Financial Control Lead 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.

The Financial Control Lead is a key member of a small, hands-on Financial Control team, responsible for contributing directly to the month-end close process and supporting the delivery of accurate, timely and well-controlled financial information. The role will own individual tasks and areas of responsibility.

Reporting to the Financial Control Manager, the Financial Control Lead will be actively involved in preparing and supporting core financial control activities, completing month-end tasks, investigating balances and variances, and working through accounting entries and reconciliations to ensure the general ledger is 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 role 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.
• 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.
• Own the monthly capitalisation and amortisation process for intangible assets, ensuring entries are accurate, supported and appropriately controlled.
• 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.

Skills & Experience (must-have)

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA).
• Strong financial accounting and financial control experience within a regulated financial services, banking or fintech environment.
• Experience managing month-end close activities, balance sheet reconciliations and general ledger 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.

Nice-to-have

• Experience within a regulated bank or payments organisation.
• Experience with share-based payment accounting.
• Experience supporting statutory accounts, regulatory reporting or tax reporting processes.
• Experience implementing finance systems, automation solutions or reporting enhancements.
• Knowledge of data analytics, AI-enabled tools and workflow automation technologies.
• Experience working with high-volume transaction processing environments.

At ClearBank we think about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) a lot. Not because we think we should. But because we know we should – how else can we build a happy workforce and be successful as a business. We’re committed to making sure our teams reflect society. And we put energy and effort into making this a place where everyone feels at home, where they’re given the trust and encouragement to do their very best work.

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 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.