Financial Director

The Director of Finance will be based in New York City, NY, Boston, MA, Washington, DC, or Charlotte, NC.

Restaurant Associates’ heritage is steeped in culinary and hospitality excellence. In all that we do, people matter. We value our guests, our communities, and most importantly, our own. At R/A, food is inspiration. With an unwavering dedication to evolution and innovation, we continue to set new standards in the industry, shaping memorable experiences through every dish and interaction we deliver.

R/A is seeking a dynamic and strategic Director of Finance to drive financial excellence, operational efficiency, and sustainable growth within a $1.8B contract food service business. In this multifaceted leadership role, we seek a results-oriented, strategic thought leader who possesses a desire to learn and add value to the business. Reporting to the SVP of Finance, this role will oversee Financial Planning & Analysis for RA while also working to support our catering companies’ financial support needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee the FP&A department responsible for Budgeting, Forecasting, Reporting, and Analysis of the entire R/A sector.
• Coordinate across the company to develop month-end flash expectations for senior leadership with key drivers of variances to budget and forecasts.
• Work across a portfolio of catering companies to collaborate on new business efforts with a focus on financial modeling and deal strategy.
• Lead the team responsible for the weekly flash process to ensure accurate analytical commentary is being provided to senior leadership.
• Manage the annual budgeting and forecasting processes – including the required internal reviews, presentations, and approvals.
• Liaise with cross functional teams to build, provide guidance on strategic plans, annual budgets/quarterly forecasts, and to identify risks and opportunities.
• Analyze business unit results versus targets for both Restaurant Associates financial and Client expectations, highlighting potential issues and presenting key economic drivers to senior management, along with risk mitigation strategies
• Review and analyze financial reporting to proactively confront potential issues
• Perform special projects as assigned such as industry benchmarking, ad hoc analysis, assist in prioritizing initiatives with dollarized impact.
• Own and optimize business processes across the respective companies.
• Develop and grow the Finance teams.
• Coordinate sector finance needs with corporate accounting, finance, treasury, IT and other departments as needed.

Qualifications

• 5 years of financial leadership experience in a multi-site organization
• Bachelor’s degree required (MBA/Master of Accounting preferred).
• Industry expertise in food service, hospitality, or a related sector.
• Proven track record in finance strategy execution.
• Strong analytical and communication skills.
• Experience leading large-scale financial transformation, process improvement, and change management initiatives.
• Industry experience in Mergers & Acquisitions
• Ability to travel within the U.S. (up to 30%).
• Commitment to ethical leadership, corporate responsibility, and driving a culture of excellence.