About the company

My client is an early-stage AI technology company building products for retail traders. Their subscription platform gives users AI-driven trading tools that work across both crypto venues and regulated brokers. They are a technology company, not a broker or an exchange. They sit above the venue and do not touch client funds.

The business is headquartered in the UAE.

The role

This is the first finance hire, building the function from zero. The starting point is a newly incorporated operating company and holding company, backed by a group shareholder. A subscription revenue model is about to go live across multiple distribution and payment channels. The brief is to turn that into:

• clean books
• a disciplined monthly close
• a board pack the shareholders trust
• a company an acquirer could diligence in a week

What you will do

• Stand up accounting, banking and treasury for the operating company and holdco; select and implement the ERP and close tooling.
• Run the monthly close and deliver the board and shareholder reporting pack within 10 working days of month-end.
• Own the annual budget and rolling forecast; manage shareholder funding draw-downs and the associated loan mechanics.
• Design revenue recognition and reconciliation for subscription billing across card, partner-broker and on-chain payment flows; define the finance data model with product and engineering.
• Lead the allocation and documentation of historical group cost recharges onto the new entity in a way that protects future valuation.
• Set up intercompany agreements, transfer pricing and cost-sharing with group entities; manage staff transfers into the new entity.
• Own UAE corporate tax and VAT registration and filings, free zone annual filings, economic substance and the statutory audit.
• Build the controls environment: approval matrix, expense policy, vendor onboarding, dual-control on payments.
• Prepare the finance side of a future capital raise or sale: data room, KPI definitions (ARR, net revenue retention, CAC payback) and quality-of-earnings readiness.

What you bring

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CPA or CA) with 7+ years, including at least 3 as a Controller or Finance Manager in a venture-backed or group-funded technology company.
• Hands-on experience setting up entities and finance operations in the UAE; ADGM or DIFC experience strongly preferred. UAE corporate tax and VAT fluency is required.
• Subscription or SaaS revenue experience: deferred revenue, ARR metrics, multi-currency billing. Fintech, brokerage or crypto exposure is a strong plus.
• Comfortable being the entire finance team for the first 6 to 12 months and building a small team after that.
• Able to hold your own with a group CFO and with shareholders who read numbers closely.

Success at 12 months

• First statutory audit completed without qualification; monthly close running on a 10-day cycle.
• Annual budget approved and tracked monthly, with variance commentary the board acts on.
• Revenue from every live distribution channel reconciled monthly to the cent.
• A data room an acquirer's diligence team can work from without finance rebuilding anything.

Package and process

Competitive base salary, annual bonus and equity. Standard UAE benefits including visa and medical.

1. CEO screen
2. Functional deep-dive
3. A case study of two to three hours: building a 12-month cash forecast from a budget pack
4. A conversation with the group finance team
5. Two references



They move in weeks, not months.