At a Glance
- Tasks: Build and redesign accounting processes for a fast-growing fashion tech company.
- Company: Fleek, a pioneering startup transforming the secondhand fashion supply chain.
- Benefits: Equity options, private health benefits, learning budget, and team socials.
- Other info: Dynamic, non-hierarchical culture with opportunities for rapid career growth.
- Why this job: Join a mission-driven team making a real impact on sustainability in fashion.
- Qualifications: Accounting qualification and experience in scaling finance functions.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
Can you help us fix the world's most broken supply chain? The fashion industry produces over 100 billion garments a year. 60% end up in landfill, not because people don't want these clothes, but because the supply chain for getting secondhand fashion from donation to resale is completely offline, manual, and broken. Fleek is fixing this. Our mission is to make secondhand the first choice. We're building the infrastructure powering the global secondhand clothing trade, through a B2B marketplace and the AI systems digitising the supply chain behind it.
Through Fleek, vintage stores, online resellers, and retail buyers source graded secondhand inventory directly from wholesalers and rag houses across multiple countries. Our key enabler is FleekSort, an AI model fine-tuned on secondhand fashion, that can grade, price, and categorise items with just a photo, turning what has historically been an opaque and manual trade into a structured, searchable, and tradable global inventory layer. Since 2022, we've saved 9 million items from landfill and tripled in size year-on-year. We've raised ~$50M from a16z, Y Combinator, HV Capital, and others, and have recently closed our Series B. Our advisors and private investors include operators behind Depop, Shopify, and Postmates. Today, we serve thousands of resellers and retailers across the UK, Europe, and the US. With the secondhand fashion market projected to reach $350B by 2027, Fleek is building the AI-native operational and financial backbone for secondhand commerce globally.
We're looking for people who want to build something that matters, and move fast doing it. Sound good? Keep reading.
About the Role: We’re hiring a Controller to build the next layer of Fleek’s finance function. This is a senior individual contributor role sitting within Finance, focused on creating a scalable controllership foundation in a business that has grown fast and now needs stronger process, rhythm, and control. You’ll work closely with leadership and cross-functional teams to design how accounting should operate as Fleek scales.
Why This Role Stands Out: At most companies, a Controller steps into an established finance function and improves it incrementally. At Fleek, you’ll be doing something much more interesting: building controllership in a company where the business has real scale and complexity, but parts of the accounting operating model still need to be designed from the ground up. In practice, that means you won’t just maintain processes, you’ll challenge them, rebuild them and create the operating cadence the company grows into. This role is especially compelling for someone who has seen what “good” looks like in a larger or more mature environment, but also knows how to operate in the messiness of an early-stage company. Some systems already exist here. Some may need to be rethought entirely. The opportunity is to bring judgment, structure, and momentum to help establish the finance discipline that underpins the next phase of Fleek’s growth.
What Makes You a Fleek Controller?
- Builder Mentality: You don’t just inherit processes, you redesign them when they’re not fit for purpose. You’re excited by the idea of creating a controllership function, not just running one.
- Comfortable with Ambiguity: You know how to operate when the company isn’t at zero-to-one, but the finance function partly is. Existing processes don’t intimidate you, even when they need to be torn down and rebuilt.
- High Agency: You don’t wait for perfect alignment or clean inputs. You can drive an agenda, create momentum and push important operational changes through the organisation.
- Influence Through Credibility: You can create buy-in outside finance, whether that’s around month-end discipline, information flows or better controls. People trust your judgment because it’s practical and grounded.
- Scale-Informed: You’ve seen systems and accounting environments at scale, and you know how to apply that pattern recognition without becoming rigid or over-engineered.
What You'll Do:
- Build the Controllership Foundation: Design and establish the accounting processes, controls, and operating rhythm Fleek needs for its next phase of scale.
- Redesign What Doesn’t Work: Assess existing systems and workflows, identify where they break down, and rebuild them where needed rather than patching around weak foundations.
- Own the Month-End Operating Cadence: Create a cleaner month-end close rhythm across finance and partner teams, including stronger deadlines, accountability and information flow.
- Drive Cross-Functional Discipline: Work with teams outside finance to improve the quality, timeliness, and consistency of inputs into the accounting process.
- Bring Scale to an Early-Stage Environment: Use your experience from larger or more mature organisations to help Fleek build a finance function that is robust without becoming bureaucratic.
What You Bring:
- An accounting qualification such as CA, CCA, or CPA.
- Experience in scaled environments, such as MNCs, big tech, or similarly mature operating environments.
- Experience building accounting systems or processes from scratch, not just operating within established ones.
- Early-stage company exposure, even if your role there was not the most senior finance role.
- Strong stakeholder management and the ability to drive change outside the finance team.
- Good judgment on where to add structure versus where to stay lightweight.
- Remote or distributed team experience is a plus.
- Multi-entity experience is a plus.
- A data-driven or product-adjacent mindset is a plus.
- A genuine excitement for building something from scratch inside a fast-growing company.
Ready to build the infrastructure for the world's fastest-growing fashion economy? If you want to work on genuinely hard problems, with a world-class team, at a company that's tripling annually, we'd love to hear from you.
The Practicalities:
- Location: London HQ, E1, Spitalfields / Shoreditch.
- Work model: In Person, with trust based flexibility.
- Stage: Post-Series B, hyper-growth.
- Team: 100+ across London, India and Pakistan.
- Culture: High ownership, non-hierarchical, fast-moving. Founder-led with strong opinions loosely held.
What's In It for You?
Fleek is building the technology infrastructure for a $350 billion market that has never been digitised. Joining now means you'll be part of the team that defines how the secondhand economy works, at scale, globally.
Why people join Fleek:
- The problem is real: 9 million items saved from landfill since 2022. 17,400 tonnes of CO₂ avoided. Your work has tangible, measurable impact.
- The AI is genuinely novel: FleekSort is the world's first LLM fine-tuned on secondhand fashion. This isn't a GPT wrapper, it's a proprietary model solving classification problems that don't exist anywhere else.
- The growth is exceptional: tripling annually, backed by a16z, Y Combinator, HV Capital and others.
- The timing is perfect: EU regulation is mandating the infrastructure Fleek builds. The secondhand market is growing 3x faster than new fashion. You're catching a wave.
- You'll have real ownership: 100-person company, no bureaucracy. You'll shape decisions and see the impact of your work immediately.
Benefits:
- Equity / share options.
- Pension.
- Private health benefits.
- Learning and development budget.
- Team socials and offsites.
Our Values:
- Dream Big and Disrupt Yourself: Push the most ambitious version of what you're building. Step out of your comfort zone. Nothing is out of reach.
- Absolute Ownership: The buck stops with you. Drive initiatives to completion. Experiment, learn, persevere. The job isn't done until the job is done.
- Curiosity Leads the Way: Don't accept anything at face value. Ask questions you don't know the answer to. That's how you innovate.
- Talk to the Customer: Deeply understand their challenges, motivations, and ambitions. Every decision starts with the customer at the centre.
- Embrace Diversity: A global team building for a global supply chain. Bring your authentic self and embrace the diversity of everyone you encounter.
Head of Controllership employer: Joinfleek
Fleek is an exceptional employer that champions innovation and growth in the fast-paced world of secondhand fashion. With a vibrant work culture based in Shoreditch, London, employees benefit from a collaborative environment that values performance and trust over mere attendance, alongside opportunities for personal and professional development. As part of a rapidly expanding team, you'll play a pivotal role in reshaping the future of the fashion supply chain while being supported by a diverse and ambitious group of individuals who are passionate about making a meaningful impact.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Controllership
✨Get Down to the Fashion Events
Dive headfirst into local fashion shows, trade fairs, and networking events. These are golden opportunities to meet industry pros and showcase your passion for the industry in person. Plus, it gives you the chance to chat about potential roles at places like Joinfleek!
✨Join Fashion-Focused Communities
Become a part of online fashion communities on platforms like Instagram or Pinterest. Participate in discussions and share your insights on trends or your personal style journey. It’s a great way to get noticed by brands looking to fill positions, including Joinfleek.
✨Craft a Rock-Solid Portfolio
Since you're aiming for a full-time gig, your portfolio should reflect not just your best work but also your personality. Whether it’s lookbooks, design sketches, or styling projects, make sure it screams 'you' and includes a bit about why you’d be a perfect fit for Joinfleek.
✨Leverage Your University Connections
If you’re fresh out of university, don’t underestimate your career services. They often have partnerships with fashion companies for internships and entry-level roles. Use this to your advantage and connect with them to find any openings at Joinfleek!
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Controllership
Some tips for your application 🫡
Showcase Your Style:In the fashion-apparel industry, your personal style and understanding of current trends are crucial. Make sure your CV and cover letter reflect your unique fashion sense – use visuals if you can and highlight any fashion-related experiences or projects that show off your flair!
Highlight Relevant Experience:When you're applying for a full-time role, be sure to focus on any past roles or internships in fashion that’ve honed your skills. Whether that's working in retail, fashion design, or marketing, quantify your achievements and show how they relate to the role at Joinfleek.
Include a Strong Portfolio:An impressive portfolio is key in fashion! Make sure to include a link to your online portfolio in your CV, showcasing your best work, be it designs, campaigns, or styling projects. This is your chance to let your creativity shine and demonstrate your abilities to Joinfleek!
Craft a Standout Cover Letter:Use your cover letter to weave in your passion for fashion and the specific reasons you want to work at Joinfleek. Share your vision of how you'd contribute to their brand and why you're excited about their work. Tailoring this will make you stand out from the crowd!
How to prepare for a job interview at Joinfleek
✨Showcase Your Style Portfolio
For a role in the fashion-apparel industry, having a well-curated portfolio is essential. Ensure you include your best work that reflects your style and creativity, whether it's sketches, lookbooks, or completed designs. Be ready to discuss your design process and the inspirations behind your pieces!
✨Know the Latest Trends and Brands
Being well-versed in current fashion trends and influential brands can give you a leg up in the interview. Get familiar with what’s trending in the market and know your competitors. This shows your passion for the industry and helps you connect your work experience to current fashion trajectories.
✨Demonstrate Your Collaboration Skills
In a full-time fashion role, collaboration is key, whether you’re working with designers, marketers, or suppliers. Be prepared to share experiences where you successfully worked as part of a team or navigated challenges with colleagues. This will highlight your ability to adapt and thrive in a fast-paced environment.
✨Dress the Part
This might sound obvious, but in fashion, how you present yourself is part of your brand. Wear something that represents your personal style while still aligning with the company’s aesthetic. It’s a great way to show you understand the industry's essence and can embody the brand’s image!