The posting
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE
Full-Service Hotel | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Position Overview
A prominent, approximately 700-room, full-service hotel in the Pittsburgh market is seeking an experienced Director of Finance to lead the property’s financial operations and serve as a strategic business partner to the General Manager and executive leadership team.
This is a confidential search for a hands-on hospitality finance leader with the technical expertise, business judgment and leadership presence required to support a large, complex hotel operation. The successful candidate will provide financial oversight across rooms, food and beverage, banquets, conventions and other hotel operations while strengthening internal controls, forecasting accuracy, cost management and overall profitability.
Key Responsibilities
Financial Leadership
- Direct all accounting and financial activities for the hotel.
- Serve as a strategic financial advisor to the General Manager, ownership and hotel executive committee.
- Translate financial results into clear operational insights and actionable recommendations.
- Identify financial risks, performance gaps and profit-improvement opportunities.
- Promote financial accountability among department leaders.
- Lead, develop and hold the property accounting team accountable for accuracy, timeliness and service.
Budgeting and Forecasting
- Lead the annual budgeting and periodic forecasting processes.
- Prepare accurate projections for revenue, labor, operating expenses, cash flow and profitability.
- Partner with operational and commercial leaders to validate assumptions and evaluate business trends.
- Monitor actual performance against budget, forecast and prior-year results.
- Provide timely variance explanations and corrective-action recommendations.
- Support long-range financial planning and capital investment decisions.
Accounting and Financial Reporting
- Oversee the preparation and distribution of timely, accurate financial statements and management reports.
- Ensure the integrity of the general ledger and supporting financial records.
- Direct month-end and year-end closing processes.
- Oversee balance-sheet reconciliations, journal entries, accruals and supporting schedules.
- Maintain accurate records for hotel revenue, expenses, assets and liabilities.
- Ensure financial reporting complies with company policies, applicable accounting standards and ownership requirements.
Internal Controls and Compliance
- Establish, maintain and audit effective financial controls throughout the hotel.
- Ensure compliance with corporate, ownership and brand accounting policies.
- Safeguard hotel assets and confidential financial information.
- Coordinate internal, external, ownership and regulatory audits.
- Investigate financial discrepancies, control failures and unusual transactions.
- Ensure corrective actions are documented, implemented and sustained.
- Maintain appropriate segregation of duties and approval controls.
Revenue and Cash Management
- Oversee daily revenue reporting and reconciliation across rooms, food and beverage, banquets, parking and other revenue centers.
- Monitor cash handling, banking, deposits, credit-card activity and chargeback processes.
- Ensure accurate posting, reconciliation and reporting of hotel revenue.
- Partner with operational leaders to reduce revenue leakage and improve collection practices.
- Oversee credit policies, direct billing and customer account approval processes.
Accounts Payable, Receivables and Payroll Oversight
- Provide leadership and oversight for accounts payable, accounts receivable, income audit, credit and payroll-related financial controls.
- Ensure vendor invoices are supported, approved, coded and processed accurately.
- Monitor receivable aging, collection activity and disputed accounts.
- Maintain controls over payroll processing, labor reporting and related reconciliations.
- Partner with Human Resources and department leaders to improve payroll accuracy and labor-cost management.
- Ensure compliance with applicable tax, reporting and record-retention requirements.
Operational and Profitability Analysis
- Analyze departmental performance, productivity, labor costs and operating expenses.
- Partner with department leaders to develop realistic improvement plans.
- Evaluate pricing, purchasing, contracts and operating practices for financial impact.
- Support food and beverage cost controls, inventory management and margin improvement.
- Review group, banquet and convention profitability when appropriate.
- Provide financial analysis for business opportunities, capital projects and operational changes.
Ownership and Stakeholder Relations
- Prepare financial presentations and reports for ownership and asset-management representatives.
- Communicate financial performance clearly, accurately and transparently.
- Respond promptly to ownership questions, reporting requirements and audit requests.
- Coordinate with corporate finance, treasury, tax, insurance and risk-management partners.
- Maintain professional relationships with banks, auditors, vendors and other external partners.
Qualifications
- Minimum of seven years of progressive hotel accounting and finance experience.
- At least three years of recent experience as a Director of Finance, Assistant Director of Finance or senior property finance leader in a full-service hotel.
- Experience supporting a large, complex hotel with substantial rooms, food and beverage, banquet, convention and group-business operations strongly preferred.
- Experience with a major internationally recognized hotel brand preferred.
- Demonstrated expertise in budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, balance-sheet management and internal controls.
- Strong understanding of hotel operating statements, labor analysis, revenue reconciliation and departmental profitability.
- Experience managing audits and communicating with ownership or asset-management representatives.
- Advanced proficiency with hotel accounting systems, spreadsheet applications and financial-reporting tools.
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business administration or a related field required.
- CPA, CMA or other relevant professional designation preferred.
- Ability to work on-site and maintain the schedule necessary to support a continuously operating hotel.
Ideal Leadership Profile
The successful candidate will be:
- Financially rigorous, analytical and highly detail-oriented.
- A credible business partner who can influence operational decisions.
- Comfortable challenging assumptions and holding leaders accountable.
- Able to explain complex financial information in practical business terms.
- Organized, responsive and committed to meeting reporting deadlines.
- Skilled at strengthening processes, controls and team capabilities.
- Equally effective working strategically with ownership and hands-on with the accounting team.
- Committed to integrity, confidentiality and sound financial stewardship.
Confidentiality
This search is being conducted confidentially. Qualified candidates will receive additional information regarding the property, ownership structure, compensation and selection process at the appropriate stage.
Interested candidates should submit a résumé outlining relevant full-service hotel finance leadership experience and measurable accomplishments related to profitability, controls, forecasting and operational improvement.
We are an equal opportunity employer and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other legally protected status.
