Accountant (F&B / Hospitality)

Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka

Full-time

About Client Partner

Our client is a prominent Sri Lankan hospitality and food & beverage (F&B) enterprise operating a growing network of popular café branches and dining outlets across Colombo. Known for delivering exceptional culinary and beverage experiences, the company continues to expand its retail footprint, backed by strong financial management, robust operational controls, and high-quality service standards.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced, analytical, and hands-on Accountant to oversee the end-to-end accounting functions, inventory controls, and financial operations across all café branches. Reporting to senior management, this role is critically focused on recipe and operational cost controls, variance analysis, financial reporting, cash flow management, and bank relations. The ideal candidate will possess a strong background in F&B cost accounting and end-to-end financial management within a multi-branch environment.

Responsibilities

Cost Accounting & Margin Control: Conduct detailed product/recipe costing for menu items, analyze food and beverage cost variances, track wastage/spoilage, and implement strict inventory controls across all outlets.
End-to-End Accounting Management: Oversee day-to-day accounting operations, maintain general ledgers, process accounts payable/receivable, and ensure accurate, timely month-end and year-end financial closures.
Bank & Treasury Operations: Manage day-to-day banking relationships, oversee daily cash/card collection reconciliations across all branches, manage facility documentation, and monitor cash flow forecasting.
Financial Reporting & Analytics: Prepare monthly management accounts, profit & loss statements per branch, balance sheet reconciliations, and variance analysis reports for executive management decision-making.
Taxation & Compliance: Ensure full compliance with local statutory requirements, including VAT, SSCL, APIT, EPF/ETF, and statutory tax filings.
Branch Audit & Inventory Oversight: Conduct periodic physical inventory audits across café branches, reconcile stock takes against point-of-sale (POS) systems, and investigate stock discrepancies.

Requirements

Professional Qualifications: Fully qualified or partly qualified in CA Sri Lanka, CIMA, ACCA, or CMA. A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline is advantageous.
Experience: Minimum 3 to 6 years of progressive accounting experience, with proven expertise in costing and overall financial management. Experience in the F&B, café, restaurant, hotel, or retail sector is highly preferred.
Costing Expertise: Hands-on proficiency in F&B recipe costing, COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) calculation, menu engineering analysis, and inventory variance control.
Banking & Treasury Exposure: Strong background in handling banking operations, daily branch revenue reconciliations, and cash flow management.
Software Skills: High proficiency in accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks, Xero, or ERP systems), POS software integration, and advanced Microsoft Excel.
Competencies: Strong numerical accuracy, analytical thinking, integrity, and the ability to manage multi-branch operational finance efficiently.

Benefits

Competitive executive salary package based on experience and qualifications.
Direct financial leadership role working closely with executive management across a growing F&B brand.
Career growth and advancement opportunities as the business expands its multi-branch retail network.