VP of Finance​/Finance Director

On site | Abu Dhabi

AppliedAI builds Opus, an agentic AI platform that automates complex workflows for organisations in regulated industries. We are a fast-growing, venture-backed software company with teams across the UAE, South East Asia, Europe and the US.

The VP of Finance leads the full finance function across a multi-entity, multi-country group. You will own accounting, financial planning, treasury, finance operations and procurement, and deliver reporting to the standard expected by investors, auditors and the board.

This is a build role. You will strengthen processes, systems and controls while leading a growing international team. This role will report into the Global CFO.

• Run a fast, accurate month-end close with documented calendars, reconciliations and review controls
• Own the chart of accounts and multi-entity consolidation in the ERP
• Apply IFRS revenue recognition consistently across subscription, usage and services revenue
• Manage statutory audits, tax filings and regulatory submissions across all jurisdictions
• Build and maintain the group accounting manual and internal controls framework

• Lead the annual budget and quarterly reforecasts, with department heads accountable for their numbers
• Produce regular management, board and investor reporting, including ARR, NRR, gross margin, burn, runway and headcount
• Maintain the long-range model and scenario planning used for strategic decisions
• Build driver-based models for pricing, hiring and market expansion

• Provide daily cash visibility across entities and currencies, supported by a rolling 13-week cash forecast
• Manage banking relationships, intercompany funding and FX exposure
• Set and enforce treasury policy, including approval thresholds and payment controls

• Oversee order to cash and procure to pay, including billing, collections, PO discipline and supplier payments
• Own payroll accounting across multiple jurisdictions, including equity compensation
• Define and enforce the delegation of authority framework

• Own purchasing policy, vendor onboarding and contract renewals
• Govern SaaS and cloud spend and deliver measurable savings
• Partner with Legal and Operations on commercial terms and vendor consolidation

• Act as functional owner of the ERP and its integrations with CRM, HR and payroll systems
• Lead finance requirements on CPQ and revenue systems projects
• Drive automation across finance, including use of our own AI platform

• Lead, develop and retain a team of 15+ across multiple countries
• Set objectives, manage performance and close capability gaps
• Standardise processes across locations and build succession for key roles

• Professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CPA, CIMA or equivalent); audit background preferred
• 12+ years in finance, including 4+ years as Finance Director, VP Finance or Controller at a SaaS or enterprise software company with USD 30m+ revenue
• Experience leading a finance team of 10+ across more than one country
• Hands‑on experience owning Net Suite (or a comparable ERP), including multi‑entity consolidation and CRM integration
• Deep IFRS knowledge, particularly IFRS 15 and IFRS 2
• Multi‑currency, multi‑entity treasury experience
• Procurement and spend governance experience, including SaaS and cloud cost control
• A track record of building finance functions in high‑growth environments, ideally through a funding round
• Comfort giving direct feedback and managing performance

• UAE experience, including ADGM or DIFC regulation, UAE corporate tax and VAT
• Exposure to USA, Malaysia, and/or Singapore (or the wider South East Asia region)
• Salesforce CPQ or Revenue Cloud implementation experience
• Experience using AI tools to automate finance processes

• A consistent, timely month-end close and a clean audit
• Zero late statutory or tax filings
• Board reporting delivered independently by the finance team
• Accurate revenue and cash forecasting
• Stable finance systems and reduced manual work across the team

• A front-row seat in one of the region's most dynamic AI companies
• Exposure to strategic decision-making, M&A, fundraising, and global sales growth initiatives.
• Competitive compensation package and growth opportunities.
• A collaborative, high-performance culture driven by innovation and purpose.