GIOVANNIS RESTAURANT GROUP
Join the longest established independent Italian family run restaurant group in Wales
FINANCE & ACCOUNTS MANAGER
£40,000 guaranteed base salary | Service charge and KPI-related bonus | Total potential earnings up to £50,000
Full-time, permanent | Cardiff | Primarily office based
THE ROLE
You will be the group’s hands-on in-house finance lead for three Cardiff restaurants. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will own management reporting, financial control and day-to-day finance administration. You will work closely with our general managers and receive specialist support from our external accountants, payroll provider and independent tronc master.
The role combines Finance Manager-level ownership with transaction processing and payroll administration. You should be comfortable moving between management accounts and commercial analysis, supplier and bank reconciliations, payroll checks and practical conversations with restaurant managers.
ROLE STRUCTURE AND SCALE
- Finance responsibility across three Cardiff restaurants.
- A multi-site, transaction-heavy operation with daily EPOS sales, supplier activity, monthly payroll and service-charge administration.
- Direct reporting line to the CEO, with regular contact with restaurant general managers and external advisers.
- Full-time, permanent and primarily office based at Cardiff Road.
- Flexitime around payroll, month-end, reporting and business deadlines.
- After a successful induction, up to one home-working day per week may be agreed, subject to payroll, month-end and business needs.
WHAT YOU WILL OWN
Management information and control
- Prepare monthly management accounts, restaurant profit and loss reports and balance-sheet reconciliations.
- Maintain cash-flow forecasts, budgets and variance reports.
- Give the CEO clear weekly and monthly information on sales, labour, gross profit, costs and cash.
- Explain material variances and follow agreed actions through with restaurant managers.
- Improve finance controls, reporting and procedures across the group.
- Keep financial records complete, organised and ready for audit.
Transactions and statutory work
- Process supplier invoices through Dext and Xero.
- Reconcile supplier statements and prepare fortnightly payment runs for authorisation.
- Reconcile bank accounts and company credit cards.
- Post daily EPOS sales to Xero and investigate differences.
- Raise customer invoices and reconcile customer accounts.
- Resolve supplier queries, credit notes and utility-account differences.
- Prepare VAT returns and PAYE payment schedules for review.
- Supply accurate information to our external accountants and advisers.
Payroll and service-charge administration
- Collate and check monthly hours across all three restaurants.
- Finalise RotaReady and cost-control reports before payroll.
- Submit complete, accurate payroll information to the external payroll provider.
- Prepare service-charge data for the independent tronc master in line with the written tipping policy and current law.
- Reconcile completed tronc calculations to payroll inputs and investigate discrepancies before submission.
Weekly controls
- Review and document voids, receipts and management explanations.
- Report unusual patterns, missing information or control failures to the CEO.
- Maintain complete cash-up records, deposit slips and vouchers.
- Work constructively with restaurant managers while challenging inaccurate or late information.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
- Monthly management accounts and restaurant reports arrive to the agreed timetable.
- Cash-flow forecasts and budgets stay current and support decisions.
- Payment runs, payroll and tronc information are accurate and submitted on time.
- The CEO and restaurant managers receive concise explanations, not unexplained spreadsheets.
- Records remain audit-ready and identified control weaknesses are corrected.
- Agreed improvements reduce errors, duplicated work and late information.
WHAT WE NEED
- Experience running finance operations for a multi-site or transaction-heavy business.
- Strong working knowledge of Xero, Dext and Microsoft Excel.
- Experience preparing management accounts, cash-flow forecasts, budgets and variance reports.
- Payroll experience; service-charge or tronc experience is useful.
- Care, discretion and sound judgement when handling confidential information.
- The confidence to challenge missing information and explain finance clearly to non-finance managers.
- AAT, ACA, ACCA or CIMA study or qualification is preferred. Strong qualified-by-experience candidates are welcome.
- Hospitality or multi-site experience is useful but not essential.
INDUCTION AND SUPPORT
You must bring sound accounting knowledge and practical finance experience. We will provide a structured induction covering our restaurant operations, chart of accounts, reporting timetable, EPOS process, RotaReady and cost-control reports, supplier routines, payroll workflow, written tipping policy and tronc process.
You will work directly with the CEO, external accountants, payroll provider and tronc master. The training covers our business and systems; it does not replace the accounting experience required for the role.
PAY AND PERFORMANCE
- Guaranteed base salary of £40,000 per year.
- Service charge paid under the group’s written policy and tronc arrangements.
- Performance-based bonus linked to agreed written KPIs, expected to cover reporting timeliness and accuracy, payroll and tronc accuracy, cash and working-capital control, audit readiness and agreed process improvements.
- Total potential annual earnings of up to £50,000. The guaranteed base is £40,000; service charge and bonus are variable and not guaranteed.
WHAT WE OFFER
- Company pension and sick pay.
- Employee and food discounts.
- Flexitime around business, payroll and reporting deadlines.
- Direct access to the CEO and external advisers.
- Scope to improve the finance function as the group grows.
- After a successful induction, up to one home-working day per week may be agreed, subject to payroll, month-end and business needs.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply with your CV and a short note covering your experience with Xero, management accounts, payroll and process improvement. Please include one example of a finance process or control you improved and the result.
Pay: £40,000.00-£50,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Flexitime
- Sick pay
Application question(s):
- Briefly describe your experience using Xero and Dext and administering payroll, service charge or TRONC processes.
- Briefly describe your experience preparing monthly management accounts, cash-flow forecasts, budgets and variance reports.
Experience:
- finance and accounts management: 3 years (required)
Work authorisation:
- United Kingdom (required)
Work Location: In person
