Zanda is an Executive search partner that works exclusively with high growth start-ups as they look to scale their business with senior talent. Zanda partners with VC’s, Founder’s, CEO’s and CFO’s when it comes to successfully delivering on key senior appointments.
Who’s the business:
We are supporting a VC-backed start-up operating at the intersection of hospitality and AI. The business has built a proprietary AI tool with a SaaS commercial model, designed to transform how hospitality venues operate.
The business is pre-revenue and moving with real intent. The FD and founders are working to a six-year exit horizon, and the finance function needs to be built to support that journey, from early-stage discipline through to institutional ready reporting as the business scales.
What experiences will you gain:
Reporting directly to the FD, you'll be the person who builds and runs the finance function day-to-day, covering both the SaaS business and the physical hospitality estate. This is a broad role that will evolve quickly.
- Owning management accounts, cashflow, and burn reporting across a dual-model business; SaaS revenue streams alongside owned, franchised, and JV venue P&Ls
- Playing an active role in embedding AI and automation into the finance function itself. This business expects its finance team to lead by example on tech adoption
- Supporting VC reporting, investor updates, and board pack preparation alongside the FD
- Building financial models that can flex across different entity structures. Owned sites, franchise arrangements, and international expansion into the US
- Working cross-functionally with the tech and commercial teams to ensure the SaaS pricing and unit economics are properly understood and reported
- Establishing the controls, processes, and systems infrastructure that a business on this trajectory will need at Series A and beyond
What background should you have before you press apply!
- Qualified accountant: ACA, ACCA, or CIMA
- Genuine interest in AI and automation; you've actively used tools to improve how finance operates, not just observed it happening around you
- Experience in a VC or investor-backed environment, you understand what pre-revenue reporting looks like and why it matters
- Comfortable with complexity: SaaS metrics, multi-entity structures, and international expansion are things you can navigate rather than things that slow you down
- Background in hospitality, leisure, or a similarly operational, multi-site sector is a strong advantage
- Equally comfortable building from scratch as you are running BAU. This is a zero-to-one finance function, not an inherited one
