Senior Director, Assistant Controller

About Tala

At Tala, we’re applying advanced technology and human creativity to solve what legacy institutions can’t or won't. We are a global financial infrastructure company on a mission to unleash the economic power of the global majority, recognizing that today’s financial infrastructure doesn’t work for most of the world’s population.

We’re the first and only platform to combine the intelligence of a credit bureau, the payments execution of a fintech, and the relationship expertise of a bank into one vertically integrated solution. Our platform is powered by an expansive moat of proprietary data and AI/ML decisioning technology, enabling us to deliver instant, reliable liquidity personalized to every customer's needs. Through our flagship credit app, we’ve disbursed over $7 billion in credit to more than 12 million customers across Latin America, Southeast Asia, and East Africa.

Our pioneering work and proven impact have earned us consistent recognition, including being named to CNBC’s Disruptor 50 for five years, CNBC’s World's Top Fintech Companies for two consecutive years, and Forbes’ Fintech 50 list for nine consecutive years. Visionary investors, persuaded by the economic power of the global majority, have committed half a billion dollars in equity and debt to Tala's success.

Given the global nature of our team, we operate on a remote-first approach with office hubs in Santa Monica, CA (HQ); Nairobi, Kenya; Mexico City, Mexico; Manila, the Philippines; and Bangalore, India. Most Talazens join us because they connect with our mission. If you are energized by the impact you can make at Tala, we’d love to hear from you!

The Role

Tala is seeking a highly capable Senior Director, Assistant Controller to lead core accounting operations across our U.S. and international entities. This is a high-impact, hands-on leadership role overseeing global consolidation, U.S. financial reporting, technical accounting, and audit readiness—while managing a distributed team across the U.S., Mexico, and LatAm. Reporting to the VP, Global Corporate Controller, the Senior Director, Assistant Controller will act as Tala’s primary point of contact for external audits, technical accounting and certain in-market accounting operational matters, and investor and lender due diligence needs. This role is ideal for a candidate with strong technical expertise, high financial acumen, sound judgment, and the ability to execute and lead in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

What You'll Do

• Lead the monthly close and financial reporting for Tala’s U.S. parent entity, including preparation of US GAAP compliant financials, investor deliverables, and lender packages.
• Oversee global consolidation of all international subsidiaries and ensure the accuracy, completeness, and audit readiness of all reporting outputs.
• Maintain close collaboration and partnership with executive and other key business leaders.
• Own and/or advise on technical accounting areas, including but not limited to: Stock-based compensation (SBC) accounting and administration in collaboration with Legal and HR; Capitalization and accounting of internally developed software; Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL) methodology; Development of accounting and reporting policies, and those policies for complex transactions, including RSU programs, crypto/treasury innovations, and new partnership structures.
• Serve as the lead liaison for: Annual audits of consolidated and local financial statements; Lender portfolio audits and operational reviews; External technical advisors and audit firms.
• Support the documentation and maintenance of internal control processes in partnership with the Senior Director, Global Accounting.
• Directly manage a cross-border team of approx 6 people. Mentor, coach, and grow a high-performing accounting team, fostering a culture of collaboration, ownership, and accountability.
• Act as the operational point of contact for the accounting function during U.S. business hours and back up the VP, Global Controller as needed.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with Finance Strategy, Treasury, Tax, Legal, Product, and Engineering to assess the financial and accounting impact of product changes, expansion, and systems initiatives.
• Partner with the Accounting Optimization Team (AOT) under Tala’s Global Accounting shared-service organization to drive automation, improve documentation, and ensure scalable processes and SOPs across jurisdictions.

What You'll Need

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• CPA required.
• 12+ years of progressive accounting experience, including 5+ years in a leadership role and prior experience in public accounting (Big Four preferred).
• Deep technical knowledge of U.S. GAAP, including: Stock-based compensation (SBC); Internally developed software capitalization; CECL and accounting for loan portfolios.
• Proven experience managing complex audits and preparing audit-ready financials under investor and lender scrutiny.
• Demonstrated ability to develop accounting policies, lead cross-functional initiatives, and support audit uplift for public company standards (PCAOB).
• Proficiency in NetSuite; familiarity with Carta, Pigment, ZIP, and Expensify is preferred.
• Experience managing distributed teams across multiple time zones and cultural contexts.

Key skills/competency

• US GAAP
• Accounting Operations
• Financial Reporting
• Global Consolidation
• Technical Accounting
• Audit Management
• Team Leadership
• NetSuite
• Stock-Based Compensation (SBC)
• Current Expected Credit Loss (CECL)