Commercial Finance Manager - Restaurants

Commercial Finance Manager

We’re looking for someone to join our Commercial Finance team to support the identification and realisation of the optimisation of UKI restaurant productivity by continually challenging current thinking through providing pro-active, high-quality insight and analysis that enables the business to make informed decisions in relation to the operational delivery of the overall business strategy.

Support the focus on performance management by providing on-going monitoring/tracking of performance and explanations for variances. Ensure pre and post appraisal reviews for all key capital investment decisions around NROs/Refurbs.

What you’ll be doing:

• Manage the development of the Long-Range Plan, Budget & Forecast submissions – specifically in relation to labour, variable & fixed costs – plus NRO/closure/relocation impacts
• Assist the property team to manage the property CAPEX budget and monitor against forecast throughout the year – highlighting any risks/opportunities
• Act as business partner to the Regional Directors to assist in understanding restaurant P&Ls, and identifying opportunities to drive improvements to deliver sales & EBITDA targets
• Act as business partner to the P&C Director to provide decision support and recommendations on new operational initiatives as well as labour management 
• Act as business partner to the Property Director to provide decision support and recommendations on NROs, closure, relocations, refurbishments, rental arrangements and repairs & maintenance spend, including post analysis
• Support the development of a compelling vision of the direction for each respective area within restaurant costs (labour, variable and fixed)
• Continually challenge current thinking and, using benchmarking & best practice as well as original solutions, make recommendations on how to optimise business opportunities and minimise risk/cost to the business
• Management of 1 direct report 
• Attending Ops Meetings when required on a periodic basis
• Continually developing and improving on the reporting required to maximise business insight and performance

What you’ll need:

• Qualified accountant – 4 year PQE would be preferred
• Previous experience in a hospitality / retail or multi-site business
• Strong commercial acumen & financial modelling skills
• Strong influencing skills – proven ability to build strong relationships with potentially challenging stakeholders
• Ability to challenge stakeholders
• Experience of delivering positive outcomes in a fast-paced environment

Who We Are: 

Where those who love pizza can be their true self. Proud to be a Top 10 Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2023.  We’ve been around since 1965, bringing pizza to the UK and have since grown to a multichannel, international brand.  Our people are at the heart of our success and everything we do, we believe you should always be able to express yourself.   

Our values and culture are made up of three key parts: use your head, show your heart and create a home.  For us, this shows up as: 

• Head - were customer centric, commercially driven and obsessed by performance in all we do 
• Heart - we show our heart, are honest and vulnerable with our teams and lead everything through our people 
• Home - we create a home, where everyone has a place at our marble table and you can truly express yourself everyday  

Inclusivity and respect are at the heart of our business and are valued by our teams, customers, and suppliers. PizzaExpress and Milano is a place where everyone is welcome, and everyone belongs.  That’s why we assess each application on the aptitude to do the job and nothing else.