Finance Manager

Job description

About

Job Ref: DAK1444

Branch: Dakota Leeds

Location: Dakota Leeds, Leeds

Salary/Benefits: Earnings are a gross annual salary of £43,000 per annum with a competitive target-based bonus

Contract type: Permanent

Hours: Full Time

Shift pattern: Typically working Monday - Friday, usual shifts will be 09:00-17:30 but we can be flexible. Based at either our Leeds or Newcastle property.

Hours per week: The role carries a permanent contract of 40 hours per week

Posted date: 06/11/2026

Closing date: 06/12/2026

We are looking for a commercially minded

Finance Manager with experience in hospitality finance to join our team. This is an excellent opportunity for an established Finance Manager looking to progress within a luxury hotel environment. You will play a key role in supporting the financial performance of both

Dakota Newcastle and

Dakota Leeds, providing commercial insight, leading a small finance team, and partnering with operational leaders to drive profitability, efficiency, and continuous improvement.

With a planned new hotel opening in York in 2028 there would be an opportunity for the scope of the role to expand further for the right candidate.

PRIMARY ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

As Finance Manager, reporting to the Head of Operational Finance, you will be the financial lead for your hotels. You will combine hands-on control of the numbers with commercial insight that helps our teams make better decisions. You will:

• Act as a key business partner to the Heads of Hotel and senior leadership teams, providing financial analysis, commercial insight and recommendations based on the financial statements and key performance indicators.
• Oversee the monthly management accounts, including accruals, prepayments, balance sheet and stock reconciliations, and month-end reporting. Make sure every deadline is met and every report comes with meaningful commentary and analysis.
• Lead the annual budget and regular forecasts for your hotels, monitoring performance against them and agreeing corrective actions with Heads of Department where needed.
• Identify and recommend cost-saving opportunities while protecting Dakota’s high standards of hospitality.
• Coach and challenge Heads of Department to own their numbers, helping them understand and achieve their financial objectives.
• Manage the performance and development of the finance team across your sites, allocating workloads, coaching team members and making sure daily accounting tasks are completed accurately and on time.
• Ensure all revenue is accurately captured, reconciled and recorded in the financial systems, investigating and resolving any discrepancies promptly.
• Own the cash management process, including cash and card reconciliations, petty cash, bank reconciliations, float audits and cash-handling controls, in full compliance with company policy.
• Develop and embed best-in-class processes so the finance team operates flexibly and efficiently.

APPLICANT REQUIREMENTS

The successful applicant will have/be:

• At least 2 years’ experience in a management accounting or finance management role, including producing monthly management accounts, balance sheet reconciliations, P&L reports, budgets, forecasts and variance analysis, with clear examples of improving financial performance through reporting and recommendations. [required]
• At least 2 years’ experience in the hospitality sector, ideally in hotels, restaurants or multi-site operations. [required]
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience helping operational managers improve revenue, labour efficiency, gross profit margins and overall profitability. [required]
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (formulas, pivot tables, lookups and financial modelling), and the ability to present complex financial data clearly to people outside finance. [required]
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at every level. [required]
• The ability to travel regularly between Dakota Newcastle and Dakota Leeds. [required]
• Experience of leading, coaching or developing finance team members. [highly desirable]
• Experience of multi-site accounting or supporting more than one operation at the same time. [highly desirable]
• A full or part accounting qualification (AAT, ACCA, CIMA, ACA or equivalent), or a degree in Accounting, Finance or a related subject. [highly desirable]

WHAT WE OFFER

In addition to being part of a culture infused with positivity and opportunity for ongoing development, tangible benefits you could enjoy when you join our team include:

FINANCIAL

• Special discounts on stays and dining at any Dakota
• Bonuses to recommend a friend to join our team and every time you are mentioned on Trip Advisor
• Additional holiday day on the first anniversary of your employment
• Meals on duty and uniforming

WELLBEING

• Access to our Employee Assistance Program which includes free private mental health support and counselling sessions, video GP consultations and private prescription services, as well as access to daily rewards to be cashed out for shopping vouchers
• Support from our inhouse Mental Health Champions
• Family-friendly flexible working options
• Participation in meaningful initiatives such as Macmillan Cancer Support Coffee Morning and the Walk for Wellbeing, Supporting causes that matter while connecting with colleagues

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

• Accredited, certified compliance training given on employment
• Access to a suite of external, certified resources via our Learning Management System
• Supportive continuous professional development culture with an annual appraisal and objectives, or a Personal Development Plan
• Opportunities to undertake both internal and external training courses, including potential for in-house Apprenticeships

Full terms on our benefits can be found in our Handbook.

ABOUT DAKOTA HOTELS

Dakota is a growing UK-based lifestyle brand, known for our stylish hotels, bustling brasserie Grills and upscale cocktail Bars. Dakota’s story started with two boutique hotels on the outskirts of Edinburgh, in South Queensferry, and Glasgow, in Eurocentral. We have now expanded into prime city centre locations in Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester & Newcastle. Our newest hotel is at Manchester Airport, with our next opening in York expected early 2028 with more in our pipeline.

Dakota is synonymous for delivering attentive and genuine guest service. We attract hard-working individuals who are passionate about working to the highest standards and have been voted within The Caterer’s Top 15 Best Employers in Hospitality for the last six years in a row. We were also featured within the Top 10 employers in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work in the UK for the last three years running. 

As winners of The Cateys ‘People Team of the Year’, we have award-winning internal training programmes within Dakota Academy fostering continuous development and ongoing training. As a result, over 75% of our leaders have been promoted internally and, for five consecutive years, a member of our team has won a prestigious Acorn Award awarded by

The Caterer to the ‘Top 30 under 30’ in the industry, demonstrating our success in developing talent.

APPLY 

Please send us your up to date CV.

For more information on our luxury hotel,

 v

isit our 

Careers page

 to learn about current opportunities and find your #DreamRolesAtDakota – we’d love to hear from you! 

ABOUT DAKOTA LEEDS

Our location, 8 Russell St, Leeds LS1 5RN, ideally located on Greek Street, we are just a 5min walk from Leeds Train Station. We are also easily accessible by bus, close to the east parade bus link and within a 10min walk from Leeds Bus Station. We are an 94-bedroom luxury hotel boasting a destination cocktail bar with a champagne room, and brasserie-style Grill. 

ABOUT DAKOTA HOTELS  

Dakota is a growing UK-based lifestyle brand, known for our stylish hotels, bustling brasserie Grills and upscale cocktail Bars. Dakota’s story started with two boutique hotels on the outskirts of Edinburgh, in South Queensferry, and Glasgow, in Eurocentral. We have now expanded into prime city centre locations in Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester, and Newcastle. With our newest hotel opening at Manchester Airport with more in our pipeline.  

Dakota is synonymous for delivering attentive and genuine guest service. We attract hard-working individuals who are passionate about working to the highest standards and have been voted within The Caterer’s Top 15 Best Employers in Hospitality for the last six years in a row. We were also featured within the Top 10 employers in the Sunday Times Best Places to Work in the UK for the last three years running. 

As winners of The Cateys ‘People Team of the Year’, we have award-winning internal training programmes within Dakota Academy fostering continuous development and ongoing training. As a result, over 75% of our leaders have been promoted internally and, for five consecutive years, a member of our team has won a prestigious Acorn Award awarded by 

The Caterer to the ‘Top 30 under 30’ in the industry, demonstrating our success in developing talent.