Overview
Financial Controller – Real Estate Startup Jobs in City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa at Fuse
Title: Financial Controller – Real Estate Startup
Company: Fuse
Location: City of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Own the numbers behind Europe's fastest-growing flex-living operator.
Fuse is redefining how young people live, connect, and land in new cities. We combine real estate, hospitality, and technology into design-led, community-driven homes across Europe. We operate buildings under master leases and management agreements in cities like Vienna, Prague, Budapest, and Riga, and we're expanding into new markets right now.
Our ambition? Become Europe's largest flex-living platform.
To support this growth, we're hiring a Financial Controller who will own financial reporting, month-end close, budget control, and cross-border financial hygiene across our multi-entity group. This is a fully remote role from South Africa. You work European hours, which for you means almost no timezone gap at all.
The opportunity
As Financial Controller, you own the numbers at Fuse: budgets, actuals, consolidation, and the controls that keep a multi-country operation clean. You work directly with the founders and with our local accounting partners in each country. High ownership, fast pace, real impact on how a European platform gets built.
What you'll be doing
Reporting & consolidation
- Lead monthly and quarterly reporting across multiple entities in five European countries
- Consolidate group-level financial statements from local trial balances
- Deliver clean, timely numbers to founders and investors
- Build dashboards that turn data into insight
Budgeting & control
- Own the annual budget process and keep it enforced through the year
- Track actuals vs budget per city, building, and department
- Run margin and profitability analysis across cities and buildings
- Keep cost tagging and profit-center discipline in place at the source
Cash flow & collections
- Maintain rolling cash-flow forecasts
- Track receivables and optimise collections
- Reconcile deposits and keep payment flows accurate under management agreements and master leases
Automation & process setup
- Automate invoicing and reconciliation workflows
- Build reporting templates for property owners and partners
- Integrate data flows between PMS, banking, and accounting tools
- Reduce manual work through automation and clean systems
Compliance & tax
- Coordinate tax filings, VAT submissions, and audits with local accounting partners
- Ensure regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions
- Maintain strong internal controls and financial hygiene
Operational finance
- Support onboarding of new properties, entities, and cities
- Prepare owner statements as management agreements go live
What we're looking for
- Degree in finance, accounting, economics, or a related field
- 2–4 years of experience in controlling, audit, or financial operations
- Strong Excel/Google Sheets skills
- Analytical, structured, and reliable
- Comfortable in a fast-moving, international environment
- Ownership mindset: proactive, hands-on, detail-oriented
- Based in South Africa, set up to work remotely
Bonus
- Experience with multi-entity or multi-currency groups
- Experience in real estate, PBSA, coliving, or hospitality
- Experience automating workflows or building scalable financial systems
- Understanding of payment flows, owner statements, and revenue-share mechanics
Hiring process
Step 1: Online interview (15 minutes)
Step 2: Knowledge Base review (30 minutes)
Step 3: Business case presentation (30 minutes)