Finance Controller

Mission:

Prevalent AI is building an AI-native finance function. 

You will own global accounting for Prevalent AI and build the operational finance engine from the ground up. You will put in place the controls and processes, a fast and effective close, the multi-entity consolidation, global accounting, and the tax and compliance framework.  

You will build systems and AI-native process so the business produces fast and reliable numbers, and the CFO can run forward-looking finance on a best-in-class foundation. 

What you will own and deliver:

• Close and consolidation. Establish a fixed monthly close and drive it to extreme efficiency. Own group consolidation and the preparation of board and investor reporting. 

• Systems and ERP. Lead selection and migration off Xero, from requirements through implementation to go-live. Re-design the chart of accounts and GL structure so the infrastructure supports the reporting that the business needs. 

• Finance operations. Billing, collections, rev rec, AP, spend and payments. Payroll. Bookkeeping. You own the foundational operational aspects of a global technology scale up finance organisation. 

• Controls and statutory compliance. Build and run the control environment. Own statutory accounts and filing across all jurisdictions under local GAAP. 

• Audit. Prepare for and run Prevalent AI's first group statutory audit. You will be the primary contact for the audit engagement and deliver a clean first audit to deadline. 

• Tax and transfer pricing. Own group tax compliance and filing for direct and indirect taxes, for example VAT, GST, corporate tax, R&D – in some cases yourself and in some cases with our external advisors. Own and develop the intercompany transfer pricing framework.  
  

About you and what you will bring:

• You have operated in a senior role in a UK/US headquartered startup or scaleup technology business before. 

• You are a chartered/qualified accountant with strong experience in a controller or senior accounting role. 

• A builder. You have stood up or operated a disciplined close process, controls and reporting from an early stage, and you are energised to do it again. 

• ERP selection and implementation experience, having led or held a senior role in migrating to a modern finance system. 

• India statutory, tax and compliance expertise. You have owned the role in a UK HQ’d business before and run multi jurisdiction complexities. 

• Multi-entity, multi-currency consolidation experience. FRS 102 fluency, or IFRS with the ability to operate under FRS 102. 

• Revenue recognition in a software, AI, SaaS or technology services business, including multi-year contracts, blended product and services, allocation and timing. 

• Evidence of using AI in your own work. You have rebuilt at least one accounting or operational workflow with AI tooling in the last three months. You will be asked to demonstrate this. 

How you operate: 

You join the finance function at its earliest stage and partner a CFO who is building every part of it at once.  

You are hands-on now and scale Finance through process, automation and AI first. This is a lean team and every team member carries significant responsibility. You are fluent with modern tooling and automation and reach for it by default. 

The role demands high ownership and high autonomy and requires comfort operating before a process exists. You hold rigour and pace at the same time. You won’t have a structured onboarding, and no one will teach you how to do the job.  

You operate across boundaries. Controllership here connects to GTM, legal, product & engineering, our customers, and the board's reporting needs. You are comfortable engaging beyond the ledger. 

What does success look like for you in the role: 

• Close: we close on day 5 after three months with you in the role. We close on day 2 after nine months with you in the role. 

• ERP: we replace Xero with AI-native ERP in your first six months. The back-end financials re-design enables global multi-currency reporting across all streams: product, services, region, customer, project. 

• Audit: we undergo and successfully complete our first global, group audit in your first six months. 

• Finance operations and rhythm: you are the go-to person for all things financial reporting, accounting, AR/AP, tax and compliance. 

• We have multiple AI-augmented workflows to scale Finance on our growth journey