Financial Controller: Hospitality at Sun International

Job Purpose

The Financial Controller: Hospitality will be responsible for the effective management of financial controls, reporting and hotel accounting team management, with a specific focus on driving accuracy, completeness and consistency across the hotel properties. This includes improved financial operational standards in the hospitality areas of Rooms and Food & Beverage in line with policy, frameworks and tools based on researched leading and industry practice and relevant statutory regulations.

The role will achieve these objectives by partnering with the Sun City hospitality leadership and finance teams, as well as relevant hospitality business partners and suppliers. This role will also be required to support specialised resort financial projects as required.

Education

• B.Com Honours (CTA)

Experience

• At least 5 years’ experience in a general financial accounting environment
• Experience in a hospitality accounting environment
• People supervisory experience

Skills and Knowledge

Core behavioural competencies 

• Conceptualising
• Analytical skills (including attention to detail)
• Influencing Skills
• Managing Risks, Results and Relationships
• Deciding
• Emotional Maturity
• Ability to handle pressure and meet deadlines

Technical / proficiency competencies

• Knowledge of statutory legal and tax requirements and latest developments
• Strong technical knowledge including IFRS developments
• Strong knowledge of accounting systems
• Team Planning
• Product and trend analysis
• Stock control
• Integrity
• Hospitality Revenue analysis
• Computer Proficiency in MS Office (Advanced Excel); Cognos or similar (advantage),
• Business acumen

Key Performance Areas

Job Scope & Responsibilities

• Oversee and review the recording of financial transactions and consolidated reporting processes for F&B and hotels on the property, ensuring these are accurate, up-to-date and complete
• Monitor and manage productivities and payroll costs for the hospitality division
• Conduct an analysis of F&B and Hotel business results and identify relative trends to ensure realistic forecasts
• Review Kofax Total Agility (KTA) queues for resolution
• Liaise with SSC/ Financial Operations Manager on any SSC issues concerning supplier payment delays
• Assist SSC with AP accruals at month-end
• Provide details of departmental recharges to the SSC for processing
• Conduct spot checks on cash-ups
• Compile annual Budgets, forecasts & controls
• Manage departmental Capex requirements
• Review financial risks (on Risk Register) quarterly and address mitigating and aggravating circumstances, reporting any unusual variances relative to budget and previous year
• Drive the effective management of Paymasters within the Hotels – ensuring timely clearing and adequacy of accruals on the balance sheet
• Manage received-not-yet-invoiced (RNYI) across the hotel properties and liaise with SSC to clear long outstanding items
• Keep track of open purchase orders, long outstanding purchase orders and Purchase orders after Invoice
• Liaise with Supply Chain Management (SCM) on hotel related matters – implementing control to manage high stockholdings, transfers between hotel units, par stock values of operating equipment, cost of sales percentages, etc.
• Oversee and monitor accounting standards, processes and practices at a hotel operations level, ensuring the integration of group standards, aligned and updated with new legislative and tax regulations
• Implement sufficient control measures (including systems and processes) & checks within each hotel department to mitigate any financial risk to the business, completing Control Self-Assessment (CSA’s) for the hotel operations with a view of monitoring compliance and addressing short comings
• Monitor the Dashboard metrics and performance of the hotel accountants in managing their individual score cards
• Co-ordinate year end activities and reporting in areas of hospitality
• Co-ordinate internal and external financial audits in the hotels

• Consolidated financial reporting on departmental projects and initiatives, providing value-adding recommendations to optimise financial performance (with regards product, process and practices) within the various hotel operations.
• Prepare Balance Sheet reconciliations for Hotel related accounts for review by Financial Operations Manager
• Review and/or review consistency of monthly, forecast and budget income statements metrics across the hotel properties
• Ensure correct VAT and tax treatment within hospitality accounts
• Drive hospitality room night metrics – focus on cost per room nights sold
• Manage staff conditions of employment, e.g. attendance, absenteeism, leave, adherence to policies and procedures
• Identification of employee training needs and perform on the job training and coaching to close developmental gaps
• Manage employee relations within the hotel accounting team
• Performance contracting, reviews and development
• Recruit and resource for talent for positions
• Onboarding of new staff members
• Act as the SME on Financial statutory legislation and tax requirements
• Communicate actively with hotel managers to review cross-departmental impacts and provide relevant insights
• Communicate with Financial Operations Manager and report on revenue and financial position of hotels as required, and consult with FOM and Functional heads on results and areas of concern
• Serve as Liaison and key contact between Finance and Hotel Managers and General Manager Hospitality.
• Facilitate communication between hotels and service providers with specific focus on cost control and managing recharge processes with providers
• Oversee and manage Revenue team.
• Oversee and manage Finance Admin Clerk team.
• Review revenue transactions and reports.
• Review cashbook transactions and liaise with SSC to ensure cash accounts balance and cleated timely.