Harper May is working with a London-based restaurant operator that has grown to eight trading sites across the capital over the past five years.

The business is founder-led, privately funded, and focused on a distinct casual-dining concept with strong local followings.

Recent expansion has brought new complexity: supply-chain volatility, labour market tightness, and the need for sharper margin visibility across a dispersed estate.

The operator is now strengthening its finance function and seeking a Financial Controller to build control infrastructure, improve monthly insight, and partner closely with the management team.

The Role
Reporting to the Finance Director, you will own financial reporting, month-end close, and compliance across all sites.

You will work regularly with operations and the executive team to translate numbers into actionable insight-where are costs rising, which locations are tracking, where do we need to act.

The role demands both technical rigour and the ability to communicate with non-finance stakeholders who need clarity, not jargon.

• Lead month-end and year-end close cycles, ensuring accuracy and timeliness across the estate
• Produce management accounts, statutory financial statements, and regulatory returns
• Design and maintain effective financial controls and balance sheet governance
• Manage the external audit relationship and respond to auditor queries
• Build forecasting and cash flow models to support operational and strategic planning
• Analyse site-level P&Ls, labour costs, and food margins; identify and escalate variance
• Recommend and implement improvements to accounting processes and reporting tools

What we are looking for

• ACA, ACCA, or CIMA qualification
• Proven experience as a Financial Controller or Senior Accountant, ideally in restaurants, hospitality, or retail
• Solid technical accounting knowledge and confidence with financial reporting under IFRS or UK GAAP
• Practical understanding of multi-site operations and site-level P&L dynamics
• Comfortable presenting financial data to operational and executive teams
• Self-directed, organised, and able to prioritise under pressure