Director of Finance in Westminster

Waldorf Astoria London - Admiralty Arch is seeking a Director of Finance to join the pre-opening team for this highly anticipated new luxury hotel opening later this year. This is a unique opportunity for an experienced luxury hospitality leader to join the founding team and help shape the guest experience at this landmark hotel.

Located at the end of The Mall opposite Buckingham Palace, Waldorf Astoria London - Admiralty Arch will feature 100 elegant rooms and suites and 17,500 sqft of private residences. The hotel will open with two signature restaurants - Coreus by Clare Smyth and Café Boulud by Daniel Boulud - bringing together two of the world's most celebrated Michelin-starred chefs. Guests will also enjoy a world-class spa, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, and a collection of grand event spaces, including a ballroom for up to 320 guests.

What will I be doing?

We are looking for hospitality professionals who are passionate about delivering an exceptional five star guest experience, consistently upholding the world class service standards recognised by Forbes. The Director of Finance plays a critical role in overseeing and enhancing the financial performance of the hotel. This position serves as a key business partner to the General Manager, senior hotel management teams and business stakeholders contributing to strategic decision-making and ensuring alignment with business objectives.

This role demands a strategic mindset, robust financial expertise, and deep knowledge of the hotel industry to maximize value creation, drive operational efficiency and effectiveness, and ensure sustainable profitability and ownership returns. The Director of Finance is also responsible for spearheading the financial strategy of the hotel, aligning it with company objectives, optimizing overall business performance, and fostering growth by providing financial analysis and insights to non-finance teams, enabling them to make informed commercial decisions.

Primary Responsibilities

• Pre-opening Activities: Develop pre-opening budgets, including operating and capital expenditure plans by working closely with Finance and Brand openings team. Establish financial forecasts to ensure adequate funding for pre-opening activities. Oversee the setup of financial systems, including accounting software and reporting tools. Work closely with Compliance and Shared Services teams to establish internal controls and financial policies to ensure smooth operations post-opening. Review and approve pre-opening expenses and contracts. Provide regular updates on pre-opening financial performance and risks. Define training requirements and coordinate it with other relevant finance teams. Manage and ensure timely completion for all critical finance pre-opening tasks for successful opening of the hotel. Business partner with Hotel General Manager to ensure that informed commercial decisions are made during the business ramp-up phase including manning ramp-up. Build zero-based multi-year projection to ensure that commitments as per management/lease or other third party agreements are met.
• Financial Strategy: Work with key stakeholders to develop medium- and long-term strategies for achieving sustainable and maximised business returns. Collaborate with the hotel management team to develop annual operating and capital budgets, setting key financial objectives. Oversee balance-of-year forecasting, effectively managing risks and opportunities to optimise business returns.
• Performance Monitoring: Track and analyse key performance indicators (KPIs), including efficiency, profitability, guest experience, and other non-financial metrics, to achieve a strong balanced scorecard. Utilize variance analysis provided by the FP&A team to identify commercial reasons for variances and implement corrective action plans to address negative trends.
• Benchmarking: Benchmark the hotel's performance against internal and external competitors, identifying opportunities for improvement. Evaluate financial performance using tools like Hotstats to assess competitiveness and create a strategic advantage.
• Compliance and contract oversight: Work closely with hotel management and the Accounting & Control team to ensure that the hotel maintains a strong culture of compliance and operates within Hilton policies and procedures. Ensure compliance with hotel management or lease agreements, addressing any risks with senior leadership. Manage vendor and operator contracts in alignment with Hilton's global policies, negotiating terms to maximize value in collaboration with Legal, Supply Management, and Engineering teams.
• Reporting and Presentations: Prepare detailed financial reports and presentations for ownership and leadership, with robust variance analysis and commentary. Facilitate monthly profit and loss (P&L) reviews and forecast meetings with department heads, developing actionable plans to enhance performance.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Act as a trusted business partner to General Managers and senior hotel management, aligning operational priorities with strategic goals. Collaborate with FP&A, Accounting & Control, and Centre of Excellence teams to ensure seamless delivery of financial objectives.
• Capital Expenditure and ROI Initiatives: Lead the development of capital budgets, maintaining compliance with brand standards. Initiate and support return-on-investment projects, providing analytical insights to calculate payback periods and net present values (NPVs). Maintain capital expenditure tracker to ensure that spends are kept within control.
• Financial Modelling and Insights: Develop and implement advanced financial analysis tools, including value chain analysis, opportunity assessment, and cash flow forecasting, to support strategic decision-making. Educate non-finance teams on utilizing commercial finance tools for operational benefits.
• Cash Flow Management: Regularly update cash flow forecasts to ensure adequate working capital for hotel operations. Support discussions with asset managers and owners regarding working capital requirements.
• Team Development: Provide training in finance for non-finance teams, enhancing financial literacy and enabling informed decision-making across departments. Guide and coach operational Heads of Department (HODs), supported by the General Manager and Director of Operations, to develop HODs into autonomous business managers through structured mentorship.
• Project Management: Participate in key hotel and regional projects aimed at revenue generation and cost optimization, driving hotel profitability.
• Additional Support: Review month-end P&L results produced by the Centre of Excellence, ensuring financial accuracy before finalization. Assist Centre of Excellence and Accounting & Control teams during audits and with bad debt provisions.

Who are we looking for?

We seek a dynamic finance professional with at least five years of progressive senior leadership experience in hotel operations preferably within a luxury environment and a degree in Accounting, Finance, or Tourism Administration. Advanced qualifications such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or MBA are highly desirable.

Key Attributes and Skills:

• Unconventional thinking and a willingness to challenge the status quo with innovative solutions.
• Comprehensive knowledge of the hotel industry, coupled with expertise in financial modelling, reporting systems, and performance tracking tools.
• Strong strategic thinking, problem-solving, and negotiation skills.
• Proficiency in stakeholder engagement and effective communication.
• Experience leveraging models, tools, and big data to drive results.
• Hands-on, result-oriented, and capable of delivering impactful outcomes.

Preferred Mindsets:

• Passion for finance or the hospitality sector.
• Passion and genuine understanding of Luxury.
• Intellectual curiosity and professional objectivity.
• Empathy and a collaborative attitude towards colleagues.
• Enthusiasm for technology and openness to new challenges.

About the Hilton UK Finance Operating Model: The Hilton UK Finance Operating Model employs a three-tier structure consisting of: Shared Service Centre - Focused on transaction processing and accounting processes. Centre of Excellence - Providing specialized expertise and ownership of accounting workflows. Operations Finance - Centred on strategic, high-value activities to drive business performance.