Group Financial Controller (IPO Readiness)

Role Overview

What The Controller Does Directly

• Builds the Group's financial function from scratch: processes, policies, and controls.
• Participates in designing the Group's financial architecture — corporate structure, financial flows, intra-group licensing models, and the allocation of functions and responsibilities across group companies — together with external legal and tax/transfer-pricing advisors, to ensure transparency, scalability, and compliance with IFRS, transfer-pricing requirements, and future IPO readiness.
• Selects, implements, and develops the Group's ERP and finance systems, ensuring a full audit trail, consolidation, multi-level approvals, internal controls, and readiness for international audit.
• Ensures financial data quality, a single Group Chart of Accounts, master-data consistency, and the integrity of financial information (data governance).
• Consolidates the Group's companies: multi-entity, multi-currency, with correct elimination of intra-group transactions (including intra-group licensing royalties).
• Ensures timely, high-quality month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close in line with an approved Financial Close Calendar.
• Prepares IFRS reporting.
• Oversees corporate treasury, banking relationships, payment processes, and Group liquidity.
• Prepares budgets and cash-flow forecasts.
• Prepares materials for the Board of Directors, external auditors and — as it is established — the Audit Committee (board reporting, KPIs, variance analysis).
• Prepares financial packages and figures for investors (in support of the CFO; ownership of investor relations remains with the CFO).
• Coordinates external auditors, tax advisors, valuers, and other financial advisors of the Group.
• Develops financial policies, internal regulations, and the internal financial control system.
• Documents processes as an ongoing discipline, not a one-off exercise ahead of audit.

What The Controller Oversees (Outsourced And Local)

• Primary bookkeeping and journal entries — outsourced; the Controller reviews and closes.
• Payroll — outsourced.
• Local tax compliance in individual countries — local accountants.
• Implementation and maintenance of the transfer-pricing model and intra-group licensing flows — the model is developed together with external tax/TP advisors; the Controller embeds it into the accounts, documentation, and reporting and ensures compliance.
• Compliance with Economic Substance Requirements (ESR) and other corporate substance requirements in the Group's relevant jurisdictions.

Audit And Ipo Readiness

• Builds the financial function so that the first Big4 audit will not require a rework.
• Prepares the Group for annual external audit and manages the relationship with Big4 auditors.
• Ensures compliance with corporate governance requirements.
• Prepares processes for scaling and a future IPO.

Requirements

• Degree in finance or accounting.
• Professional qualification — ACCA, ACA, or CPA (qualified candidates preferred, all else equal).
• Strong command of IFRS.
• Hands-on experience preparing consolidated financial statements for an international group (multi-entity, multi-currency, with intra-group eliminations) — assessed via a practical case study.
• Experience working with external auditors.
• Hands-on experience implementing or substantially transforming ERP / finance systems is a significant advantage.
• Fluent English.
• Advantage: Big4 background followed by a move into industry (exposure to both audit and real-world close).
• Advantage: experience in a technology company.
• Significant advantage: experience preparing a company for IPO.
• *US GAAP is a desirable bonus, not a mandatory requirement (a NASDAQ listing via IFRS as a foreign private issuer is acceptable).*

Personal Qualities

Compensation

• We offer a market-leading package for the right candidate.
• The total fixed package reflects the seniority of a Group-level, IPO-ready Controller — above the median for the Dubai market — and is structured in line with UAE practice.
• Fixed compensation
• **Total fixed package:**
• competitive monthly package (basic salary plus housing and transport allowances), benchmarked to the senior end of the Dubai market and calibrated to the candidate's profile and IPO experience.
• Basic salary structured as per UAE norms, forming the basis for end-of-service gratuity.

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical insurance (employee and family).
• Annual home flights.
• 30 calendar days of paid annual leave.
• End-of-service gratuity in accordance with UAE labour law.
• Variable compensation
• Annual performance bonus tied to clearly defined KPIs — a clean and timely close, a successful first external audit with no major findings, and on-time ERP implementation.

Long-Term And Ipo-Linked Incentive

How To Apply