalisation and amortisation of intangible assets, including accurate accounting entries, supporting documentation and financial controls.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge, including experience interpreting and applying accounting standards.
• Experience supporting complex accounting areas, including preparing analysis and documentation to support technical accounting judgements.
• Strong understanding of financial controls, governance and audit requirements.
• Proven ability to identify, lead and implement process improvement initiatives.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and strong financial analysis capability.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and evolving environment.
• High attention to detail combined with a pragmatic and solutions-focused mindset.

A little bit more about us!

ClearBank is Where You Can belong: 42% of our senior management roles are held by women. Our enhanced family leave policies. Launching our partnership with Code First Girls. Increasing awareness of neurodiversity in the workplace through our partnership with the Inclusive Group.

Equal Opportunities

ClearBank is committed to ensuring equal opportunities throughout every stage of the recruitment process. ClearBank recognises that diversity is vital to the long-term success of the business in the communities and markets in which it operates. ClearBank is also a firm believer that an inclusive culture fosters greater employee engagement and collaboration. ClearBank strives for diversity and inclusion of all forms, including (but not limited to): gender, age, educational and professional background, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy or maternity, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief and sexual orientation.

As part of the Company’s commitment to equal employment opportunity, we provide reasonable adjustments, to candidates during the recruitment process, including to individuals with disabilities. We want to create a safe space that welcomes everyone so please let us know how we can accommodate you. In case you have any accessibility requirements you can share that with our Talent Acquisition team prior to your interview stage, if applicable.