Excelerate Hiring! Full Time Finance Lead in Federal Territory - Ricebowl

ABOUT US

Excelerate is a skills transformation organisation that equips workforces with future skills. We learn organisations’ and individuals’ future skills needs, design learning solutions covering a breadth and depth of skills, and deliver transformational learning experiences.

We believe skills are vital to thriving in an evolving workplace landscape. ~500 organisations are powered by technology talent trained by Excelerate in data, AI, coding, design, cybersecurity, telecommunications, product management, and other skills. We have also helped ~9,000 individuals upskill and reskill to remain relevant in the future economy.

We partner with leading global talent development organisations to deliver industry-recognised learning programmes. Collectively, our partners have trained and certified 700,000+ individuals in 20,000+ organisations globally.

ABOUT THE ROLE

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Finance Lead 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