Regional Vice President of Finance - East - Luxury, Lifestyle and Managed Hotels

The Role

The Regional Vice President of Finance
- East
- Luxury, Lifestyle and Managed Hotels is a key member of Americas’ regional leadership team and functions as the business partner to Americas HMG Brand Vice Presidents. As a business partner, the Regional Director of Finance provides leadership and support in developing business plans and financial strategies to achieve overall profit and growth objectives; measuring, tracking and challenging overall performance; managing financial processes and analytic capabilities to enable sound business decisions;

and ensuring the maintenance of a strong control environment for the HMG business. Integrate new or acquired business into the control and monitoring processes. Review short and long-term projections, forecasts and budgets for capital and operating expenses and performance. Advise Regional and Hotel Operations of cost reduction and profit improvement opportunities which can be leveraged across the region. Conduct inside and outside research and analysis of financial and business industry trends to enhance existing policies, develop effective business strategies which meet the changing needs of the industry and drive strategic efforts for business growth and increased profitability.

Oversee and develop hotel level accounting/finance talent ensuring the existence of business goals and priorities to continuously enhance individual performance and overall business results.

• Develop and manage key relationships with respective North American Operations VPs, RVPs, GMs and the hotel ownership members providing financial support and understanding of short and long-term financial plans. Review financial performance of the region and individual hotels within the region, analysis of variances, forecasts and budgets. Challenge existing strategies and/or recommend alternate strategies to continually improve effectiveness of the regional business or financial management.
• Contributes to overall business strategy development with a finance-specific lens for region.
• Assist with translating business needs and opportunities into financial strategies and actions that maximize returns and mitigate risk. Anticipates and identifies business opportunities and challenges and responds with profitable strategies that are aligned with the overall business direction.
• Monitors owner returns and IHG returns to continuously address default risk, employing corrective and preventive measures as necessary.
• Identify and implement process improvement opportunities for tracking, controlling, and reporting on spend as needed. Review financial reports for issues of concern regarding trends, competitive position, performance against strategic or budget expectations, effects of changes in business environment, etc. Utilize early warning system (analytical tools, etc.) to highlight critical concerns.
• Ensure effective compliance is maintained with current accounting policies, corporate procedures and internal control guidance, statutory laws, rules, and regulations along with operating management agreements.
• Continually monitors the financial control environment, making changes as necessary in collaboration with the HMG Controller, BSC and Internal Audit. Ensure standardized accounting policies and procedures are in place to produce accurate financial reporting.
• Improves business performance through leveraging talent and organizational systems to strengthen the leadership bench for evolving business needs. Coach and develop team members; hire, fire, assesses, discipline, document performance, recommend salary and classification changes. Act as advisor to staff to help meet established schedules and/or resolve technical or operational problems.
• Monitors hotel working capital and IHG receivables in the region
• Integrate new business (acquisitions, new builds, etc.) into the system, as appropriate.

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Finance, Accounting or a related discipline required; MBA or CPA preferred.
• 10+ years progressive work-related experience in multiple areas of accounting, financial and/or business analysis. Work experience as a finance leader, with 5 to 7 years managing teams and/or significant complex projects. At least 5 years as hotel Financial Controller or 7 years in a senior finance/accounting position in a corporate / multi branded hospitality experience preferred
• Demonstrated ability to assess and understand a variety of internal and external economic and financial issues which impact the business, to analyze data and forecast future business trends, and to develop effective financial plans based on businesses assessments.
• Ability to evaluate business trends and modify strategies and approaches as necessary.
• Personally, demonstrates and cultivates in others strong results orientation.
• Strong communication skills, both verbal and written to address all levels within the organization and ability to gain consensus
• Fosters trust and candor. Deals constructively with…