Manager - Hotel Finance Services

Role Purpose

Provide financial, analytical and business planning support and advice to assigned business units (in Global Support Functions – Global Finance, Global HR, Global Corporate Services) to ensure their success in implementing the Company’s and their functional strategic priorities. Provide short-term and long-term financial and business analyses to support the linkage of assigned business units to the Company’s objectives. Work with senior management (up to SVP and VP level) to develop, support, and present business plans that drive results. Identify opportunities for improvement, gain buy-in from senior management, and implement changes to financial planning and reporting processes as needed.

Key Accountabilities

• Provide project support to assigned business unit(s), including work-planning, research, analysis, presentation development and implementation support to address current operating issues, structures or policies.
• Analyse operating, forecast and budget information for issues of concern regarding trends, competitive position, performance against strategic or tactical expectations, impact of changes in business environment, etc. Develop and utilize analytical tools to highlight critical concerns, and make appropriate recommendations based on findings. Summarize/prepare data for use in presentations to top management. Identify potential areas of opportunity for increased return on investment or efficiency of strategic planning/forecasting processes.
• Work with key executives (up to EVP, SVP, VP level) in assigned business units to develop business plans and to coordinate budget issues with appropriate financial planning staff.
• Develop appropriate performance and benchmark measures for global support functions. Work with executive staff in assigned business units to establish target performance levels and strategies for ongoing improvement of quality and efficiency.
• Establish efficient financial planning and reporting processes. Provide report information, project tracking, and related data to senior management as needed or requested.
• May lead and review the work of less experienced staff by providing mentoring, technical guidance and/or training in daily activities.

Key Skills & Experiences

Education –

Accounting qualification, Bachelor’s degree in Finance preferred, Business, Accounting, Economics or a related field of work, or an equivalent combination of education and work-related experience.

Experience –

5+ years progressive work-related experience in financial planning and analysis or management accounting, with demonstrated mastery of technical and business knowledge and understanding of multiple disciplines/processes related to the position. Work experience should include primary emphasis on management accounting, including business plan development and budgeting.

Technical skills and Knowledge –

• Demonstrated financial and business analysis skills, and demonstrated ability to analyze operating, forecast, and budget information. Demonstrated ability to use the results of analysis to make effective strategic decisions
• Demonstrated effective verbal and written communication skills for the purpose of providing information to clients, vendors and/or staff. Must be able to work effectively with senior managers, possess strong relationship management skills, and well-developed negotiating and persuading abilities.
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial statements, financial principles and the ability to convert them to use in the hotel industry.
• Demonstrated knowledge of Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Demonstrated Hyperion Essbase or Enterprise, or similar consolidation/reporting system experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated PeopleSoft, or similar ERP system experience preferred.