Financial Controller - Luxury Resort

About the role

The Residence Zanzibar is looking for a Financial Controller, a senior leadership position responsible for the full spectrum of financial management at the resort. Working closely with the General Manager and department heads, the controller ensures the property operates with financial integrity, regulatory compliance and a sharp commercial focus.

Key responsibilities

• Direct and oversee the Resort Accounting Department, ensuring standards match company goals and local regulations
• Prepare monthly financial statements under IFRS and Tanzanian statutory requirements, lead budgeting and forecasting, and present management accounts and KPI dashboards
• Control costs across food and beverage, labour, supplies, equipment and utilities, and set profit objectives and benchmarks with department managers
• Maintain operational tools such as budgets, forecasts, purchase specifications, recipe standards and menu abstracts, and oversee inventory management
• Design and improve internal controls, ensure compliance with tax laws and statutory reporting, coordinate internal and external audits, and safeguard company assets
• Manage daily cash flow, foreign exchange exposure and banking relationships, and oversee accounts payable and receivable
• Approve and monitor capital expenditure against budgets and authority matrices
• Lead and mentor the Finance team, train department managers on financial literacy and budgeting, and collaborate with Front Office, F&B, Procurement and HR

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field; CPA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent strongly preferred
• At least 5 years of progressive finance experience, including 3 years at Controller level in an international luxury hotel or resort
• Proven expertise in financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting and cost control in a multi-revenue environment
• Knowledge of IFRS, Tanzanian tax and statutory requirements, and hospitality accounting

Required skills

• Advanced proficiency in hotel PMS and ERP systems (Opera, Sun Systems, Sage or equivalent)
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and communication skills