Leisure Financial Controller

**Job no**: 517718

**Brand**: Flight Centre Travel Group

**Work type**: Full time

**Location**: Johannesburg West

**Categories**: Finance & Strategy

Job Title

Leisure Financial Controller -RSA

About the role

The Leisure Financial Controller will play a vital role in providing the leisure businesses (Flight Centre Stores, Online and Independents) with strong financial advice, commercial decision-making support and partnering with stakeholders to achieve the brands strategic objectives.

To be successful in this role you will need to be an experienced finance professional that possesses a solid understanding of accounting principles, is commercially astute and demonstrates strong communication, leadership, and collaboration skills. While the role is focused on business partnering and analysis, there will also be an element of monthly financial processes including reporting, financial controls, and forecasting that you will be accountable for, along with your team of 5 management accountants.

Primary duties and responsibilities (KRAs)

Commercial Acumen:

- Develop a solid understanding of the Flight Centre business models, including income and cost drivers
- Responsible for the financial control of the Leisure business ensuring robust controls are in place and appropriate monitoring tools are used to ensure adherence to such controls
- Has the ability to build robust financial / commercial models to aid in the decision making process and track financial success and has the ability to then operationalize the model and roll out to the business.
- Work closely with operational / business leaders of the business to challenge decisions and help drive better commercial outcomes
- Partnering with the operational leaders to understand impacts of past performance as well as future trends to find new opportunities or enhance current business performance.
- Manage cost control and policies attached to cost control across the company.
- SME and owner for finance deployments / enhancements.
- Take ownership of weekly and monthly estimates for the leisure business.
- Complete monthly / quarterly / annual forecasting and budget activity, engaging with the business and other parts of Finance as required.
- Responsible for providing both routine and ad hoc analysis to the Leisure SWOT teams and Operational Leaders to enhance decision making.
- Has a deep understanding of Power BI and data and can optimize these tools into the business to minimize repetitive work.

Financial Reporting and Review:

- Provide weekly and monthly performance reporting and value add analysis that enables business stakeholders both locally and globally to make informed decisions. This includes monthly reporting on but not limited to the following:

- Results, variance to forecasts as well as weekly trading updates
- Reviews / recommendations on business efficiencies and cost savings
- Performance based reporting by role and recommendations thereof.
- Adopt a culture of continuous improvement to proactively rationalize existing, and introduce new reporting that aligns to business needs, ways of working and drives delivery of objectives.

Forecast Planning:

- Work with the Operational / Business Leaders to prepare quarterly Profit and loss forecasts that reflect the operational targets and are aligned with the Global and Local strategy.
- Engaging with the business and other parts of finance as required to support the brand impact on Income Statement, Balance sheet and Cashflow.

Operational Excellence:

- Review all procedures, eliminating work wherever possible, and minimising the impact of month end bottle necks
- Partner with the other Finance teams to optimise workflows across the department
- Contribute to the culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
- Develop existing models and systems within the business to support the brand strategy.

Leadership and Culture:

- Able to motivate, inspire and develop a team
- Able to influence decisions to support overall business strategies
- Encourages a culture on continuous improvement and development of the team, with a clearly defined BOF.
- Manage and develop internal relationships with both local and global counterparts
- Culturally aligned and able to embrace the FCTG culture and philosophies

Job Requirements

Minimum requirements

Completed a Post graduate degree in Business / Commerce / Finance.

5+ years in a Senior Finance leadership role.

Added advantage

CA(SA) or CIMA qualification highly advantageous.

A good understanding of data and power BI and experience leading a data and BI team.

**Experience**:

- 5+ years in a Senior Finance leadership role.
- Experience with leading a finance team
- High level of commercial acumen
- Able to communicate complex financial information simplistically
- Strong business partnering skills, managing and influencing stakeholders, building relationships
- Strong Excel skills and good awareness of Power BI and data
- A self-starter, able to