Cost Controller
£40,000 per annum | Full-time | Office-based | Swan Restaurant at Shakespeare’s Globe, Bankside
Do you fancy working in one of London’s most iconic artistic venues, right on the banks of the River Thames?
Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe is a unique and exciting hospitality business located on Bankside, operating alongside Shakespeare’s Globe. Our business includes a busy bars, coffee outlets, outside spaces and a high-volume events operation.
We are looking for an experienced and commercially minded Hospitality Cost Controller to join our team. This is a key role within the business, responsible for monitoring costs, analysing purchasing and stock data, identifying variances and supporting the wider operation to maximise profitability.
The role is mostly office-based and operates across a 7-day business, with two days off per week, scheduled according to business needs.
About the Role
The Cost Controller is responsible for ensuring that purchasing, stock, invoices and operational costs are accurately recorded, monitored and controlled.
You will be responsible for producing accurate cost reports, investigating variances and highlighting opportunities to improve margins and reduce unnecessary spend.
You will also act as a key support to the Head of Purchasing and provide practical cover when required.
Key Responsibilities
- Work closely with the Head of Purchasing and provide support and cover when required.
- Prepare daily flash reports and regular food, beverage and overhead cost reports.
- Monitor GP, wastage, stock variances and theoretical versus actual usage.
- Review purchasing and operational spend, identifying unusual or unexpected variances.
- Complete period-end beverage stock reconciliation in line with the 4-4-5 financial calendar.
- Support and review period-end stocktakes, investigating significant variances and ensuring reports are completed accurately and on time.
- Carry out spot checks on products, transfers, deliveries and event consumption.
- Investigate unusual spend, price increases and operational variances.
- Review supplier pricing and identify opportunities for savings and improved purchasing.
- Support supplier comparisons, tenders and purchasing negotiations where required.
- Maintain accurate recipe costs and review menu profitability and selling prices.
- Keep Toast POS information up to date and ensure menu and sales information is accurate.
- Use MarketMan to manage purchasing invoices, stock, recipes, product information and reporting.
- Check invoices, credits, transfers and purchasing information for accuracy.
- Process and review all F&B and overhead invoices.
- Ensure supplier invoice and pricing discrepancies are followed through to resolution.
- Maintain accurate product information within purchasing and stock systems, including product listings, pricing and discontinued products.
- Review stock holding and par levels, highlighting slow-moving, excess or high-value stock.
- Provide purchasing statistics, cost analysis and financial information to Finance and management as required.
- Work closely with Finance, Chefs, Bar Managers, Restaurant Managers and the wider operational team.
- Help ensure purchasing, stock control and Goods-In procedures are consistently followed.
- Support the Goods Receiver and Stock Controller with accurate purchasing, receiving, invoice and stock processes.
- Provide cover for the Stock Controller or Goods Receiver when required, including orders, invoices, deliveries, transfers and basic stock-control duties.
- Help train managers and relevant team members on correct purchasing, invoice and stock-control procedures.
Invoice & Purchasing Controls
A key part of the role will be ensuring that our purchasing process has strong checks and controls.
The Goods Receiver and Stock Controller will be responsible for checking and approving deliveries and ensuring that goods received match the relevant orders.
The Cost Controller will provide a further level of control by reviewing completed orders and invoices, checking pricing, quantities, credits and discrepancies before they are finalised.
This role will therefore act as an important financial control point between Purchasing, Goods-In, Operations and Finance, helping to ensure that we pay for what we have ordered and received and that any discrepancies are identified quickly.
What We're Looking For
We are looking for someone who is:
- Experienced in cost control, purchasing, stock control, finance or hospitality operations.
- Highly organised with excellent attention to detail.
- Commercially aware and confident working with financial data.
- Comfortable analysing numbers and investigating discrepancies.
- Confident challenging costs and asking questions when something doesn't look right.
- Experienced with Excel and financial reporting.
- Ideally familiar with hospitality systems such as MarketMan, Toast or similar purchasing/POS systems.
- Able to work independently while building strong relationships with operational teams.
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced hospitality environment.
- Practical and hands-on, with the flexibility to support the wider team when required.
- A strong communicator who can explain financial and cost information clearly to non-finance colleagues.
Most importantly, you will have a commercial mindset and enjoy finding ways to improve processes, control costs and protect profitability.
Position Details
Salary: £40,000 per annum
Position: Cost Controller
Reports to: Head of Purchasing
Location: Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe, Bankside, London
Working pattern: Full-time, office-based
Days: 7-day business operation, with 2 days off per week according to business needs
Why Work With Us?
- Free meals on shift
- Competitive salary
- Flexible working arrangements around business needs
- 50% discount across our bars, restaurant and outlets
- Training and development opportunities
- Work in one of London's most iconic cultural venues
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Private GP access
- Employee of the Quarter with amazing prizes
- Wagestream access
- Fantastic Bankside location overlooking the River Thames
- A lively, collaborative and fast-paced working environment
If you are commercially driven, enjoy working with numbers and want a role where your analysis can genuinely influence how a busy hospitality business operates, we would love to hear from you.
Apply now and become part of the Swan at Shakespeare’s Globe team.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £40,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
