Head of Finance - Multi-site Hospitality
16 hours ago
City of London
HEAD OF FINANCE London, E17 Competitive Salary plus bonus and other benefits Senior Leadership | Full-time | Reporting to MD Love the challenge of turning numbers into decisions that drive a business forward? Enjoy building systems and processes that help a high-volume hospitality venue run smoothly? Passionate about precision, insight and having a genuine seat at the table? We are an independent London hospitality business with various sites in East London. We’re a community-first business with real ambition — and we need a commercially sharp Head of Finance to help us make smart decisions as we grow. We’re looking for a qualified finance leader who combines technical rigour with genuine business curiosity — someone who knows how to build systems that produce accurate numbers and who then knows how to make them matter. It’s essential that you’re an experienced, hands-on Head of Finance who’s led a smaller finance function within a multi-site hospitality group similar to our business. You’ll understand the drivers behind what makes a business such as our business a success, and how to work as a true Finance business partner to senior stakeholders within our industry. If you love building financial clarity in a business where every pound counts, and you want to be part of something with real purpose — this role is for you. About Us Our business isn’t a standard hospitality group — and that’s exactly the point. We’re independent, community-rooted and built for connection. Across our venues you’ll find relaxed dining, private hires, live events, sports screenings and large-scale gatherings — sometimes all at once. We operate seven days a week and thrive on variety. At our core, we exist to bring people together. As a business we move quickly, care deeply about quality and hold ourselves to high standards — and we need our finance function to reflect that. The Role As Head of Finance, you’ll run the company’s finance function end-to-end — from management accounts, payroll and stock control to budgeting, forecasting and board reporting. You’ll be a core member of the Senior Management Team and a trusted right hand to the MD, bringing financial rigour and commercial insight to everything we do. This is a hands-on role with real influence. You’ll work closely and daily with the MD — owning the numbers, shaping decisions and helping drive the business forward. The finance team is intentionally lean (Head of Finance plus Finance Assistant, with scope to bring in part-time support as needed), which means you’ll need to be both strategic and operational. What you’ll be doing Finance Leadership & Strategy • Work as a true partner to the MD, providing financial clarity and input on all major business decisions, • Represent finance on the Senior Management Team, • Monitor company performance and proactively identify opportunities for improvement, • Drive continuous improvement of financial processes for efficiency, insight and control, • Support board meeting administration and reporting Budgeting & Forecasting • Lead the annual budgeting process in granular detail across all revenue lines and cost centres, • Maintain a rolling forecast, updated continuously as trading develops, • Produce scenario planning and financial modelling to support strategic decisions, • Own capex planning — building business cases, tracking spend and managing drawdown Management Accounts & Reporting • Prepare accurate monthly management accounts and ad-hoc analysis, • Produce venue-level and Head Office P&Ls, all consolidating into one company P&L, • Oversee individual event P&Ls end-to-end — pre-event costing, post-event reconciliation and variance analysis, managed through Monday.com, • Maintain fixed asset register, accruals and prepayment schedules, • Maintain up-to-date cash flow forecasts and creditor/debtor reporting, • Maintain an up to date Balance Sheet, • Sit monthly with GMs and key staff to review performance vs budget and support subsequent decisions Stock Control & Commercial Insight • Oversee wet and dry stock control across all venues — managing stock takes, posting results and investigating variances, • Deliver GP analysis by category (wet, dry, events) and identify shrinkage or margin issues early, • Translate financial data into actionable insight that drives commercial and operational performance Financial Management & Controls • Maintain and develop the accounting system (Xero), • Ensure all invoices and expenses are approved and posted correctly, • Supervise reconciliation of supplier and key customer accounts, • Ensure card receipts and payments are posted correctly and accounts reconciled, • Manage the banking relationship and support the MD in ensuring the business is adequately financed, • Manage insurance renewals and administration, • Support the set-up, maintenance and reconciliation of till systems across the venues Statutory Reporting & Compliance • Liaise with auditors and tax advisors, • Supervise the preparation and filing of statutory returns for our business, • Manage the financial reporting for our Community Interest Company — a small but distinct legal entity that reflects our commitment to making a difference in our community, • Prepare and submit monthly duty and quarterly VAT returns Payroll • Maintain and update staff records, • Collate staff hours and prepare fortnightly and monthly payroll, • Submit HMRC and pension returns and initiate payroll payments People • Manage and develop the Finance Assistant, • Identify when additional part-time resource is needed and manage it effectively Success in this role looks like • The MD and SMT have a trusted finance partner who gives them real clarity and confidence in the numbers, • Clear, accurate management accounts and venue P&Ls delivered on time, every time, • A cashflow forecast that is always live, always accurate and always useful, • Cost lines are control and on or below budget, • The business is hitting profitability targets, • Finance processes that are fit-for-purpose and can scale with the business, • A well-supported Finance Assistant growing in confidence and capability, • You love coming to work and being part of what makes our business great Who we’re looking for You’ll thrive in this role if you: • Hold an ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent professional qualification, • Have strong experience in a similar finance leadership role in hospitality at a large or multi-venue operation, • Are very comfortable with Xero (or equivalent) and advanced Excel, • Have hands-on experience with hospitality till systems, • Understand wet and dry stock control and GP management in a hospitality context, • Are commercially curious — you want to understand the business, not just record it, • Communicate clearly and build trusted relationships — particularly with the MD and operational leads, • Are organised, detail-oriented and never leave a task half-done, • Bring energy, initiative and a genuinely positive attitude The Details • Salary: competitive, depending on experience, • Based at our Head Office, Walthamstow (E17 6AL), • Monday to Friday, standard office hours, • Weekly Senior Management Team meeting attendance Perks & Benefits • Monthly food and drink credit, • 23 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 25 days after two years), • Complimentary tickets to our events, • Discount code for friends and family, • Free gaming hours, • Regular staff social events, • A fun, friendly workplace where community and connection sit at the heart of what we do