Strategic Finance Lead

Real opportunities. Real impact. Your career, redefined.

(NOTE: A human reviews every application at Oceans, so please apply for only one position and only once a year-if you're a better fit for another role, we’ll route your application accordingly and if we’re not quite ready for you, we’ll reach back out later.)

At Oceans, we help the best and brightest of Sri Lanka to take advantage of opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be available to them, while supporting entrepreneurs around the world. Our community (we call them Divers) don’t do surface work-they go deep to solve complex challenges and make a real impact. And in doing so, they support bold ideas, expand their skills, broaden their expertise, and grow their careers, all without having to leave family and friends.

As a Strategic Finance Lead, you will play a critical role in supporting a modern family office platform serving high-net-worth individuals and multi-entity households. You'll work closely with clients to oversee financial operations while delivering strategic insights, financial planning, and decision support across complex financial environments.

This role is ideal for someone who combines strong financial and accounting expertise with strategic thinking, commercial judgment, and exceptional communication skills. You will act as a trusted financial partner, translating complex financial information into clear recommendations that help clients make confident, informed decisions.

Accountability

Your success as a Strategic Finance Lead will be defined by your ability to provide accurate financial visibility, deliver strategic insights, and help clients make informed financial decisions across multiple entities.

Here's how you'll make an impact:

Financial Operations & Accounting Ownership

• Own full-cycle accounting across multiple client entities.
• Manage general ledger activities, reconciliations, journal entries, and month-end close processes.
• Oversee bill payments, approvals, audit trails, and cash management activities.
• Monitor cash flow, liquidity, and banking operations.
• Maintain accurate financial records using platforms such as QuickBooks, Xero, or Intacct.

Client Reporting & Financial Analysis

• Prepare and deliver client-ready financial reporting packages, including profit and loss statements, balance sheets, net worth statements, and cash flow reports.
• Perform variance analysis against budgets, forecasts, and prior performance.
• Ensure reporting is accurate, reconciled, and decision-ready.
• Transform financial reporting into actionable insights that support business and personal financial decisions.
• Present financial information clearly to both financial and non-financial stakeholders.

Strategic Finance & Advisory

• Translate financial data into meaningful recommendations and strategic insights.
• Lead financial planning discussions around liquidity, spending optimization, and major financial decisions.
• Build scenario models to evaluate investments, real estate decisions, hiring plans, and other strategic initiatives.
• Identify financial risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities proactively.
• Support clients in making informed decisions through thoughtful financial analysis.

Family Office Coordination

• Coordinate with CPAs, legal advisors, payroll providers, and other external stakeholders.
• Support tax planning workflows by preparing financial information and documentation.
• Maintain strong financial governance, controls, and documentation standards.
• Monitor unusual financial activity and proactively escalate potential issues.
• Help ensure seamless financial operations across multiple entities and stakeholders.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Evaluate and implement improvements to financial systems and reporting workflows.
• Support automation and dashboard initiatives that improve financial visibility.
• Strengthen financial controls, documentation, and audit readiness.
• Identify opportunities to improve operational efficiency and reporting quality.
• Help build scalable financial processes that support long-term growth.

Colleagues

You'll work closely with high-net-worth clients, CPAs, legal advisors, payroll providers, and other financial stakeholders, acting as a trusted strategic partner responsible for delivering financial clarity and supporting key decisions across multiple entities.

At Oceans Talent, you'll also receive guidance and support from your Operations Manager, who will help you succeed in the role and ensure that you're continuously growing and developing in your career.

Skills and Qualifications

At Oceans Talent, we believe in T-shaped individuals-those who bring deep expertise in one area paired with broad curiosity across the business. As a Strategic Finance Lead, your vertical focus will be on strategic finance, financial reporting, and advisory, while your horizontal focus will include accounting operations, financial systems, process improvement, and stakeholder management.

To excel in this role, you should have:

• Experience: 5-10+ years of experience in strategic finance, FP&A, family office environments, public accounting, corporate finance, or similar finance leadership roles.
• Accounting Expertise: Strong foundation in full-cycle accounting, financial reporting, reconciliations, month-end close, and financial controls across multiple entities.
• Strategic Finance: Demonstrated experience building financial models, scenario analyses, forecasts, and decision-support tools that influence business outcomes.
• Financial Systems: Proficiency with accounting platforms such as QuickBooks, Xero, Intacct, and advanced Excel or Google Sheets.
• Client Advisory: Strong ability to communicate financial information clearly and confidently with clients and senior stakeholders, translating complex financial concepts into practical recommendations.
• Analytical Thinking: Excellent financial analysis, commercial judgment, and problem-solving skills with a proactive approach to identifying risks and opportunities.
• Ownership & Autonomy: Ability to independently manage complex financial responsibilities while balancing execution with strategic advisory work.
• Professional Qualification: CPA (or equivalent professional accounting qualification) strongly preferred.

During the interview process, you’ll have the opportunity to showcase your skills in the following areas:

• Financial Reporting & Analysis: How you produce accurate, insightful financial reporting that supports decision-making.
• Strategic Finance & Modelling: How you build financial models, evaluate scenarios, and provide forward-looking recommendations.
• Client Advisory & Communication: How you communicate financial insights and influence strategic decisions with stakeholders.
• Financial Operations: How you manage accounting processes while maintaining strong controls and governance.
• Systems Thinking & Process Improvement: How you improve financial workflows, reporting processes, and operational efficiency.
• Ownership & Business Partnership: How you proactively identify opportunities, solve complex financial problems, and operate as a trusted advisor.

Diversity of experience is core to Oceans. You are expected to work inclusively with individuals from a variety of backgrounds, ensuring that both personal and collective dignity are supported.

Role Specifications

This is a remote role where you'll be expected to work a split shift with meaningful overlap with our client's Pacific Time (PT) working hours. You will also be expected to be present for in-person training programs during your first 3.5 weeks with us.

During the offer process, we'll share more information about our benefits and compensation philosophy, considering both market trends and individual factors.

About Oceans

At Oceans Talent, we connect the world’s top talent with visionary companies building what’s next. Here, you’re not just stepping into another role - you’re joining a team that values individuality, ambition, and growth without limits. Unique, like you.

We’re always excited to share more about our journey, where we’re headed, and how you can grow with us throughout the interview process.

Want to learn more about our recruitment process, what to expect from interviews, and possible outcomes? Check out [ The Dive].