Financial Controller

Job Position: Finance Controller, Senior Accounting, Financial Operations Lead

Work Arrangement: Remote (LATAM and PH based)

Job Type: Full-time, Independent Contractor

Work Schedule: 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday with core hours between 9 AM – 5 PM EST

About Pearl Talent::

We're hiring a Finance Controller for —which places top 1% talent from around the world into operational roles at startups. We've bootstrapped our company to a couple of million in revenue and are adding six to seven figures in net new annualized revenue each month. Our clients are fast-growing startups and phenomenal US-based businesses that have raised over $3B in funding from Sequoia, a16z, Founders Fund, Y Combinator, and other top VC firms.

I'm a 3x founder and most recently was investing into deep tech companies as COO of a fund in SF: . I grew up in the Philippines myself—which is why I care so much about giving international talent opportunities to work at the best companies in the world) and most recently was investing.

At Pearl, we know that although opportunities aren't created equal in the world, ambitious talent is. And it's our mission to give hires from around the world who are sharp and hungry the opportunity to earn far more than they would in their home countries while learning from the best founders.

This is a completely WFH opportunity, where you'll come in and help us lead and set the direction of our fast-growing client success team. We'll need someone who can overlap working ET hours.

Purpose of Your Role

As Financial Controller at Pearl, you'll own the integrity, stability, and strategic insight of our financial operations. You will ensure our financial data is accurate, our compliance is ironclad, and financial workflows scale with our growth. You'll be a key partner to leadership, translating numbers into strategy, risk mitigation, and opportunity

This role is perfect for someone who's detail-obsessed, thrives on creating order in numbers, and wants to play a key part in scaling a fast-growing startup.

Role Overview:

The Financial Controller will be responsible for overseeing all day-to-day accounting and finance operations, including bookkeeping, reporting, compliance, and cash management. This role goes beyond maintaining accurate records — you will design and enforce financial controls, build scalable processes, and provide the analysis leadership needs to make data-driven decisions.

You'll balance hands-on execution with strategic oversight, ensuring Pearl's finances are both rock-solid and future-ready. This is a role for someone who thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, can operate independently, and wants to directly shape the financial foundation of a scaling startup.

Requirements:

Financial Leadership & Oversight:

• Oversee all aspects of financial operations: accounting, reporting, accounts payable/receivable, payroll, and cash management.
• Maintain (and continuously improve) robust financial controls to minimize risk and ensure compliance with relevant laws, tax regulations, and external audit requirements.
• Ensure timely and accurate month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes.

Reporting & Strategic Analysis:

• Produce and present monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements (P&L, balance sheet, cash flow) for internal leadership and external stakeholders.
• Develop forecasting models and budgets. Track performance against budget, provide variance analysis, and recommend corrective actions.
• Generate financial insights that help drive decisions on cost optimization, revenue growth, investment, and risk.

Process Optimization & Systems Management:

• Evaluate and design financial systems and tools to improve efficiency, accuracy, and scalability.
• Automate manual workflows where appropriate. Standardize templates, policies, and procedures.
• Oversee vendor/contractor relationships, ensuring payment processes are reliable and cost-effective.

Compliance, Control & Risk Management:

• Ensure compliance with tax, regulatory, and reporting requirements in all jurisdictions where Pearl operates.
• Lead audits, liaise with external auditors, and ensure documentation and internal practices satisfy audit standards.
• Manage international transactions and currency conversion, cross-border compliance where relevant.

Team, Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Mentor or manage (directly or indirectly) junior accounting/finance personnel and possibly external support (bookkeepers, external accountants).
• Work closely with Ops, People, Legal, and Senior Leadership to align financial strategy with company objectives.
• Maintain strong relationships with banks, tax authorities, legal advisors, and other financial service providers.

Must Have:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related; CPA, CMA, or equivalent strongly preferred.
• 5+ years' experience in full-spectrum accounting/financial control in a high-growth, fast-moving environment (startups a plus).
• Deep understanding of accounting principles, revenue recognition, GAAP (or applicable accounting standards), and financial compliance.
• Experience with financial systems (e.g., QuickBooks, Xero, Netsuite, or comparable ERPs), advanced Excel/Google Sheets, plus data analysis tools.
• Strong attention to detail paired with the ability to think strategically.
• Excellent communicator, able to present complex financial information clearly to non-financial leaders.

Benefits:

• Potential for profit share based on performance
• Fully WFH, forever
• Annual team retreat
• Unlimited PTO