Finance Lead
Full-Time
Hybrid
Kuala Lumpur
The Role
Reporting directly to the CEO, the Head of Finance owns the Finance function end-to-end - from day-to-day operations to board-level reporting. This is a player-manager role: you will lead a small finance team whilst personally driving financial planning, analysis, and business partnering across Excelerate's growing portfolio, acting as a trusted strategic partner to senior leadership. The role also requires effective engagement with Excelerate's parent company across group reporting, consolidation, and intercompany matters.
Key Responsibilities
Financial Leadership and Governance
Own the Finance function end-to-end, setting standards, controls, and processes that scale with the business
Act as the primary finance lead for the CEO and Board, delivering clear and timely financial information
Manage all aspects of the group finance relationship with the parent company, including reporting, consolidation, intercompany transactions, and transfer pricing
Ensure statutory compliance across audit, tax, and regulatory obligations, and manage relationships with external auditors and advisors
Oversee account reconciliation, balance sheet analysis, and periodic financial reviews
Financial Planning and Analysis
Lead the annual budgeting cycle and rolling forecasts in collaboration with business unit leaders
Build and maintain financial models to support business planning, scenario analysis, and strategic decision-making
Prepare and report on monthly revenue, P&L, and cash flow forecasts, with clear variance analysis
Monitor cash flow and working capital to ensure sufficient liquidity at all times
Assess financing alternatives, weighing risk, return, and market conditions
Business Partnering and Commercial Support
Act as a strategic partner to business unit leaders, providing financial insight that drives performance
Support pricing reviews for products and services, contributing a financially rigorous perspective
Provide finance support for proposals, contracting, sales, and collections activities
Identify key commercial risks and opportunities, making proactive recommendations to the senior leadership team
Monitor and analyse gross margins, costing, and key cost lines including marketing and performance spend
Team and Operations
Lead, mentor, and develop the finance team, building capability and fostering a high-performance culture
Continuously improve finance processes, systems, and tools to support efficiency and scalability, implementing AI where possible
Support day-to-day finance operations, stepping in where needed as a hands-on team member
Undertake other strategic and operational duties as directed by the CEO
Ideal Candidate
Qualifications and Experience
Holds a recognised degree in Accountancy, Finance, or equivalent
Fully qualified accountant (CA, ACCA, CPA, or equivalent)
At least 10-15 years of progressive finance experience, with a minimum of 3 years in a senior or leadership role
Demonstrated experience owning a Finance function, ideally within a fast-growth, startup, or EduTech environment
Proven experience with group-level reporting, consolidation, and intercompany/transfer pricing matters
Skills and Attributes
Strong commercial acumen with the ability to translate financial data into strategic insight
Excellent financial modelling skills and advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel
Experience with data visualisation and financial reporting tools
Confident communicator, able to present complex financial information clearly to non-finance stakeholders, including the CEO and Board
Natural leader who can develop and inspire a team whilst remaining comfortable being hands-on
Intellectually curious, analytically rigorous, and solutions-oriented
Thrives in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities with composure and attention to detail
Strong digital mindset with an openness to leveraging technology to improve finance operations