Job Description
Position: Director of Finance Centralized Accounting System (CAS)
Reporting To: Regional Director of Finance - UHM Middle East
Scope: All UHM Managed Hotels & Corporate Entities
About United Hospitality Management (UHM)
United Hospitality Management is a leading hotel management company operating a diverse portfolio of hotels, resorts, serviced apartments, and lifestyle destinations across the Middle East and Europe. UHM partners with international brands and owners to deliver operational excellence, strong financial performance and sustainable growth.
As part of UHM's continued expansion and focus on financial governance, efficiency and scalability, the Centralized Accounting System (CAS) plays a critical role in standardizing financial processes, strengthening controls and enabling data-driven decision-making across the portfolio.
About The Role
The Director of Finance CAS is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing the centralized accounting function across all UHM-managed hotels and corporate entities. This role ensures financial integrity, compliance, consistency and efficiency while supporting hotel operations, owners, and senior leadership with accurate, timely, and insightful financial reporting.
The position acts as a strategic partner to Hotel General Managers, Cluster Finance Teams, Owners and Corporate Leadership, while driving standardization, automation, and continuous improvement across finance operations.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic & Leadership Responsibilities
- Lead and oversee the Centralized Accounting System (CAS) covering all UHM managed hotels and corporate entities.
- Develop and implement standardized accounting policies, procedures and controls across the portfolio.
- Provide strategic financial leadership, supporting business growth, new openings, transitions and portfolio expansion.
- Act as a key financial advisor to senior management, owners and operational leaders.
Financial Governance & Compliance
- Ensure full compliance with IFRS, local statutory requirements, tax regulations and internal policies.
- Maintain strong internal controls, risk management frameworks and audit readiness across all entities.
- Lead internal and external audits, coordinating with auditors and ensuring timely resolution of findings.
- Oversee balance sheet integrity, reconciliations and month-end / year-end close processes.
Centralized Accounting Operations
- Supervise centralized accounting teams handling:
- General Ledger
- Accounts Payable
- Accounts Receivable
- Fixed Assets
- Payroll accounting coordination
- Ensure timely, accurate, and consistent financial reporting across all hotels and corporate offices.
- Drive efficiency through process optimization, automation, and effective use of financial systems.
Reporting & Performance Management
- Oversee the preparation of monthly, quarterly, and annual financial statements and management reports.
- Provide insightful financial analysis, variance explanations and performance commentary to leadership and owners.
- Support budgeting, forecasting and long-range financial planning in collaboration with operations and commercial teams.
Stakeholder & Hotel Support
- Partner closely with Hotel General Managers, Cluster Finance Leaders and Department Heads to support operational and financial objectives.
- Act as the primary finance liaison for hotel owners on centralized accounting matters.
- Support new hotel onboarding into CAS, including system setup, training and transition management.
People & Capability Development
- Lead, mentor, and develop the CAS finance team, fostering a high-performance and accountability-driven culture.
- Ensure clear role definitions, KPIs, and succession planning within the centralized finance structure.
- Promote continuous learning and professional development across the finance function.
About You
The ideal candidate is a commercially astute finance leader with strong technical expertise and experience managing multi-property or centralized finance structures.
Qualifications & Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field (Master's degree or CPA/ACCA/CIMA preferred).
- Minimum 810 years of progressive finance experience, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
- Proven experience in hospitality finance, ideally across multi-property or cluster environments.
- Strong knowledge of IFRS, financial controls, audit processes, and statutory compliance.
- Experience leading centralized accounting or shared services models is highly desirable.
- Advanced proficiency in financial systems, ERPs, and reporting tools; strong Microsoft Excel skills required.
Competencies
- Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.
- High level of accuracy, integrity, and attention to detail.
- Ability to balance strategic thinking with hands-on operational execution.
- Excellent communication skills, capable of engaging with owners and senior executives.
