Senior Finance Controller
Wise · Austin, United States · 24d ago
Company Description
Wise is a global technology company, building the best way to move and manage the world’s money.
Min fees. Max ease. Full speed.
Whether people and businesses are sending money to another country, spending abroad, or making and receiving international payments, Wise is on a mission to make their lives easier and save them money.
As part of our team, you will be helping us create an entirely new network for the world's money.
For everyone, everywhere.
More about our mission and what we offer.
Job Description
Wise is hiring a Senior Finance Controller to help scale the finance function as we grow products, customers, and our regulatory footprint. This includes geographic expansions as well major initiatives to gain direct access to local payment rails in the US and Canada.
The individual will sit at the intersection of controllership and business performance—building strong accounting, controls, and regulatory reporting foundations while also strengthening planning, forecasting, and decision support for leadership.
Reporting to: Regional CFO
Key partners: Regional Finance team, Group Accounting, Tax, Treasury, Compliance/Risk, Product, Banking/Ops, Data/Analytics.
What you’ll do:
Accounting, Close & Controls (Controllership):
Own the integrity of the general ledger, ensuring transactions are recorded accurately and in line with company policy and US GAAP (IFRS knowledge a plus).
Lead month-end and year-end close activities, including reconciliations, journal entry review, balance sheet substantiation, and close governance (calendar, checklists, review/sign-off standards).
Maintain audit-ready documentation and support clear accounting positions/memos for complex or judgmental areas.
Design, operate, and continuously improve key financial controls with strong evidence standards and repeatable processes; lead remediation for any control/audit findings.
Develop a firm understanding of internal controls, inter-company transactions, capital requirements, funding and transfer pricing agreements.
Regulatory Reporting & Audit / Examiner Management:
Serve as the primary accounting/process contact for regulators, external auditors, and internal audit.
Lead initial setup and ongoing quarterly/periodic regulatory reporting: planning, data collection, validation, preparation, and submission with a high bar for accuracy and integrity.
Build and maintain a regulatory reporting “playbook” and evidence repository to reduce rework and improve consistency as the business scales.
Coordinate responses to information requests and manage stakeholders to ensure timely, high-quality delivery. (Direct federal regulator reporting such as FFIEC call report experience is a plus).
Annual Statutory Audit Management:
Lead the annual statutory audit for the entity, including audit planning, PBC coordination, timeline management, and stakeholder communication.
Prepare and review statutory financial statements and supporting schedules; ensure consistency with underlying books and agreed accounting policies.
Partner with Tax, Group Accounting, and external advisors to resolve technical accounting and disclosure matters.
Drive timely resolution of audit findings, management letter points, and control recommendations.
FP&A, Forecasting & Performance Management:
Work with global FP&A and analytical teams to support budgeting and rolling forecasting in Anaplan and Planful, including assumption management, scenario analysis, and risks/opportunities tracking.
Partner with Product, Banking, Ops, and Compliance to connect operational drivers to financial outcomes (unit economics, cost-to-serve, efficiency metrics, and investment trade-offs).
Improve KPI definitions, reporting cadence, and decision-useful insight (not just reporting).
Scaling the Function:
Partner with regional and global teams to ensure systems, processes, and controls are ready for new products, regulatory requirements, and entity/geography expansion.
Drive process improvements and automation using practical tooling (advanced Excel, planning tools, improved templates/workflows).
Start as a senior individual contributor with an expectation to build out a team and/or manage external providers.
What success looks like (first 6–12 months):
Solid understanding of the Wise finance ecosystem - who, when, where and how to get things done in a global environment particularly as it relates to accounting, finance set-up and implementation of new products and services
Regulatory reporting delivered on time with strong controls, documentation, and minimal iteration.
Annual statutory audit delivered on time with well-managed PBCs, minimal surprises, and clear issue resolution.
A consistent monthly performance cadence (actuals/forecast, drivers, risks/opportunities) that enables faster, better decisions.
Tangible process improvements that reduce manual effort and increase accuracy as the business scales.
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance.
CPA strongly preferred.
7+ years in accounting/controllership, ideally in banking, fintech, payments, or other regulated environments (Big 4 experience a plus).
Experience setting up and producing regulatory reporting for federal or state regulators and working directly with regulators/auditors.
Experience managing annual statutory audits, including coordinating external auditors and preparing financial statement support.
Proven ownership of close processes, reconciliations, and financial reporting quality.
Strong knowledge of US GAAP (IFRS familiarity a plus) and mature financial controls.
Strong analytical and communication skills—able to translate complex finance topics to non-finance audiences and create crisp leadership narratives.
Comfortable operating in ambiguity, building scalable processes, and driving cross-functional alignment.
Strong working proficiency with Excel; hands-on experience in Anaplan and/or Planful preferred (or strong ability to ramp quickly).
Additional Information
Nice to have's:
FFIEC call report exposure.
Experience building finance infrastructure in high-growth, multi-entity, regulated environments.
Experience improving reporting through better data models, automation, and standardized operating procedures.
For everyone, everywhere. We're people building money without borders — without judgement or prejudice, too. We believe teams are strongest when they are diverse, equitable and inclusive.
We're proud to have a truly international team, and we celebrate our differences.
Inclusive teams help us live our values and make sure every Wiser feels respected, empowered to contribute towards our mission and able to progress in their careers.
If you want to find out more about what it's like to work at Wise visit Wise.Jobs.
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