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Job Title: Cost and Management Accountant
Division Group: Finance
Reports To: Group Financial Controller
Location: Ballybrit Business Park, Galway (with travel across the estate as required)
Contract Type: Permanent, Full Time
Salary: Competitive, commensurate with experience
ABOUT SUPERMACS GROUP
Supermac's Group is Ireland's largest indigenous quick service restaurant and hospitality group, founded in 1978 by Pat McDonagh. The Group operates across five business divisions:
- 114+ Supermacs quick service restaurants nationwide, including company-owned and franchised locations
- The Plaza Group: 13 motorway and primary route service stations across Ireland
- So Hotels: 6 four-star hotels, including Castletroy Park, Lough Rea Hotel and Spa, and Athlone Springs
- Funworld / Softdrive: leisure and amusement operations
- Supermacs Franchising: active franchise programme supporting franchisee-operated restaurants
The Group Finance team plays a central role in supporting operational and strategic decision-making across the entire estate. This is a business that is actively investing in its finance function, systems, and management reporting capability.
JOB PURPOSE
The Cost and Management Accountant will be a key member of the Group Finance team, responsible for producing timely and accurate management accounts, cost analysis, and financial reporting across the Supermacs estate. This is a hands-on, commercially focused role that requires an accountant who is comfortable working with operational data and translating clear, actionable insight for site managers, division heads, and the senior leadership team.
The successful candidate will play a central role in building a stronger financial reporting framework across the Group, improving the quality and consistency of management information, and supporting the identification of margin improvement and cost reduction opportunities across all business units.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Management Accounts and Reporting
- Prepare monthly management accounts for all Group business units (QSR estate, Plaza Group, So Hotels, Funworld, and Franchise) to agreed deadlines
- Produce consolidated Group management accounts and supporting schedules for review by the Financial Controller and senior leadership
- Prepare monthly P&L reports by site and by division, including commentary on key variances versus budget and prior year
- Develop and maintain a suite of KPI dashboards covering revenue, labour cost, food cost, gross margin, and EBITDA by business unit
- Ensure accuracy of the nominal ledger and month-end journals, including accruals, prepayments, and inter-company adjustments
Cost Analysis and Control
- Lead the Group's food cost and waste analysis program, tracking actual food cost percentages by site and category against targets
- Analyse labour cost efficiency across the QSR and hospitality estate, including scheduled versus actual hours, overtime, and agency spend
- Review overhead cost allocations and central cost recharges to ensure accurate divisional profitability reporting
- Identify and quantify cost reduction and margin improvement opportunities, and work with operational managers to implement agreed actions
- Monitor energy, utilities, and maintenance costs across the estate, identifying trends and flagging anomalies for management attention
Budgeting and Forecasting
- Coordinate the annual budgeting process across all business units, working with division heads and site managers to compile bottom-up budgets
- Prepare rolling quarterly forecasts incorporating the latest trading data, operational changes, and management assumptions
- Produce budget versus actual variance analysis at the site and division level monthly, with clear written commentary
- Support the Financial Controller in the preparation of the Group's annual financial plan and three-year strategic plan
Business Partnering
- Act as a trusted finance business partner to operational managers across the QSR estate, Plaza Group, and So Hotels, providing financial insight and challenge
- Attend operational review meetings and present financial performance data to site managers and division heads
- Support new site appraisals and capital investment evaluations, including preparation of financial models and payback analysis
- Assist with the financial evaluation of new franchise opportunities and franchise agreement reviews
Statutory Accounts and Compliance
- Support the annual statutory audit, preparing schedules, reconciliations, and supporting documentation for external auditors
- Complete monthly balance sheet reconciliations for all entities, investigating and clearing aged items promptly
- Assist in the preparation of statutory financial statements under FRS 102 as required
- Maintain compliance with VAT, PAYE, and other tax filing obligations in conjunction with the Group's tax advisers
Systems and Process Improvement
- Work with the Financial Controller and IT team to improve financial systems, reporting tools, and data quality across the estate
- Develop and document accounting procedures, month-end checklists, and control frameworks
- Identify and implement process improvements that reduce time to close and improve the quality of management information
- Support the evaluation and implementation of any new ERP or accounting systems as the Group scales
PERSON SPECIFICATION
- Qualification: Fully qualified accountant: CIMA, ACCA, ACA, or CPA (Essential)
- PQE: Minimum 3 years’ post-qualification experience in a management accounting role (Essential)
- Sector: Experience in multi-site QSR, hospitality, retail, or food and beverage (Highly Desirable)
- Management Accounts: Track record of preparing full management accounts to tight deadlines (Essential)
- Cost Analysis: Experience in food cost, labour cost, or operational cost analysis (Highly Desirable)
- Budgeting: Experience co-ordinating annual budgeting and rolling forecast processes (Essential)
- Business Partnering: Ability to communicate financial data clearly to non-finance managers (Essential)
- Excel: Advanced Excel: pivot tables, VLOOKUP / XLOOKUP, financial modelling (Essential)
- ERP Systems: Experience with accounting or ERP systems (Sage, SAP, Oracle, or similar) (Essential)
- Statutory Accounts: Experience supporting annual audit and preparing supporting schedules (Desirable)
- Multi-entity: Experience in a group or multi-entity finance environment (Desirable)
- Travel: Willingness to travel to sites across the Group estate as required (Essential)
KEY COMPETENCIES AND ATTRIBUTES
- Attention to detail: meticulous approach to financial data with a low tolerance for errors or unexplained variances
- Commercial mindset: ability to look beyond the numbers and understand what the data means for the business
- Communication: clear and confident communicator who can present financial performance to operational managers without a financial background
- Initiative: self-starter who identifies problems and proposes solutions without waiting to be directed
- Resilience under pressure: comfortable working to tight month-end deadlines in a fast-moving, high-volume, multi-site environment
- Integrity: highest standards of personal and professional integrity in handling confidential financial information
- Collaborative: builds strong working relationships with finance colleagues and operational management across the estate
- Curiosity: genuine interest in understanding how the business works and what drives performance at site level
WHAT WE OFFER
- A senior finance role with genuine breadth: spanning QSR, motorway services, hotels, and franchising across one of Ireland's most recognized brands
- Direct exposure to senior leadership and the opportunity to influence financial decision-making at the Group level
- A business actively investing in its finance function, systems, and reporting capability
- Competitive salary commensurate with experience, pension contribution, and staff benefits
- A supportive and collaborative team culture with a clear pathway for career development
- The opportunity to work for an Irish success story with over 45 years of growth and a passionate, committed leadership team
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Benefits:
- Bike to work scheme
- Company events
- Employee assistance program
- On-site parking
- Wellness program
Licence/Certification:
- CIMA, ACCA, ACA, or CPA qualification (required)
Work authorisation:
Work Location: In person
