Head of Finance in Belfast

Whitespace is a sovereign AI company headquartered in Belfast, building the Collective platform for UK defence, national security, and regulated commercial clients.

We work on genuinely hard problems in environments where security, reliability, and trust actually matter.

We build AI for a living, so we expect the people who run our own estate to think the same way.

We are at the point where the systems and habits we set now will shape how the company operates for years.

That is where you come in.

Role Overview

The Head of Finance is responsible for leading and building the finance function at Whitespace, with overall accountability for financial control, reporting integrity, and the operational readiness of the business as it scales through Series B and beyond.

You will work directly with the CFO, taking ownership of everything from the integrity of the financial statements through to audit delivery, investor reporting, and the financial infrastructure needed to support new entities, regions, and revenue streams.

This is a strategic, hands‑on leadership role.

You will lead Whitespace’s first statutory audit, clean up and strengthen the financial control environment, and build the processes and team required to support a defence technology business operating across multiple jurisdictions.

You’ll join a well‑funded team with strong product‑market fit, real purpose, and significant ambition.

Our strategic financial priority is building a finance function that matches the pace and scale of the business — one that can support complex government contract accounting, multi‑entity consolidation, and investor‑grade reporting without losing the agility that defines how we operate.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Financial Control and Reporting Integrity
• Own the end‑to‑end financial control environment for the Group, ensuring accurate, complete, and audit‑ready financial records across all entities.
• Lead the clean‑up and strengthening of the financial statements, addressing any legacy gaps in accounting treatment, classification, and disclosure.
• Deliver monthly management accounts, variance analysis, and board‑ready financial commentary to a consistently high standard.
• Maintain and enforce a robust chart of accounts, cost centre structure, and intercompany accounting framework as the Group expands.
• Own the month‑end and year‑end close processes, driving continuous improvement in speed, accuracy, and completeness.
• Audit and Statutory Compliance
• Lead and deliver Whitespace’s first statutory audit, managing the relationship with external auditors and ensuring a clean, well‑prepared process from start to finish.
• Prepare statutory accounts in accordance with FRS 102
• Design and embed internal controls appropriate for a scaling, regulated defence technology business, with clear segregation of duties and documented procedures.
• Multi‑Entity and International Expansion
• Establish and maintain financial control and bookkeeping for new regions and entities as the Group expands internationally.
• Design scalable processes for multi‑entity consolidation, intercompany eliminations, and cross‑border tax compliance.
• Work closely with local advisers and the CFO to ensure each new entity is set up with the right structure, controls, and reporting from day one.
• Manage transfer pricing, withholding tax, and other cross‑border considerations as the Group’s international footprint grows.
• Fundraising and Investor Relations Support
• Act as a key finance partner in current and future fundraising processes, supporting the CFO with financial due diligence, data room preparation, and investor query management.
• Maintain investor‑ready financial records at all times and ensure reporting obligations under the Investment Agreement are met.
• Strategic Finance and Commercial Partnership
• Think beyond the numbers — act as a strategic partner to the CFO and senior leadership team, surfacing financial insights that inform commercial decisions.
• Support pricing decisions, commercial contract reviews, and bid/no‑bid assessments with robust financial analysis.

Requirements

• Work Experience
• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent) with significant post‑qualification experience.
• Proven track record leading or building a finance function in a fast‑growing technology or scale‑up environment.
• Direct experience preparing for and delivering a statutory audit, ideally as the finance lead on a first or early‑stage audit.
• Experience managing financial operations across multiple entities and jurisdictions, including entity setup and international expansion.
• Track record of supporting or leading financial due diligence and investor reporting for fundraising rounds.
• Technical Skills
• Strong technical accounting knowledge under FRS 102 or IFRS, with the ability to resolve complex accounting treatments independently.
• Advanced proficiency in Xero and Google Sheets or Excel, including financial modelling and multi‑entity reporting.
• Experience designing and implementing internal controls frameworks appropriate for a scaling, regulated business.
• Familiarity with government contract billing, cost‑reimbursable project accounting, or defence procurement processes.

Skills and Behaviours

• Strategically minded: sees beyond the transaction to the commercial implications and acts accordingly.
• Control‑first: treats financial accuracy, audit readiness, and compliance as non‑negotiable foundations, not afterthoughts.
• Decisive and accountable: takes ownership of problems, makes clear recommendations, and delivers to deadline.
• Builder of people and process: recruits, develops, and retains strong finance professionals, and builds scalable systems around them.
• Pragmatic and resilient: balances rigour with pace, thriving in a fast‑changing environment where not everything is fully defined.
• Discreet: handles highly sensitive commercial, payroll, investor, and defence‑related information with absolute confidentiality.
• Mission and Opportunity
• Lead the finance function of a serious, mission‑driven defence technology company with enormous growth potential.
• Deliver the company’s first statutory audit and build the financial infrastructure for international expansion.
• Work at the intersection of cutting‑edge AI, national security, and high‑growth venture — with real visibility at board level.
• Shape how the finance function operates as the business scales through Series B and beyond.
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