Finance CoE Lead - Transformational Controller

Independent Food Company; Dubai; On-site; AED 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Independent Food Company is seeking a senior finance leader to head the Finance Center of Excellence across brands and geographies. You will own accounting integrity, controls, and regulatory compliance, building a scalable platform for future growth.

The role focuses on clearing past issues, hardening controls, embedding the operating model, and delivering a five-pillar CoE with rigorous governance. An opportunity to transform finance in a fast-growing hospitality group.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with CA, ACCA or CPA or equivalent.
• 10–15 years progressive finance experience, including 4+ years in leadership.
• F&B, hospitality or multi-outlet retail background preferred.
• Strong NetSuite or ERP experience; experience integrating ERP with operations.
• Excellent communicator able to partner with operations and senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Build the CoE on five pillars: single COA, master data, close calendar, controls, and scalable tech.
• Own month-end close: sign off financial statements with a 5-working-day close.
• Embed segregation of duties and maker-checker across journals and reconciliations.
• Lead prior-year cleanup: supervise external team and restate positions as needed.
• Tax & compliance ownership: UAE VAT/CT, UK CT/VAT, ESR and KYC for vendors.
• External audit relationship: manage timeline and drive control-environment improvements.

Skills

Excellent communicator

Leadership

Financial reporting

ERP integration

Education

CA/ACCA/CPA or equivalent

Tools

NetSuite

ERP systems

Job description

Independent Food Company is seeking a senior finance leader to head the Finance Center of Excellence across brands and geographies. You will own accounting integrity, controls, and regulatory compliance, building a scalable platform for future growth.

The role focuses on clearing past issues, hardening controls, embedding the operating model, and delivering a five-pillar CoE with rigorous governance. An opportunity to transform finance in a fast-growing hospitality group.