head of FinanceFirst Circle
Workplace: MetroManila, Manila, Taguig
Salary: Agreement
Work form: Full time
Posting Date: 08/06/2025
Deadline: 28/10/2022
About the company
First Circle is a financial technology company transforming small business commerce in the growth economies of Southeast Asia. Our mission is to radically improve economic circumstances for tens of millions of people. We're doing this by building an all encompassing trade & finance platform which provides our clients with payments, credit, and commerce tools to enable them to grow.
SMBs employ 67% of the labour force and contribute 45% of GDP. SMB growth has large, lasting impact on the economy and the tens of millions of livelihoods they support. As the catalyst for SMB growth we create wealth for underserved segments, drive improvement in living standards, and accelerate the expansion of the new middle class.
First Circle is a double-bottom-line business with a large commercial opportunity alongside our social mission. SMBs have annual turnover of -$2T in Southeast Asia and $350b in the Philippines alone. Our payments, credit, digital banking, and B2B e-commerce products transform the trajectory of small business and the mindset of their owners. Success means creating $ billions in wealth creation for our clients. Our product suite has something for all businesses, high margins, and large network and data lock-in effects. This is a $multi-billion opportunity.
About our culture
First Circle has a strong mission-driven culture. Our team are equally motivated by our social purpose, the intellectual stimulation of solving hard problems, and the commercial potential of our business.
At First Circle, a person's trajectory is at least as important as their performance. We value youth and diversity because we believe that curiosity and boldness will bring us to the next level. We believe the best team dynamic is the combination of exceptional leaders who are both builders and coaches whose vision is carried out by a team of high potential, high growth people whose intellect and ethic enables them to carry responsibility far beyond their years of experience.
We categorize our culture as a "supportive meritocracy". Supportive as we recognize that team's output is multiples of the sum of individual parts. Meritocracy because the only thing that matters is the contribution to the customer, company, and community.
About the role
With ambitious growth plans we are looking to hire a Head of Finance who can ensure money flows seamlessly, we have best in class reporting, and our controls are flawless. The Head of Finance is a senior position in First Circle and leads a team that looks after not just the core finance functions, but also finance banking operations so you will get a wide view of the company with daily interaction with other departments. Reporting to the VP of Finance, you will lead all technical finance & reporting areas, whilst scaling and developing a high performing team that is well integrated within the business. You will also be involved with the operational side of the business, ensuring new products are correctly set up with regards to finance.
Performance Objectives
Reporting & Compliance
Oversee the core finance team, responsible for all standard finance functions: accounting and reporting, controls, accounts payable, tax and statutory reporting, payroll & audit
Manages the internal & external monthly, quarterly and annual closing process and ensure SLAs are met
Ensure all monthly payroll & taxes are calculated accurately and filed on time
Manage SG & PH audit and ensure audit readiness, and meeting agreed upon audit timeline
Work cross-functionally to support compliance, regulatory, tax and legal requests
Building a robust controls environment and managing a variety of technical, operational and project workstreams that impact finance processes
Prepare financial planning and analysis including forecasting, budget, and cashflow management
Manages operation & structure of accounting system (SAP DyDesign) and use of payroll system (Sprout)
Using technology to scale a hyper growth finance function and staying up to date on relevant industry news, rule changes and researching how they will impact the business
Play a pivotal role in the acquisition of various companies & design data migration plans to consolidate all numbers & processes both into the finance system & data warehouse
Operations
Oversee the finance operations team, responsible for loan management system maintenance, repayment & interest posting, bank deposits, customer payment collection, and designing new finance processes as we launch new products.
Oversee all loan management system postings & reconciliations for both lending and repayments
Ensure customer repayment process is efficient & seamless, playing a part in improving the customer experience designing & implementing new payment channels
Maintain and update operational procedures to ensure the team has best in class documentation & training
Driving the team's operational efficiency, automation and productivity agenda including identifying opportunities to improve operations, driving change and keeping abreast with and adopting new technologies for use within the organization - in particular intergrating with our finance system & data warehouse to build automated dashboards.
Continuous engagement with a range of departments including sales, collections, data, product & tech.
Characteristics of a great candidate
High levels of perspective: as a multi-dimensional thinker, you enjoy shaping business strategy at levels of abstraction, connecting this to current business context to break down strategic goals into executable outputs.
High personal standards & Independently Driven: you take satisfaction in producing excellent work. You demand more from yourself and others, constantly raising the bar. Proven you can operate in environment which demand the highest standards.
Synthesis & structured problem solving: you can navigate a complex set of inputs and crystallise your thinking into a synthesis which you can organise and communicate.
Articulate with strong long-form writing and in-person communication skills
High-energy, positive person whilst also possessing grit and a strong moral compass: you possess the integrity and courage to address issues which you perceive as wrong, extending from work problems to anomalous behaviour, regardless of the context.
Raw ambition: you possess the ambition and drive to make bold bets with the execution agility to break this down into small steps. You're not afraid of failure on the path to success.
Bonus Points:
You are specifically passionate about financial inclusion, social change in developing countries, and a mission-driven organisation
You are deeply interested in financial technology - digital payments, data-driven lending, and digital banking
Previous experience in the banking industry for a regulated bank or fintech
Exposure to acquistions & associated system & operations migration
SAP ByDesign & SQL experience preferable
Why you should apply
First Circle has a strong mission-driven culture. Our team are equally motivated by our social purpose, the intellectual stimulation of solving difficult problems, and the commercial potential of our business. At our core is deep win-win, long-term relationships. The respect for our bond and the integrity to do the right thing are the pillars of our success. You will be given a huge amount of personal responsibility at an organisation whose purpose is to transform the economic landscape in SE Asia and improve the livelihood of tens of millions of people.
Ultimate learning opportunity and career accelerant as you operate in a company transforming digital financial services and B2B e-commerce in the world's most exciting region
Enjoy a very steep learning curve as you learn on the job across many facets of company building with great support from high performing people each of whom possess high levels of personal integrity and will invest in your development
Your broad exposure will enable you to learn the apex of what you are uniquely good and what you enjoy - something most people never learn
Be a shareholder in the business with a stock plan
Build lifelong relationships as you play a long-term game with long-term people
Build your network with external companies, business leaders, and other startups. You will also gain experience dealing with our investors from all over the world from London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore & Canada
First Circle
First Circle is a financial technology company transforming small business commerce in the growth economies of Southeast Asia. Our mission is to radically improve economic circumstances for tens of millions of people. We're doing this by building an all encompassing trade & finance platform which provides our clients with payments, credit, and commerce tools to enable them to grow.
SMBs employ 67% of the labour force and contribute 45% of GDP. SMB growth has large, lasting impact on the economy and the tens of millions of livelihoods they support. As the catalyst for SMB growth we create wealth for underserved segments, drive improvement in living standards, and accelerate the expansion of the new middle class.
First Circle is a double-bottom-line business with a large commercial opportunity alongside our social mission. SMBs have annual turnover of -$2T in Southeast Asia and $350b in the Philippines alone. Our payments, credit, digital banking, and B2B e-commerce products transform the trajectory of small business and the mindset of their owners. Success means creating $ billions in wealth creation for our clients. Our product suite has something for all businesses, high margins, and large network and data lock-in effects. This is a $multi-billion opportunity.
About our culture
First Circle has a strong mission-driven culture. Our team are equally motivated by our social purpose, the intellectual stimulation of solving hard problems, and the commercial potential of our business.
At First Circle, a person's trajectory is at least as important as their performance. We value youth and diversity because we believe that curiosity and boldness will bring us to the next level. We believe the best team dynamic is the combination of exceptional leaders who are both builders and coaches whose vision is carried out by a team of high potential, high growth people whose intellect and ethic enables them to carry responsibility far beyond their years of experience.
We categorize our culture as a "supportive meritocracy". Supportive as we recognize that team's output is multiples of the sum of individual parts. Meritocracy because the only thing that matters is the contribution to the customer, company, and community.
About the role
With ambitious growth plans we are looking to hire a Head of Finance who can ensure money flows seamlessly, we have best in class reporting, and our controls are flawless. The Head of Finance is a senior position in First Circle and leads a team that looks after not just the core finance functions, but also finance banking operations so you will get a wide view of the company with daily interaction with other departments. Reporting to the VP of Finance, you will lead all technical finance & reporting areas, whilst scaling and developing a high performing team that is well integrated within the business. You will also be involved with the operational side of the business, ensuring new products are correctly set up with regards to finance.
Performance Objectives
Reporting & Compliance
Oversee the core finance team, responsible for all standard finance functions: accounting and reporting, controls, accounts payable, tax and statutory reporting, payroll & audit
Manages the internal & external monthly, quarterly and annual closing process and ensure SLAs are met
Ensure all monthly payroll & taxes are calculated accurately and filed on time
Manage SG & PH audit and ensure audit readiness, and meeting agreed upon audit timeline
Work cross-functionally to support compliance, regulatory, tax and legal requests
Building a robust controls environment and managing a variety of technical, operational and project workstreams that impact finance processes
Prepare financial planning and analysis including forecasting, budget, and cashflow management
Manages operation & structure of accounting system (SAP DyDesign) and use of payroll system (Sprout)
Using technology to scale a hyper growth finance function and staying up to date on relevant industry news, rule changes and researching how they will impact the business
Play a pivotal role in the acquisition of various companies & design data migration plans to consolidate all numbers & processes both into the finance system & data warehouse
Operations
Oversee the finance operations team, responsible for loan management system maintenance, repayment & interest posting, bank deposits, customer payment collection, and designing new finance processes as we launch new products.
Oversee all loan management system postings & reconciliations for both lending and repayments
Ensure customer repayment process is efficient & seamless, playing a part in improving the customer experience designing & implementing new payment channels
Maintain and update operational procedures to ensure the team has best in class documentation & training
Driving the team's operational efficiency, automation and productivity agenda including identifying opportunities to improve operations, driving change and keeping abreast with and adopting new technologies for use within the organization - in particular intergrating with our finance system & data warehouse to build automated dashboards.
Continuous engagement with a range of departments including sales, collections, data, product & tech.
Characteristics of a great candidate
High levels of perspective: as a multi-dimensional thinker, you enjoy shaping business strategy at levels of abstraction, connecting this to current business context to break down strategic goals into executable outputs.
High personal standards & Independently Driven: you take satisfaction in producing excellent work. You demand more from yourself and others, constantly raising the bar. Proven you can operate in environment which demand the highest standards.
Synthesis & structured problem solving: you can navigate a complex set of inputs and crystallise your thinking into a synthesis which you can organise and communicate.
Articulate with strong long-form writing and in-person communication skills
High-energy, positive person whilst also possessing grit and a strong moral compass: you possess the integrity and courage to address issues which you perceive as wrong, extending from work problems to anomalous behaviour, regardless of the context.
Raw ambition: you possess the ambition and drive to make bold bets with the execution agility to break this down into small steps. You're not afraid of failure on the path to success.
Bonus Points:
You are specifically passionate about financial inclusion, social change in developing countries, and a mission-driven organisation
You are deeply interested in financial technology - digital payments, data-driven lending, and digital banking
Previous experience in the banking industry for a regulated bank or fintech
Exposure to acquistions & associated system & operations migration
SAP ByDesign & SQL experience preferable
Why you should apply
First Circle has a strong mission-driven culture. Our team are equally motivated by our social purpose, the intellectual stimulation of solving difficult problems, and the commercial potential of our business. At our core is deep win-win, long-term relationships. The respect for our bond and the integrity to do the right thing are the pillars of our success. You will be given a huge amount of personal responsibility at an organisation whose purpose is to transform the economic landscape in SE Asia and improve the livelihood of tens of millions of people.
Ultimate learning opportunity and career accelerant as you operate in a company transforming digital financial services and B2B e-commerce in the world's most exciting region
Enjoy a very steep learning curve as you learn on the job across many facets of company building with great support from high performing people each of whom possess high levels of personal integrity and will invest in your development
Your broad exposure will enable you to learn the apex of what you are uniquely good and what you enjoy - something most people never learn
Be a shareholder in the business with a stock plan
Build lifelong relationships as you play a long-term game with long-term people
Build your network with external companies, business leaders, and other startups. You will also gain experience dealing with our investors from all over the world from London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore & Canada
First Circle
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Taguig City, Metro Manila
Permanent
Full-time
Permanent
Full-time
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