The Role
Lead accounting for Upway’s multi-entity international operations, managing the accounting team, monthly and annual close, statutory reporting, intercompany reconciliations, inventory, revenue, AP/AR, VAT, tax compliance, audits, and internal controls. The role will also build scalable accounting processes, automate reporting in NetSuite, and partner with FP&A, Operations, and leadership on expansion and finance projects.
Summary Generated by Built In
About Upway
Upway’s mission is to make electric mobility accessible to everyone. We buy second-hand e-bikes, refurbish them in our UpCenters and resell them online. We’ve already put more than 200,000 e-bikes back on the road in 🇫🇷 France, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇳🇱 the Netherlands and 🇺🇸 the United States. Our goal: 1 million e-bikes back on the road by 2030.
Upway’s mission is to make electric mobility accessible to everyone. We buy second-hand e-bikes, refurbish them in our UpCenters and resell them online. We’ve already put more than 200,000 e-bikes back on the road in 🇫🇷 France, 🇩🇪 Germany, 🇧🇪 Belgium, 🇳🇱 the Netherlands and 🇺🇸 the United States. Our goal: 1 million e-bikes back on the road by 2030.
Why this role is special
- You set the standards. Accounting at Upway is moving from “getting it done” to “built to scale.” The close calendar, controls and policies you put in place will become the backbone of a group targeting 1M bikes by 2030.
- Accounting with real operations behind it. Physical stock in several warehouses, second-hand VAT schemes, refurbishment costs, returns and warranties across 5 countries. The problems are concrete, and they directly affect our margins.
- International from day one. Five countries on two continents, with new markets and new businesses coming. You’ll build the multi-entity setup as we grow.
- Automation is part of the job. We expect you to automate our accounting and reporting processes
What you will do
Lead the team
- Manage and develop a team of 4 accountants: 3 senior accountants, 2 junior accountants.
- Hire new team members and shape the team’s structure as Upway enters new countries and businesses.
- Coordinate external accounting and tax firms in and hold them to clear deadlines and quality standards.
Own the close and statutory reporting
- Run the monthly and annual close across all entities using a clear calendar and checklist and deliver accurate, complete figures on time.
- Own the statutory financial statements under local GAAP.
- Manage intercompany flows and reconciliations and prepare data for group consolidation.
- Review balance sheet reconciliations monthly and clear old or unusual items.
Get our business-specific accounting right
- Inventory: acquisition and refurbishment costs, stock valuation, write-downs and physical counts in our UpCenters.
- Revenue and cash: matching payments from our payment providers and buy-now-pay-later partners, and accounting for returns, warranties and trade-ins.
- AP/AR: keep supplier invoices, payment runs and collections under control.
Tax and compliance
- Oversee VAT and sales tax across 5 countries, including the margin scheme for second-hand goods, EU OSS and US sales tax.
- Work with external advisors on corporate income tax, transfer pricing documentation and tax filings.
- Be the main contact for statutory auditors and during tax audits.
Raise standards
- Strengthen internal controls: segregation of duties, approval workflows, documented processes and accounting policies.
- Lead projects to shorten the close and automate reporting in NetSuite and the tools around it.
- Partner with FP&A, Operations and leadership on projects like new market launches, fundraising due diligence and system changes.
Who we’re looking for
- Experience: +5 years years in accounting, with a strong grounding in audit (Big 4 or equivalent) and in-house experience in a scale-up or multi-entity group.
- Management: you’ve already led a small team and enjoy helping people grow.
- Technical depth: strong Accounting knowledge. Exposure to inventory accounting and multi-country VAT is a real advantage, as is retail, e-commerce or second-hand goods experience.
- Education: a Master’s in accounting or finance, or a business school degree. DSCG or DEC is a plus.
- Tools and AI: comfortable with an ERP (NetSuite is a plus) and advanced spreadsheets. You already use AI in your daily work.
- Languages: fluent French and English. German or Dutch is a plus.
- How you work: Strong organizational skills, rigorous attention to detail and excellent communication abilities to work effectively with both finance and non-finance teams.
What we offer
- Competitive salary including equity participation
- Real responsibility in a mission-driven scale-up that’s building something big
- Team events, offsites, and an energetic, sporty atmosphere
- 15% off any e-bike from Upway
- Swile meal card and Alan health insurance ·
- 50% of your transport pass covered
About
At Upway, we are making electric mobility accessible to everyone. We are looking for high intelligence, high energy and high integrity people to join us on an exciting journey and reshape mobility with us.Our mission is to make e-bikes the norm, redefining how the world moves. As the global leading platform for certified pre-owned and refurbished e-bikes, we proudly serve customers across nine countries, including France, Germany and the US.We are an international company and operate from Paris, Antwerp, Berlin, Dusseldorf, Los Angeles, Amsterdam and New York. In just three years, we achieved a fast paced growth, ambitious expansion and secured $120M+ from leading investors, including Sequoia, Exor Seed, Korelya Capital & GFC.
Skills Required
- At least 5 years of accounting experience
- Strong grounding in audit, preferably Big 4 or equivalent
- In-house experience in a scale-up or multi-entity group
- Experience leading a small team
- Strong accounting knowledge
- Master's degree in accounting or finance, or business school degree
- Fluent French and English
- Experience with an ERP and advanced spreadsheets
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and communication abilities
- Inventory accounting and multi-country VAT experience
- Retail, e-commerce, or second-hand goods experience
- NetSuite experience
- DSCG or DEC qualification
- German or Dutch language skills
Am I A Good Fit?
Get Personalized Job Insights.
Our AI-powered fit analysis compares your resume with a job listing so you know if your skills & experience align.
Success! Refresh the page to see how your skills align with this role.
The Company
What We Do
Upway is a leading international marketplace for certified pre-owned electric bikes. Founded in 2021, the company specializes in the refurbishment and resale of e-bikes, aiming to make sustainable electric mobility accessible and affordable. Upway operates an extensive circular mobility network, partnering with retailers and individuals to recondition bikes and provide them with a one-year warranty across multiple countries, including the US and Europe.
