Finance Accounting Manager

Company Description Yakan is an AI-native, asset-backed Fintech in the GCC. Yakan partners with businesses and provides them with capital for purchase of inventory on a genuine profit-and-loss basis. The company is at an early high-growth stage, has institutional debt and equity backing, and a lean founding team. This is the first dedicated finance and accounting hire in Saudi Arabia.Role Description We are looking for a hands-on, mid-level Finance & Accounting Manager to own the full finance and accounting function for our Saudi operations. You will be the single point of accountability for the integrity of our books, the flow of funds through our banking system, tax and regulatory compliance, and management reporting. You will do the work yourself, and where it makes sense, manage outsourced partners. Because of our unique  trading structure, you must be comfortable accounting for co-ownership of assets, title transfers, and profit-sharing arrangements - and setting up the systems and controls to do so cleanly from day one.QualificationsApproximately 7-12 years' experience - able to operate independently end-to-end, but not requiring a large team; comfortable being hands-on as the sole finance hire.Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance, plus a professional qualification - CPA, ACA/ACCA/CIMA (chartered accountant) or equivalent. SOCPA registration (or eligibility to register) is strongly preferred.Saudi Experience - demonstrable, recent accounting/finance experience within Saudi Arabia, with practical command of local VAT, Zakat/tax and ZATCA e-invoicing requirements.Proficiency with cloud accounting systems such as Zoho Books and/or NetSuite, including setting up a chart of accounts and configuring the system from scratch.Solid working knowledge of IFRS as applied in Saudi Arabia.Experience with Budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis to support planning and performance management.Experience in asset-focused or SME environments within the GCC region is preferred. Previous work experience at startups is highly valuedStrong attention to detail, integrity in handling financial information, and ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced setting.Effective written and verbal communication skills in English; Arabic language skills are a plus.Key ResponsibilitiesBookkeeping & the accounting engineOwn day-to-day bookkeeping - either performed in-house or coordinated with our outsourced accounting firm - and be accountable for the accuracy and timeliness of the ledger.Design and maintain the chart of accounts, accounting policies and workflows suited to a trading and profit-sharing business (inventory, asset co-ownership, profit-share liabilities, revenue recognition on sale).Set up, configure and administer the accounting system (e.g. Zoho Books or NetSuite), including integrations, approval workflows and reporting.Maintain clean records of each asset cost base, funding split (Yakan vs. dealer), holding period and disposal, and calculate profit-share settlements on sale.Banking, funds control & transaction approvalsManage banking operations: prepare and initiate all payments and transfers on the banking platform as the “maker”, with the CFO acting as “approver” under a maker-checker control.Funds gatekeeping: verify that funds have been received or are available before authorising asset transfers to or from businesses, protecting the company against release of title or cash without matching settlement.Perform bank reconciliations, manage cash positioning across accounts, and support treasury administration (e.g. movements to and from deposit products).Maintain robust internal controls, segregation of duties and an audit trail over all cash movements.Tax, VAT & regulatory complianceManage external accounting and tax firms for VAT and Zakat/corporate tax registrations, filings and correspondence with ZATCA.Ensure compliance with Saudi VAT (15%), e-invoicing (ZATCA “Fatoora”) requirements, withholding tax and Zakat obligations.Keep the business aligned with Saudi accounting standards (IFRS as endorsed by SOCPA) and stay current on regulatory changes affecting the company.Support the management in maintaining the integrity of the profit/loss trading structure from an