Director of Finance

Department: Finance
Reports to: CEO, Country Executive
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Location: Greater Toronto Area (Mississauga) – Hybrid (2–3 days per week in office)

At Nando's, we believe it's never just about the chicken — it's about the people who make it. We are a people-first, values-driven organization on an exciting growth journey, and we're looking for a Director of Finance to join our leadership team and help guide the business forward.

The Director of Finance is the senior financial leader for Nando's Canada, responsible for overseeing the entire finance and accounting function across corporate-owned and franchise operations.

Reporting to the CEO, this role acts as the financial quarterback of the business — ensuring accurate reporting, strong controls, disciplined planning, and actionable insights that drive profitable growth in a multi-unit restaurant environment.

• Lead and develop the finance and accounting teams, fostering accountability, partnership, and continuous improvement

• Oversee all core accounting functions, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, payroll, fixed assets, and revenue accounting

• Ensure all financial transactions are recorded accurately, completely, and on a timely basis in accordance with GAAP and company policies

• Own the monthly close process, ensuring financial statements are prepared, reviewed, and finalized on schedule

• Review balance sheet reconciliations and ensure strong documentation and discipline across all accounts

• Act as the primary escalation point for technical accounting and financial reporting matters

• Generate, review, and distribute internal and external financial reporting each accounting period

• Oversee budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning across restaurant operations, G&A, and franchise support

• Lead the annual operating plan, rolling forecasts, and internal financial models

• Partner with the CEO and leadership team on multi-year strategic planning, including unit growth, margin improvement, and capital deployment

• Coordinate G&A planning to ensure alignment with strategic and operational priorities

• Analyze weekly and monthly performance trends, including sales, labour, food costs, margins, and unit-level profitability

• Prepare clear variance analyses and forward-looking insights to support decision-making

• Deliver clear, decision-oriented financial reporting for senior leadership and the board

• Develop and enhance reporting that compares actual results to budgets, forecasts, and strategic targets

• Partner with leaders to interpret results, identify risks and opportunities, and apply learnings to future decisions

• Support automated reporting, dashboards, and data views through financial systems and Power BI

• Provide ad hoc financial analysis to support restaurant operations, franchise performance, and cross-functional initiatives

• Own external audit planning, coordination, and execution, ensuring timely and clean audit outcomes

• Support year-end audit preparation, including schedules and supporting documentation

• Partner with external advisors on corporate and franchise-related tax compliance and filings

• Review internal accounting controls, identify gaps, and implement improvements to mitigate risk and improve efficiency

• Communicate with leadership on how internal controls support risk management and profitability

• Oversee cash management, forecasting, and working capital optimization

• Monitor liquidity, cash flow trends, and capital needs

• Support capital planning decisions related to new restaurant openings, remodels, technology investments, and strategic initiatives

• Partner closely with the People team on the design, administration, and analysis of incentive plans

• Provide financial insight into compensation strategy and incentive outcomes

• Lead finance-related system implementations, upgrades, and process improvements

• Ensure finance systems, processes, and reporting scale effectively with business…