Senior Finance Manager in London

Based at: Head Office (Baker Street), full-time

Dominus is a privately owned company focused on investing in, developing and operating high-quality real estate assets, across hotels, PBSA and other living sectors in London and across the United Kingdom. Founded in 2011, we have grown into a market-leading real estate platform with assets under management of more than £3 billion. We are an end-to-end business with capabilities spanning investment, design, planning, development and asset management. We invest on behalf of our own balance sheet and also in joint venture with institutional and private equity investment partners. Our current portfolio spans operational hotels across London and in Oxford and Bath and new hotel and PBSA developments in London. We have strong growth ambitions and are continuously actively underwriting new opportunities. Our differentiation stems from our ability to approach each project individually, identify the optimal strategy to maximise value and then execute it from acquisition through to development and operating the finished product. We combine a highly knowledgeable team with trusted partnerships, and in doing so have built a strong reputation throughout the industry.

Finance Team

You will be part of the leadership team within the finance department, with the crucial responsibility for financial accounting, reporting, financial controls and day-to-day treasury management.

Your Role and Responsibilities:

• Accounting and Reporting
  • Responsible for reviewing and signing off management accounts across all group entities, working with the finance team and our external bookkeeping provider to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
  • Maintaining financial discipline across all group SPV entities and overseeing entity-level bookkeeping with support from the wider finance team.
  • Coordinating the statutory accounts process across all entities, working with external advisors and ensuring completion in line with regulatory deadlines.
  • Running month end close, managing intercompany reconciliations and coordinating inputs across the team.
  • Overseeing AP and AR processing, ensuring invoices are matched to approved purchase orders and payments are processed in a timely manner.
  • Managing payroll journals and expense management across the group.
• Audit and Compliance
  • Managing the day-to-day audit process coordinating audit files across all entities, keeping senior leadership informed of risks and findings as they emerge, and ensuring post-audit recommendations are implemented and reflected in ongoing controls improvements.
  • Preparing and monitoring covenant compliance certificates across all lender facilities, forecasting forward to identify any issues before they arise and escalating where necessary.
  • Owning indirect and direct taxation journals and related postings.
  • Ensuring robust internal controls framework across the multi-entity structure, ensuring processes are documented and consistently applied and driving improvements.
  • Responsibility for ensuring adherence to all financial regulations and keeping abreast of developments in accounting policies and standards, assessing their implications for the group and ensuring any required changes are implemented across the function.
  • Managing AML and KYC processes for finance onboarding and assisting with HMRC queries, external advisor requests, and overseas administrator matters as required.
• Treasury
  • Working with the FP&A team to coordinate with fund monitors and advisors appointed by lenders as part of the drawdown process, maintaining accurate and up-to-date accounting records across all facilities.
  • Coordinating money movement across the group structure, including structuring and documentation of inter-company movements.
  • Managing liaison with administrators, coordinating corporate administration and ensuring timely and accurate filing across the group.
• Transactions
  • Coordinating completion accounting on transactions, post-deal entity accounting, intercompany positions, and new SPV setup, working closely with the wider finance team.
  • Assisting with ad hoc technical accounting matters and other projects throughout the year as they arise.
• Systems and Technology
  • Managing the day-to-day operation of the finance accounting system suite ensuring controls processes are well-maintained and consistently applied across the team.
  • Proactively identifying opportunities to improve and streamline finance processes and systems working with the wider finance team on improvement initiatives, including opportunities to improve efficiency through the integration of AI.

Characteristics:

• Technically strong with a solid grasp of accounting in a complex multi-entity environment.
• Be able to work under time pressure and be flexible with hours around periods of reporting, deal completion or audit enquiries.
• Exceptional attention to detail and the ability to work accurately and in a timely manner.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Able to present and explain information clearly and concisely.
• Efficient and able to balance multiple responsibilities with good upward management skills.
• Able to provide challenge to information provided by the wider business, whilst receiving/acting on feedback in a professional manner.

Desired experience:

• Qualified Accountant ACA/ICAEW, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent, with a minimum of six years PQE.
• Experience of working in industry, particularly in a property investment or a real estate development company.
• A track record of leading a multi-entity or group accounting function.
• Experience managing a small finance team.
• Exposure to real estate development is a strong advantage.
• Comfortable with Xero or similar cloud accounting platforms.