Compensation Type: Yearly Highgate Hotels:
Highgate is a premier real estate investment and hospitality management company widely recognized as an innovator in the industry. Highgate is the dominant player in U.S. gateway markets including New York, Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Honolulu, with a rapidly expanding presence in Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Highgate’s portfolio of global properties represents an aggregate asset value exceeding $20B and generates over $5B in cumulative revenues. The company provides expert guidance through all stages of the hospitality property cycle, from planning and development through recapitalization or disposition. Highgate also has the creativity and bandwidth to develop bespoke hotel brands and utilizes industry-leading proprietary revenue management tools that identify and predict evolving market dynamics to drive out performance and maximize asset value. With an executive team consisting of some of the industry’s most experienced hotel management leaders, the company is a trusted partner for top ownership groups and major hotel brands. Highgate maintains corporate offices in London, New York, Dallas, and Seattle.
Location:
Highgate Corporate Offices Irving, TX
Overview:
The Assistant Director of Finance – Task Force is responsible for providing consistent leadership in the financial area of the hotel by supplying the accounting staff with guidance, leadership, and training. The position is supporting the on-site, permanent Director of Finance and her/his team in all aspects of fiscal management, financial controls, accounting, and financial reporting for the assigned property. This position is remote and requires significant travel across Highgate’s footprint.
Responsibilities:
- Approach all encounters with guests and teammates in an attentive, friendly, courteous, and service-oriented manner.
- Always comply with Highgate Hotels’ standards and regulations to encourage safe and efficient hotel operations.
- Maximize efforts towards productivity, identify problem areas, and assist in finding and implementing their solutions.
- Assisting Director of Finance in the timely preparation of monthly financial statements for the property.
- Preparing, monitoring, and accurately recording hotel revenues daily by preparing the Income Journal. Identifying all variances to budget and last year.
- Monitoring and controlling hotel operations, cash flow, and operating forecasts for the property.
- Under guidance of the Director of Finance maintaining timely interaction with the Department Heads to ensure that property operations are always on track and under control
- Preparation of monthly bank reconciliations and general ledger account reconciliations for the property
- Supervision of accounting department staff
- Compliance with Highgate Accounting Policies and Procedures and internal controls for our finance and accounting operations
- Effectively managing and communicating issues related to management of receivables, payables, daily cash balances, and timely deposits of all funds.
- Monitoring hotel revenues and expenses and ensuring the accurate recording in accordance with Highgate Hotel’s established guidelines. Investigating and critiquing variances to budget or to prior year and offer practical improvement methodologies to management.
- Analyzing the financial data and operations to assist the Director of Finance and advise Department Heads in maintaining the hotel’s financial objectives.
- With supervision of Director of Finance hire, train, supervise and develop staff, including coaching, counseling, and discipline.
- Preparation of any special reports, statements, etc., as requested.
- Executes other special projects and responsibilities as assigned.
- Assist in ensuring hotels’ compliance on all regulatory licenses and permits, leases, contracts, legal agreements, and the proper execution of all operational taxes. Assist management in enforcing compliance on all these items.
- Comply with Standard Accounting policies and procedures and internal controls for finance and accounting operations.
- Manage staff including hiring and supervision as well as continually focus on training and development programs for accounting associates to cultivate the “brightest” and “best” talent within the industry.
- Maintain compliance with Highgate Hotels’ standards and regulations to ensure safe and efficient operation of the hotel.
- Timely interacts with Executive Committee members to ensure that property operations are always on track and under control.
- Monitor hotels’ compliance in meeting required report deadlines and due dates and react accordingly.
- Conduct and/or attend and contribute to periodic meetings to maintain favorable working relationship among team members and promote maximum morale, productivity, and efficiency (Executive Committee, Sales & Service, Credit, etc.).
- Monitor the accurate production of the hotel daily operating report.
- Executes other special projects and responsibilities as assigned.
Qualifications:
- At least 6 years of related progressive experience in hotel Accounting or related field; or a 4-year college degree with an Accounting/ Finance concentration and a minimum of 2 years of related progressive experience; or a 2-year college degree and a minimum of 4 years of related progressive experience.
- Experience as Assistant Director of Finance at a larger hotel with a decentralized accounting structure is required.
- This position is remote and requires up to 90% travel.
- There will be days when working long hours are required.
- Experience in supervising three or more employees required.
- Must be able to convey information and ideas clearly.
- Must have experience in Oracle and IBM TM1 software.
- Must be able to evaluate and select among alternative courses of action quickly and accurately.
- Must be effective in handling problems in the workplace, including anticipating, preventing, identifying, and solving problems, as necessary.
- Must have the ability to assimilate complex information, data, etc., from disparate sources and consider, adjust, or modify to meet the constraints of the need.
- Must be effective at listening to, understanding, and clarifying the concerns and issues raised by teammates and guests.
- Must be able to work with and understand financial information and data, and basic arithmetic functions.