Fractional Head of Finance  

Engagement Overview

We have a full-time CPA-licensed Senior Accountant who handles all BIR and statutory filings, the monthly close, AP and AR, payroll, and daily finance operations. That work is covered.

What we need is the judgment layer above it. You own the finance function: you set how the work is done, review it before it goes out, decide what needs escalating, and are accountable for the numbers being right. You are not doing the bookkeeping.

The cadence is deliberate. Two short sessions a week, not one long day a month. Questions get answered inside 48 hours instead of queuing until month end, and wrong treatments get caught before they are booked rather than after.

Scope:

Oversight of the in-house Accountant(s)

• Set the review checklist and the escalation rules: what the accountant decides alone, and what comes to you
• Review the monthly close pack before it is final
• Review BIR returns and statutory filings before submission, with focus on VAT treatment and withholding on our contractor and placement flows
• Develop the accountant's technical judgment so the supervision load falls over time

Technical Accounting

• Own the revenue recognition position on platform transactions
• Own the position on contractor versus employee classification and its tax consequences
• Consolidation between the Philippine and Singapore entities
• Intercompany flows and transfer pricing as the international corridors grow

Equity and ESOP accounting

• Audit and Compliance
• Lead the relationship with our external auditors and own the audit outcome
• Document and defend our tax positions, ready for BIR inquiry or due diligence
• Flag regulatory exposure early and recommend how to reduce it

Founders and Investors

• Review anything going to investors or a board, and be available to defend it
• Sanity-check the financial model, runway, and unit economics
• Advise on entity structure as we expand

Who This Is For:

• 8 or more years of finance and accounting experience, including time at Head of Finance or Financial Controller
• CPA with Big 4 or equivalent audit background, plus real startup or MSME experience
• You have taken a company through due diligence or an audit and stood behind the numbers
• You are comfortable giving a clear answer on an ambiguous question, and saying when you are not sure
• You are willing to develop a junior rather than just correct them
• You can commit to fixed weekly slots. This does not work as ad-hoc availability

How the Time Works

• Two fixed sessions per week, one to two hours each
• Response inside one business day on urgent filing or tax questions between sessions, so the accountant escalates instead of guessing
• Additional days can be scoped and agreed in advance for year-end, audit, or a fundraise. The weekly cadence is for review and unblocking, not deep project work
• Expect heavier engagement in the first three months while process and documentation are built, stepping down after that

Review

We will review the engagement at month six. Two questions: is the supervision load falling as the accountant develops, and is the scope still the right size. Either answer may change the shape of this arrangement, and we would rather have that conversation openly than let a retainer run on by default.