Full job descriptionHarper May is working with a London-based restaurant operator that has grown to eight trading sites across the capital over the past five years. The business is founder-led, privately funded, and focused on a distinct casual-dining concept with strong local followings. Recent expansion has brought new complexity: supply-chain volatility, labour market tightness, and the need for sharper margin visibility across a dispersed estate. The operator is now strengthening its finance function and seeking a Financial Controller to build control infrastructure, improve monthly insight, and partner closely with the management team.
The Role
Reporting to the Finance Director, you will own financial reporting, month-end close, and compliance across all sites. You will work regularly with operations and the executive team to translate numbers into actionable insight-where are costs rising, which locations are tracking, where do we need to act. The role demands both technical rigour and the ability to communicate with non-finance stakeholders who need clarity, not jargon.
*Lead month-end and year-end close cycles, ensuring accuracy and timeliness across the estate
*Produce management accounts, statutory financial statements, and regulatory returns
*Design and maintain effective financial controls and balance sheet governance
*Manage the external audit relationship and respond to auditor queries
*Build forecasting and cash flow models to support operational and strategic planning
*Analyse site-level P&Ls, labour costs, and food margins; identify and escalate variance
*Recommend and implement improvements to accounting processes and reporting tools
What we are looking for
*ACA, ACCA, or CIMA qualification
*Proven experience as a Financial Controller or Senior Accountant, ideally in restaurants, hospitality, or retail
*Solid technical accounting knowledge and confidence with financial reporting under IFRS or UK GAAP
*Practical understanding of multi-site operations and site-level P&L dynamics
*Comfortable presenting financial data to operational and executive teams
*Self-directed, organised, and able to prioritise under pressure