Senior Financial Controller

Fairview International School; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

3cat is seeking a Senior Financial Controller to build a robust financial foundation as we scale from 22 to 50+ stores in Malaysia. You will bridge day-to-day operations with strategy, mentor a growing finance team, and own the commercial agenda.

This hands-on leader will implement scalable systems, drive governance, and provide the data that informs expansion, pricing, and profitability. You’ll work closely with the CEO and leadership team in a fast-paced, inventory-heavy environment.

Qualifications

• 7–10 years of experience in retail or inventory-heavy finance.
• Experience with multi-entity consolidation and cross-border tax.
• Professional qualification (ACCA, CPA, or CIMA) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Partner with the CEO, leadership team, and investors to drive business planning, investment decisions, and operational strategy.
• Finance Operations & Governance: Lead all accounting operations, cash management, and inventory-related finance processes across retail and distribution, while maintaining robust internal controls and governance.
• Financial Reporting & Compliance: Manage accurate and timely financial reporting, month-end closing, audit coordination, tax matters, and statutory compliance.
• FP&A & Commercial Insights: Drive financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and scenario modeling, providing commercial analysis to support expansion, pricing, and profitability.
• Team Leadership: Build, mentor, and manage the finance team, fostering a culture of accuracy, accountability, and high integrity.
• Systems & Scaling: Implement process improvements and automation to enhance operational efficiency and scalability as the business grows.

Education

Accounting/Finance degree

ACCA/CPA/CIMA

Job description

We are looking for a Senior Financial Controller who is a strategic expert who can help us build a robust financial foundation for our next phase of growth. This is a role for a hands-on leader who thrives on turning ambiguity into clarity, creating the scalable systems and financial discipline that a rapidly growing business needs to succeed.

As a key partner to our CEO and leadership team, you will bridge the gap between day-to-day financial operations and high-level strategy. You will be comfortable working in a fast-paced, inventory-rich environment, where agility and precision are equally important. This role is a unique opportunity to define our financial roadmap, mentor a growing team, and take ownership of our commercial strategy as we scale.

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Why This Role Matters To Us

3cat is growing fast as we expand from 22 to over 50 stores. To keep up with this growth, we need better systems, stronger financial controls, and reliable data. You will be essential in helping us scale responsibly, ensuring that every business decision is backed by the clear financial insights we need.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership: Partner with the CEO, leadership team, and investors to drive business planning, investment decisions, and operational strategy.
• Finance Operations & Governance: Lead all accounting operations, cash management, and inventory-related finance processes across retail and distribution, while maintaining robust internal controls and governance.
• Financial Reporting & Compliance: Manage accurate and timely financial reporting, month-end closing, audit coordination, tax matters, and statutory compliance.
• FP&A & Commercial Insights: Drive financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and scenario modeling, providing commercial analysis to support expansion, pricing, and profitability.
• Team Leadership: Build, mentor, and manage the finance team, fostering a culture of accuracy, accountability, and high integrity.
• Systems & Scaling: Implement process improvements and automation to enhance operational efficiency and scalability as the business grows.

Key Requirements

We are looking for a builder, not just an administrator. We value problem-solving and commercial impact over specific tenure, though 7–10 years of experience in retail or inventory-heavy finance is ideal. You must be comfortable with multi-entity consolidation and cross-border tax, and hold an Accounting/Finance degree plus a professional qualification (ACCA, CPA, or CIMA). Above all, we need someone who:

• Thrives in high-growth, entrepreneurial environments and can scale finance systems alongside business expansion.
• Balances financial control and governance with operational agility.
• Is commercially minded, capable of bridging the gap between financial data and strategic business decisions.
• Leads with accountability, integrity, and a proactive, solutions-oriented mindset.
• Builds, mentors, and manages high-performing teams.
• Communicates effectively with CEOs, founders, and investors, acting as a true business partner.

If you have a track record of driving results and taking on bigger challenges, we want to hear from you, even if you don't tick every single box.

Expected Outcomes from this Role

• Establish Robust Financial Governance: Implement scalable controls, systems, and reporting to ensure clear performance visibility as we scale to 50+ stores.
• Drive Strategic Growth & Partnerships: Act as a core business partner to the leadership team, utilizing financial planning, modeling, and team mentorship to enable sustainable profitability and informed decision-making.

3cat started in 2023 as a single store in Kuala Lumpur, selling one thing: pre-owned Apple products, done properly. Since then we’ve grown into one of Malaysia’s largest AI-native retailers of quality used electronics, with 20+ stores nationwide and a tech platform that powers everything we do, from how we price a device to how we serve a customer.

We believe great tech shouldn't cost the earth. Every device we sell is up to 60% cheaper than new, backed by a 12-month warranty and a 15-day return policy. Every device we sell is also one less device in a landfill.

Our Vision

Make secondhand tech the first choice. It's smarter, cheaper, and better for the planet.

"First change your device, then change the world."

Life at 3cat: Our Values

Forget the posters on the wall. This is how we actually work, collaborate, decide, and win, every single day.

Speak Truth. So problems don't hide. No sugarcoating, no "I'll bring it up later." If something's off, we say it, straight up, to the person who needs to hear it. Awkward conversations now beat bigger messes later.

Team as One. So challenges become opportunities. There's no "that's not my department" here. Store, HR, tech, ops, we're one team chasing one scoreboard. When something breaks, we fix it together, not point fingers at each other.

Own It. So accountability becomes action. See something broken? Fix it. Don't wait for permission, don't wait for someone else to notice. We hire people who take the wheel, not people who wait for directions.

Customer First. So trust becomes loyalty. Every call we make starts with one question: does this make things better for the customer? Get that right often enough, and trust turns into people who keep coming back, and keep telling their friends.

Keep Moving.So good becomes great. "Good enough" isn't a finish line here, it's a checkpoint. We move fast, we learn faster, and we're always asking what's next.

This is the energy behind 3cat. If it sounds like your kind of workplace, you'll fit right in.

Ready to Join Us?

We're solving one of the world's fastest growing waste problems while making good tech affordable. We're just getting started, and we want you building the next chapter with us.