Financial Controller Lead

Job description

**This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Financial Controller Lead based in France.** As Financial Controller Lead, you will play a strategic role in driving financial performance, supporting executive decision-making, and enabling sustainable growth within an innovative, fast-growing technology environment. You will oversee financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and business performance analysis, transforming complex financial and operational data into actionable insights. Working closely with leadership teams across Product, Sales, Marketing, Technology, Operations, and People, you will help optimize profitability, allocate resources effectively, and identify new growth opportunities. You will also strengthen financial reporting, automate processes, and develop scalable frameworks to support international expansion and evolving business models. This high-impact position combines financial expertise with an entrepreneurial mindset, offering significant ownership and direct exposure to executive and board-level decisions. You will contribute to strategic initiatives in a dynamic, globally distributed environment at the intersection of technology, digital finance, and blockchain innovation. ### Accountabilities - **Financial Planning and Forecasting:** Lead annual budgeting, rolling forecasts, long-range financial planning, and scenario analysis to support business objectives and ensure effective financial resource allocation. - **Strategic Finance Partnership:** Serve as a trusted finance business partner to executive leadership and cross-functional teams, providing financial guidance that supports informed decision-making and operational excellence. - **Financial Modeling and Business Cases:** Develop robust financial models to evaluate strategic initiatives, new products, pricing strategies, market expansion, partnerships, and investment opportunities. - **Business Performance Management:** Monitor and analyze financial and operational performance, identifying trends, risks, opportunities, and improvement areas to drive sustainable growth and profitability. - **Executive Reporting and KPIs:** Design and maintain executive dashboards, performance indicators, and management reports that provide clear visibility into revenue, costs, margins, cash flow, and key business drivers. - **Profitability and Variance Analysis:** Investigate deviations between actual results, budgets, and forecasts, providing actionable recommendations to optimize revenue, gross margins, operating expenses, and cash flow. - **Cross-Functional Collaboration:** Partner with Product, Commercial, Technology, Operations, and other business teams to assess business cases, evaluate resource requirements, and ensure financial considerations are integrated into strategic decisions. - **Board and Investor Support:** Prepare financial analyses and presentations for board meetings, investor discussions, and other executive-level reviews, supporting transparency and strategic alignment. - **Financial Process Optimization:** Improve financial planning, reporting, and analytics through automation, standardized workflows, and scalable processes that enhance accuracy, efficiency, and consistency. - **Financial Reporting and Controls:** Collaborate with Accounting to support accurate month-end closing, financial reporting, and compliance with internal financial controls. - **Technology Business Metrics:** Analyze relevant digital business and subscription metrics, including Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), Customer Lifetime Value (LTV), churn, retention, and unit economics. - **Strategic Growth Initiatives:** Support international expansion, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence, commercial partnerships, and the development of new business models through detailed financial analysis. - **Financial Accountability:** Promote a culture of financial discipline, ownership, and continuous improvement while enabling teams to make timely, data-driven decisions. - **AI-Enabled Finance:** Leverage AI tools and modern financial technologies to streamline analytical workflows, improve reporting efficiency, and enhance the quality of financial insights. ## Requirements - **Education:** Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or a related discipline. - **Professional Experience:** At least 7 years of experience in business controlling, financial planning and analysis (FP&A), strategic finance, or corporate finance, preferably within a high-growth technology company or startup. - **Financial Modeling Expertise:** Strong capabilities in financial modeling, budgeting, forecasting, scenario planning, and business performance analysis, with the ability to translate financial data into practical recommendations. - **Strategic Business Partnership:** Demonstrated experience working with senior executives and cross-functional leadership teams, influencing decisions through clear financial analysis and commercial insight. - **Business and Digital Economics:** A strong understanding of business drivers, revenue models, cost structures, profitability, and digital business economics, including subscription-based models where applicable. - **Advanced Analytical Skills:** Advanced Excel and spreadsheet modeling proficiency, combined with excellent quantitative reasoning and the ability to identify trends, risks, and growth opportunities. - **AI and Technology Proficiency:** Confidence using AI tools in finance-related workflows, alongside experience with ERP, FP&A, and business intelligence platforms such as Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Oracle, SAP, Workday Adaptive Planning, Power BI, Looker, or Tableau. - **Executive Communication:** Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the confidence to communicate complex financial information to senior executives, investors, and board members. - **Process Development:** Proven ability to establish, improve, and scale financial processes in a growing organization, with a focus on automation, accuracy, and operational efficiency. - **Project and Stakeholder Management:** Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple priorities and build effective relationships across departments. - **Adaptability and Ownership:** A proactive, hands-on approach, strong business judgment, intellectual curiosity, and the ability to thrive in a fast-changing environment with evolving priorities and incomplete information. - **Preferred Industry Experience:** Experience in fintech, blockchain, Web3, digital assets, or cryptocurrency-related businesses is an advantage. - **Additional Technical Knowledge:** Familiarity with token economics, digital asset accounting, or cryptocurrency market dynamics is a plus. ## Benefits - **Competitive Compensation:** A competitive compensation package aligned with your experience, skills, and contribution. - **Fully Remote Work:** The flexibility to work remotely from eligible locations across Europe and Latin America. - **Global Coworking Access:** Access to coworking spaces worldwide, providing flexibility to work in an environment that suits your needs. - **Work-Life Balance:** Paid vacation and sick leave to support personal well-being and sustainable working practices. - **Continuous Learning:** Access to professional training programs, language courses, and annual learning sponsorship opportunities. - **Innovative Projects:** The opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge blockchain technology and digital financial infrastructure. - **International Collaboration:** Work alongside a diverse, globally distributed team with expertise across finance, technology, and digital assets. - **Strategic Influence:** Direct involvement in financial strategy, executive decision-making, business expansion, and performance improvement initiatives. - **Professional Growth:** The opportunity to broaden your expertise across strategic finance, business controlling, technology, and emerging digital business models.