Finance & Administration
The finance team tracks the daily financial transactions of the hotel or pub; providing timely information to help make strategic decisions; prepare a range of reports to track performance and ensuring the property’s legal and regulatory obligations are met.
Important functions of this department include:
- Accounts Payable – paying and managing relationships with suppliers.
- Accounts Receivable – invoicing debtors and tracking payments.
- Financial controls – source and implement systems to control fraud and theft, and to reduce errors
- Payroll – managing the payroll for staff
Finance & Administration Hierarchy
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You are probably studying a finance related qualification. Working as a finance intern in a hotel/hotel chain or pub/pub chain is a fantastic way to start your finance career in hospitality. In this role, you learn the fundamentals of how hotels/pubs determine their pricing and the impact on the profitability of the business.
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Payroll Officer (P) (H)
You might be part of a team in a hotel, or part of a Head Office team looking after the payroll of a number of hotels. Either way, accuracy is super important in this job. All hotel staff have to be paid correctly and on time, and that comes down to you being really thorough and attentive in processing time and attendance data.
As you gain experience, you will get to know a lot about tax and superannuation laws, and salary sacrificing which might sound boring now but you’ll soon get to know just how important they are. If you’ve worked in payroll before, you’ll know how critical the payroll officer role is. If you’re new to payroll, consider doing one of the most vital jobs in hospitality.
Accounts Officer/Clerk (P) (H)
You are likely to be working in a team in this role as you will be quite inexperienced in working with Accounts Payable (eg. paying invoices for things like food for the kitchen or linen supplies for the accommodation) or Accounts Receivable (e.g. billing corporate clients for accommodation charges). You will be encouraged to further your finance studies so you can gain a better understanding of accounting principles.
Depending on the size of the hotel, you might be on your own or part of a team, or you might even work in a Head Office team looking after the accounts of a number of hotels. If you’ve done some accounting studies and you’re great with numbers, then working as an Accounts Officer is a great way to start your hotel career in the back office. You’ll get loads of experience and future opportunities are there for the hard workers.
Purchasing Officer
Purchasing is a big part of a hotel or pub operation. In this role, you will be working with existing suppliers and finding new suppliers to ensure the hotel or pub has what it needs to run smoothly. You might be working alone in a small hotel or pub responsible for all purchasing, or in a head office environment responsible for purchasing for a specific department across a chain of hotels or pubs.
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Purchasing Manager
This is a vital role normally found in hotel or pub chains. In this role, you will be responsible for managing any external contractors, sourcing and negotiating the cost of products from suppliers and monitoring product availability and deliveries. You will be very experienced having worked in procurement roles before.
Payroll Manager (P) (H)
Hotels and pubs have large numbers of staff who have to be paid correctly and on time. This role will normally be found in hotel or pub chains or very large single hotels or pubs. You will be managing a team of payroll staff ensuring they are working accurately with all time and attendance data.
You will liaise closely with the Finance Department making sure all your payroll figures balance. You will also work closely with the HR/People and Culture team in relation to setting up new employees and paying final entitlements to those leaving the business. You will be very experienced having worked in payroll roles before.
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Once you’ve gained experience in accounts and understand the finances of a hotel or pub, then the next step is to become an Assistant Financial Controller. You will be working with the whole finance team, overseeing reconciliations, managing cash flow, preparing periodic financial reports, and assisting the Financial Controller. In a small hotel or pub, you may be responsible for the payroll function too.
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This is the most financial senior role in a hotel or pub. You are really experienced in finance and have a related degree qualification. You will be responsible for the full finance function, preparing budgets, reporting, and being a key advisor to the Hotel Manager/ General Manager.
