Group Financial Controller

About the role

Disrupt, a UAE-headquartered venture builder and holding company, is rebuilding its Group Finance around two pillars: FP&A and a Center of Excellence (COE) that handles bookkeeping, AR/AP, payroll, reporting, consolidation and taxes. As Group Financial Controller, you will run the COE as an internal service business, acting as the VP Finance's deputy for finance operations, tax and ERP, and as the group's strongest technical finance professional.

Key responsibilities

• Run the COE with accurate, timely, SLA-bound accounting, reporting and tax for every portfolio company, under one control framework and group standards.
• Set and maintain high standards: timely close, clean audits and reliable numbers; foster ownership, accountability and continuous learning.
• Own accounting accuracy, completeness and timeliness; set group accounting policies, the group chart of accounts and IFRS application.
• Act as final authority on complex accounting (revenue recognition, IFRS 16, 9, 2, business combinations, consolidation, equity, minority interests, FX); sign off statutory and consolidated financial statements.
• Own the monthly close calendar, group consolidation, bank, intercompany and balance sheet reconciliations.
• Oversee tax strategy and positions (UAE Corporate Tax, VAT, Pakistan income tax, sales tax, transfer pricing, withholding) and lead matters with tax authorities and audits.
• Design and enforce authorization matrices, segregation of duties and maker-checker, and the two-way SLA framework with the businesses and FP&A.
• Own the accounting systems landscape (currently Odoo and QuickBooks), set group standards, manage configuration, integrations, onboarding and UAT, and reduce manual effort.
• Lead the team, coach and train members, plan capacity on workload, and build a named successor.
• Be the primary contact for external auditors and regulators, and win over portfolio companies to the COE.

Required profile

• Chartered Accountant (ICAP, ICAEW or equivalent), ACCA or CPA.
• 12+ years post-qualification experience, including at least 5 years running the finance or controllership function of a multi-entity group.
• Has led a sizeable finance team, including managers, and grown it.
• Proven track record of strengthening and scaling a finance function with measurable results.
• Hands-on tax knowledge, including tax audits, assessments and appeals in Pakistan; working knowledge of UAE Corporate Tax and VAT.
• Has owned external audits end to end and dealt directly with regulators and tax authorities.
• Has implemented accounting systems end to end, including configuration, data migration, UAT and consolidation across entities.
• Has designed and enforced internal controls.

Required skills

• Expert command of IFRS and US GAAP, including consolidation of multi-entity, multi-currency groups and complex areas such as revenue, leases, financial instruments, share-based payments and business combinations.
• Preferred: multi-jurisdiction or shared services experience (UAE, Pakistan, US or offshore), technology or venture-backed background, and hands-on use of AI and automation tools.

What we offer

• A competitive salary benchmarked to senior finance leadership roles in Pakistan.
• A discretionary performance bonus paid half-yearly.
• Full ownership of group finance operations and exposure to multi-jurisdiction structuring, fundraising and new ventures.
• Investment in development, including training, certifications and conferences.