The posting
The Cluster Director of Finance is a key member of the cluster leadership team, responsible for
overseeing all finance, accounting, treasury, procurement controls, financial planning, reporting, and
governance functions across multiple hotels within the portfolio.
Reporting to the Cluster General Manager, this role serves as a strategic business partner to
ownership and hotel leadership teams. The Cluster Director of Finance will play a critical role
throughout the pre-opening, opening, stabilization, and operational phases of the hotels, ensuring
sound financial management, strong governance, effective cash flow planning, and long-term value
creation.
This role combines commercial acumen, financial stewardship, and project finance expertise to
support a portfolio of hotels with different positioning, customer segments, and operating models.
The successful candidate will partner closely with ownership and hotel leadership to establish robust
financial processes, drive profitability, manage risk, and support strategic decision-making across the
portfolio.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Financial Leadership
• Develop and execute a cluster-wide financial strategy aligned with ownership objectives,
business plans, and brand standard.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the Cluster General Manager and hotel leadership teams on
financial opportunities, risks, and business performance.
• Support business planning, investment decisions, asset enhancement initiatives, and
operational optimization across the portfolio.
• Establish financial governance frameworks and performance measurement systems for all
properties.
• Drive a culture of financial accountability, transparency, and commercial awareness
throughout the organization.
Pre-Opening Finance Management
• Lead all finance-related pre-opening activities across the hotel portfolio.
• Develop and manage the Finance Pre-Opening Critical Path and readiness plan.
• Prepare, review, and manage Pre-Opening Budgets (POB) for all hotels within the cluster.
• Monitor pre-opening expenditures to ensure spending remains within approved budgets.
• Establish accounting structures, chart of accounts, financial controls, approval matrices, and
reporting frameworks prior to opening.
• Implement finance systems, purchasing controls, treasury processes, and operational
procedures before opening.
• Support operational readiness reviews, opening audits, and transition planning activities.
Financial Planning & Analysis
• Lead the preparation of annual budgets, business plans, forecasts, and long-range financial
projections.
• Consolidate financial planning across multiple hotels and operating entities.
• Analyze revenue, operating expenses, labor costs, departmental performance, and
profitability trends.
• Prepare business cases and financial evaluations for operational initiatives and investment
decisions.
• Support ownership with financial insights and performance analysis.
• Identify opportunities to improve profitability, asset returns, and operational efficiencies.
Cash Flow, Treasury & Working Capital Management
• Develop and manage cash flow forecasts across the hotel portfolio.
• Monitor working capital requirements from pre-opening through stabilization.
• Support funding requests and owner capital calls where necessary.
• Manage treasury activities, banking relationships, and cash management processes.
• Monitor accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory levels, and cash conversion cycles.
• Ensure appropriate liquidity is maintained to support business operations.
Accounting, Reporting & Governance
• Oversee all accounting, financial reporting, audit, tax, compliance, and internal control
activities.
• Ensure accurate and timely monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting.
• Establish strong financial control environments across all properties.
• Ensure compliance with corporate policies, operator standards, statutory requirements, and
accounting standards.
• Manage internal and external audits and ensure timely resolution of audit findings.
• Protect the integrity and accuracy of financial records.
Procurement & Cost Control
• Implement financial control procedures for procurement, contracts, purchasing, and
inventory management.
• Monitor procurement spend and ensure purchasing activities align with approved budgets.
• Drive cost optimization initiatives while maintaining operational effectiveness.
• Support contract reviews, tender evaluations, and supplier negotiations from a financial
perspective.
Owner Support
• Act as the primary finance business partner for ownership.
• Prepare owner reports, cash flow forecasts, and performance updates.
• Support owner reviews, investment analysis, and value enhancement initiatives.
• Provide financial recommendations related to capital projects, staffing plans, commercial
initiatives, and operating strategies.
• Support stabilization planning and long-term asset value optimization.
Team Leadership & Talent Development
• Build and lead high-performing finance and accounting teams across the hotel portfolio.
• Develop succession plans and finance talent pipelines.
• Establish training and development programmes to strengthen financial capabilities.
• Promote collaboration between finance, operations, commercial teams, and ownership
stakeholders.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and business partnership.
Requirements
The Ideal Candidate
The successful candidate will be a commercially minded finance leader with a strong track record of
supporting hotel openings, financial planning, governance, and portfolio performance.
You will bring:
• Proven finance leadership experience within hotels, hospitality portfolios, mixed-use
developments, or complex service businesses.
• Strong pre-opening experience including POB preparation, financial system implementation,
operational readiness, and opening support.
• Experience developing hotel budgets, long-term business plans, forecasts, and cash flow
models.
• Strong understanding of hotel finance, management agreements, owner reporting
requirements.
• Experience supporting working capital planning, funding requests, and treasury management
activities.
• Strong knowledge of financial controls, accounting standards, audits, tax compliance, and
governance requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to convert financial analysis into operational and strategic
recommendations.
• Strong leadership, communication, and influencing skills.
Qualifications
• Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Business Administration, or a related
discipline.
• CPA, CA, ACCA, CMA, CFA, or equivalent professional qualification preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive finance and accounting experience.
• Minimum 5 years in a Director of Finance, Cluster Finance, or senior finance leadership role.
• Previous hospitality experience required.
• Multi-property or cluster finance experience preferred.
• Proven pre-opening hotel experience strongly preferred.
