Finance Controller (EMEA)

Podean; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote-friendly culture

Competitive compensation

5-Year Sabbatical + Travel Stipend

Job summary

Podean is a leading marketplace agency helping brands accelerate growth across Amazon, Walmart, Target, TikTok Shop, and other digital platforms. The Finance Controller (EMEA) will lead Podean’s European accounting function from the UK, manage the Europe accounting team, and coordinate with partners and global leadership.

This role requires hands-on accounting across IFRS/UK GAAP with US GAAP alignment, statutory reporting, VAT, and multi-country experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or CPA strongly preferred.
• Minimum 6 years of progressive accounting experience with ownership of full month-end close and people management.
• Strong IFRS/UK GAAP with experience aligning to US GAAP.
• Experience in UK and Germany statutory reporting, VAT, and local compliance.
• Experience managing multi-country, multi-entity accounting and coordinating with external accounting firms.

Responsibilities

• Lead accounting for European entities (UK, Germany, Slovakia, and others) including month-end close, journals, reconciliations, accruals, and eliminations.
• Sign off on monthly journal entries and balance sheet reconciliations for all European entities.
• Review AR, including billing accuracy, ageing, and collections escalations; review AP, payroll inputs, fixed assets, prepaids, intercompany.
• Manage the Europe accounting team and external firms, providing direction and development.
• Oversee statutory compliance for UK and EU entities (VAT, payroll taxes, filings).
• Coordinate with external partners and local tax advisors across Europe.
• Ensure audit readiness and serve as primary contact for external auditors; align IFRS/UK GAAP with US GAAP.
• Partner with Global Controller on consolidation and policy alignment; drive process improvements to shorten close cycle.
• Escalate sensitive accounting or client issues; oversee performance reviews and integration efforts.

Skills

IFRS/UK GAAP

US GAAP alignment

Multi-country

Statutory reporting

VAT compliance

Payroll taxes

Team leadership

External auditors

ERP systems

QuickBooks

Xero

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Podean is a leading marketplace agency helping brands accelerate growth across Amazon, Walmart, Target, TikTok Shop, and other digital commerce platforms. We combine strategic expertise, data-driven insights, and creative innovation to deliver measurable business outcomes for our clients.

The Finance Controller (EMEA) will play a critical role in leading Podean’s accounting function across our European entities as we continue to scale globally. Based in the UK, this role will report directly to the Global Controller and manage the Europe accounting team, working closely with the core finance team based in the Philippines, external accounting partners, and global leadership.

This is a highly visible role for someone who thrives in fast-paced, PE-backed environments and enjoys balancing technical accounting ownership with team leadership and process improvement.

What You’ll Do

• Lead accounting for all European entities (UK, Germany, Slovakia, and others), owning the full European month-end close, including journals, reconciliations, accruals, and eliminations.
• Sign off on monthly journal entries and balance sheet reconciliations for all European entities.
• Review AR work, including billing accuracy, ageing, and collections escalations.
• Review general accounting work, including AP, payroll inputs, fixed assets, prepaids, and intercompany.
• Manage the Europe accounting team (AR, general accountant, and external firms), providing clear direction, coaching, and development.
• Oversee statutory compliance for UK and EU entities, including VAT, payroll taxes, and statutory filings.
• Coordinate with external accounting partners and local tax advisors across European jurisdictions.
• Ensure audit readiness and serve as the primary contact for external auditors on European entities.
• Partner with the Global Controller on consolidation, intercompany, and accounting policy alignment (IFRS/UK GAAP and US GAAP).
• Identify process gaps and drive improvements across European accounting workflows, reducing the close cycle through process redesign and accountability.
• Act as the escalation point for sensitive accounting or client issues across the European entities.
• Prepare and administer performance reviews for the Europe accounting team.
• Support integration efforts of acquired and legacy entities.

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field; ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or CPA qualification strongly preferred
• Minimum of 6 years of progressive accounting experience, including ownership of a full month-end close and people management
• Strong technical accounting skills across IFRS/UK GAAP, with experience aligning to US GAAP
• Hands‑on accounting experience in both the UK and Germany regions is required, including statutory reporting, VAT, and local compliance
• Experience managing multi-country, multi-entity accounting, including UK and EU statutory compliance (VAT, payroll taxes, statutory filings)
• Experience managing external accounting firms and local tax advisors
• Strong experience with ERP, accounting, and reporting systems in a growth environment (Experience using QuickBooks and Xero is a plus)
• Experience working with US and global finance teams
• Experience in a private equity–backed company strongly preferred
• Experience leading statutory audits and working closely with external auditors
• Proactive problem-solver who communicates effectively with global leadership and is comfortable managing complexity and ambiguity

Why Join Podean?

Podean is proud to be recognized as one of Digiday’s Best Employers for Remote Employees. We combine the energy of a fast-growing global agency with the balance and trust of a remote-first culture.

You’ll join a globally connected, award-winning team that values:

• Competitive compensation - aligned to experience and market benchmarks
• Global collaboration - working with experts across regions and time zones
• Career growth and development - opportunities to evolve as we scale
• 5-Year Sabbatical + Travel Stipend - After your 5-year anniversary, take a fully paid month-long sabbatical, plus a travel reimbursement to make your experience restorative and inspiring
• Positive-energy culture - grounded in respect, inclusion, and accountability
• Meaningful impact helping some of the world’s most progressive brands grow