Corporate Director of Finance

Hotels

Location: Near Albany Metro Area

Position Summary

The Corporate Director of Finance & Accounting is a key member of the leadership team responsible for leading the accounting and financial management functions for a growing hotel ownership, development, and management company. This individual will oversee all corporate and property-level accounting operations, financial reporting, budgeting, internal controls, payroll oversight, and compliance while serving as a strategic business partner to executive leadership and hotel operations.

Salary Range: $130k-140k Bonus Full benefits Relocation 401k

This position replaces the Company's outsourced accounting function and is responsible for building and maintaining a scalable accounting infrastructure that supports continued portfolio growth. The ideal candidate combines strong technical accounting expertise with hospitality industry knowledge, operational insight, and a continuous improvement mindset.

Key Responsibilities:

Financial Accounting & Reporting

• Lead all corporate and property-level accounting functions.
• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close process.
• Prepare and review accurate and timely financial statements for all entities.
• Perform and oversee monthly and year end bank account and balance sheet reconciliations.
• Ensure integrity of the general ledger, chart of accounts, journal entries, fixed assets, prepaid expenses, accruals, and intercompany transactions.
• Coordinate year-end financial reporting and support external accountants during tax preparation and annual reviews.

Internal Controls & Accounting Governance

• Develop, implement, and maintain strong accounting policies, internal controls, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Ensure compliance with GAAP, the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI), company policies, and lender requirements.
• Establish consistent accounting practices across all hotels and corporate entities.
• Monitor financial risk and recommend process improvements to strengthen internal controls.

Property Accounting & Operational Oversight

• Oversee all property-level accounting activities and provide financial guidance to hotel General Managers, transforming GMs into experts about ‘the business of hotels.’
• Conduct periodic property visits to review accounting procedures, cash controls, bank audits, revenue reporting, payroll practices, status of hotel’s AR and compliance with company standards.
• Ensure accurate accounting within hotel Property Management Systems (PMS) and related financial systems.
• Partner with Operations to improve financial performance and operational efficiency.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial Analysis

• Lead the annual operating and capital budgeting process, which begins in August.
• Prepare monthly financial forecasts and cash flow projections.
• Analyze operating results, labor productivity, departmental expenses, and key hotel performance metrics.
• Provide variance analysis comparing actual results to budget, forecast, prior year, and prior month.
• Develop recommendations to improve profitability, cash flow, and return on investment.

Payroll, Cash Management & Compliance

• Oversee payroll processing and related accounting activities.
• Monitor company cash flow, banking relationships, and working capital.
• Oversee sales, use, occupancy, and other required tax filings.
• Coordinate lender reporting, annual audits, insurance audits, and regulatory compliance requirements.

Systems, Technology & Process Improvement

• Oversee financial systems including accounting software, payroll systems, banking platforms, and hotel Property Management Systems.
• Ensure proper integration between operational and financial systems.
• Identify opportunities to automate processes, improve reporting, and increase efficiency.
• Support implementation of financial technology and standardized reporting across the portfolio.

Development, Capital Projects & Growth

• Support accounting and financial reporting for new hotel developments, acquisitions, renovations, and capital projects.
• Assist with due diligence for acquisitions and dispositions.
• Develop accounting processes and reporting for newly opened or acquired hotels.
• Maintain capital expenditure reporting and fixed asset records.

Leadership. Team and Company Development

• Supervise and mentor accounting personnel, including the Accounting Specialist.
• Establish performance expectations and foster professional development.
• Partner with property leadership to strengthen financial knowledge and accountability. Our objective here is to have each hotel become a highly functioning team.
• Promote a culture of accuracy, integrity, collaboration, and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Qualifications:

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required.
• CPA designation preferred. We would be willing to support a candidate to become a CPA.

Experience

• Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive accounting or finance leadership experience.
• Multi-property hospitality accounting experience strongly preferred.
• Experience with hotel ownership, management companies, or select-service hotel portfolios preferred.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, payroll oversight, internal controls, and multi-entity accounting.
• Experience supporting hotel development, acquisitions, or capital projects is a plus.

Knowledge & Skills

• Thorough knowledge of GAAP and USALI.
• Strong understanding of hotel financial operations and property accounting.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel and financial reporting skills.
• Experience with hotel accounting systems, Property Management Systems (PMS), and payroll platforms.
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present financial information to executive leadership.

Leadership Competencies

• Financial Stewardship
• Strategic Thinking
• Operational Partnership
• Process Improvement
• Accountability
• Integrity
• Leadership & Team Development
• Business Acumen
• Change Management

Success Measures

• Timely and accurate monthly financial reporting.
• Accurate bank and balance sheet reconciliations.
• Strong internal controls and documented accounting procedures.
• Budget and forecast accuracy.
• Effective cash flow management.
• Payroll and tax compliance.
• Successful support of hotel operations and executive leadership.
• Continuous improvement of accounting systems and processes.
• Development of a scalable accounting platform that supports the Company's continued growth.

If you are interested in this exciting opportunity, please send your resume to Kevin Buck at kbuck@geckohospitality.com for immediate consideration.