Director of Finance
About the role
Department: Finance
Reports to: CEO, Country Executive
Direct Reports: Finance Team
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Date Reviewed: February 2026
Salary Range: $110k - $160k/yearly + benefits
Location: Position is based in GTA and requires 2-3 days a week in office (Mississauga). This may change as the company policy in remote work evolves.
We have a saying at Nando’s and it’s simply this: “Nando’s is not just about the chicken. It’s never been just about the chicken. It’s about the people who make the chicken”, and we are looking for a Director of Finance to join our family. So, if you have fire in your belly, passion in your soul – along with proven ex-PERI-ence in Finance, and you’re looking for an opportunity to join a team that is entrepreneurial journey of growth – then read on and maybe Nando’s is the right place for you.
OBJECTIVES
The Director of Finance serves as the senior financial leader for the organization, responsible for overseeing the entire finance and accounting function across corporate-owned and franchise operations. This role acts as the financial quarterback for the business—ensuring accurate reporting, strong controls, disciplined planning, and actionable insights that drive profitable growth. Reporting to the CEO, the Director of Finance partners closely with executive leadership, operations, people, and franchise leadership to translate financial data into strategic decisions. This individual leads accounting, FP&A, reporting, audits, treasury, and systems, while building a high-performing finance team capable of supporting a dynamic, multi-unit restaurant business.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES
Finance & Accounting Leadership
Lead and develop the accounting and finance teams on a day-to-day basis, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and partnership with the business. Oversee all core accounting functions including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, payroll, fixed assets, and revenue accounting for both corporate and franchise locations. Ensure all financial transactions are recorded accurately, completely, and on a timely basis in accordance with GAAP and company policies. Own the monthly close process, ensuring financial statements are prepared and reviewed with a target close by the 7th business day. Review balance sheet reconciliations regularly and ensure strong documentation and discipline across all accounts. Serve as the primary point of escalation for technical accounting and financial reporting matters. Responsible for generating, reviewing, and distributing internal and external financials each accounting period.
Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Oversee FP&A for the organization, including budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning across restaurant operations, G&A, and franchise support. Lead the development and ongoing management of the annual operating plan, rolling forecasts, and internal financial models. Partner with the CFO, CEO, and functional leaders to develop 5-year strategic and operating plans, including unit growth, margin improvement, and capital deployment. Coordinate the G&A planning process, ensuring alignment with company strategy and operational priorities. Analyze weekly and monthly performance trends, including sales, labor, food costs, margins, and unit-level profitability. Prepare clear, actionable variance analyses and forward-looking projections to support decision-making.
Reporting & Business Insights
Deliver easy-to-understand, decision-oriented financial reporting for senior leadership, including weekly dashboards, monthly operating reviews, and board materials.Create and enhance reports that compare actual results to budgets, forecasts, and strategic targets, with clear insights and recommendations. Partner with leadership to interpret results, identify risks and opportunities, and apply learnings to future decisions. Support the development of automated reporting, dashboards, and data views through the company's data warehouse and Power BI, ensuring data accuracy, validation, and consistent business rules. Provide ad hoc financial analysis and tools to support restaurant operations, franchise performance, and cross-functional initiatives.
Audit, Tax & Internal Controls
Serve as the primary owner of external audits, including planning, coordination, and execution, ensuring timely and clean audit outcomes. Assist in year-end audit preparation, including account analyses, schedules, and supporting documentation. Partner with external advisors on tax compliance and preparation, including corporate and franchise-related filings. Review internal accounting controls regularly, identify gaps, and implement improvements to mitigate risk and improve efficiency. Communicate annually with management on how internal controls support risk management and profitability.
Treasury & Financial Stewardship
Oversee treasury-related activities including cash management, forecasting, and working capital optimization. Monitor liquidity, cash flow trends, and capital needs to support restaurant operations and growth initiatives. Support capital planning decisions related to new restaurant openings, remodels, technology investments, and strategic initiatives.
People Partnership & Incentives
Partner closely with the Head of People on the design, administration, and analysis of quarterly and annual incentive plans, ensuring alignment with company goals and financial performance. Provide financial insight into compensation strategy, bonus eligibility, and incentive outcomes. Develop strong cross-functional relationships to support talent planning, organizational growth, and change management.
Systems, Process & Continuous Improvement
Lead finance-related projects including system implementations, upgrades, and process
redesigns. Partner with internal teams and external vendors to improve the quality, scalability, and usability of financial systems and data. Proactively identify opportunities to improve finance and accounting processes, data integrity, and reporting efficiency. Ensure the finance function scales effectively to support growth in both corporate and franchise locations.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting or related field
- 7+ years’ experience in industry accounting, including 2+ years in a senior position.
- Similar role in restaurant, hospitality or retail corporate finance department preferred.
- Experience managing others and leading teams.
- Exceptional presentation and communication skills with an emphasis on the ability to communicate complex concepts simply and effectively to a wide variety of audiences.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, with strong Microsoft Excel skills Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including data manipulation and statistic functions.
- Strong working knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles, internal controls.
- Experience with project management and conversions
Ability to travel as and when needed
WHAT ELSE DO WE THINK YOU NEED TO
- DO THE JOB: People-first leader who builds, coaches, and develops high-performing finance teams
- Trusted business partner who translates financial data into clear, practical insights.
- Strong commercial and operational mindset with deep understanding of restaurant economics
- Sound judgment and ownership over financial integrity, controls, and risk management
- Strategic thinker who balances short-term performance with long-term growth
- Confident communicator able to influence across all levels and functions
- Solutions-oriented and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, multi-unit environment
- Champion of systems, process improvement, and data-driven decision-making
- Values-led leader aligned with Nando’s culture, authenticity, and people focus
About Nando's PERi-PERi North America
The first Nando’s restaurant opened its doors in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since then, the Nando’s flame has spread to 23 countries on five continents. Nando’s is known worldwide for its succulent PERi-PERi chicken, marinated for 24 hours, flame-grilled to perfection, and basted to the customer’s preferred flavor and spice. It’s equally renowned for its spicy PERi-PERi, the Bird’s Eye chili pepper that Africans introduced to the Portuguese centuries ago. Nando’s PERi-PERi made its U.S. debut in 2008 in Washington, DC. Nando’s PERi-PERi now operates 42 restaurants in and around Washington, Baltimore and Chicago.
For more information, please visit www.nandosperiperi.com, follow @NandosUSA on Twitter, Like Us at Nando’s PERi-PERi USA on Facebook, and follow nandosusa on Instagram.
Director of Finance
About the role
Department: Finance
Reports to: CEO, Country Executive
Direct Reports: Finance Team
Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Date Reviewed: February 2026
Salary Range: $110k - $160k/yearly + benefits
Location: Position is based in GTA and requires 2-3 days a week in office (Mississauga). This may change as the company policy in remote work evolves.
We have a saying at Nando’s and it’s simply this: “Nando’s is not just about the chicken. It’s never been just about the chicken. It’s about the people who make the chicken”, and we are looking for a Director of Finance to join our family. So, if you have fire in your belly, passion in your soul – along with proven ex-PERI-ence in Finance, and you’re looking for an opportunity to join a team that is entrepreneurial journey of growth – then read on and maybe Nando’s is the right place for you.
OBJECTIVES
The Director of Finance serves as the senior financial leader for the organization, responsible for overseeing the entire finance and accounting function across corporate-owned and franchise operations. This role acts as the financial quarterback for the business—ensuring accurate reporting, strong controls, disciplined planning, and actionable insights that drive profitable growth. Reporting to the CEO, the Director of Finance partners closely with executive leadership, operations, people, and franchise leadership to translate financial data into strategic decisions. This individual leads accounting, FP&A, reporting, audits, treasury, and systems, while building a high-performing finance team capable of supporting a dynamic, multi-unit restaurant business.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & ACCOUNTABILITIES
Finance & Accounting Leadership
Lead and develop the accounting and finance teams on a day-to-day basis, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and partnership with the business. Oversee all core accounting functions including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger, payroll, fixed assets, and revenue accounting for both corporate and franchise locations. Ensure all financial transactions are recorded accurately, completely, and on a timely basis in accordance with GAAP and company policies. Own the monthly close process, ensuring financial statements are prepared and reviewed with a target close by the 7th business day. Review balance sheet reconciliations regularly and ensure strong documentation and discipline across all accounts. Serve as the primary point of escalation for technical accounting and financial reporting matters. Responsible for generating, reviewing, and distributing internal and external financials each accounting period.
Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A)
Oversee FP&A for the organization, including budgeting, forecasting, and long-range planning across restaurant operations, G&A, and franchise support. Lead the development and ongoing management of the annual operating plan, rolling forecasts, and internal financial models. Partner with the CFO, CEO, and functional leaders to develop 5-year strategic and operating plans, including unit growth, margin improvement, and capital deployment. Coordinate the G&A planning process, ensuring alignment with company strategy and operational priorities. Analyze weekly and monthly performance trends, including sales, labor, food costs, margins, and unit-level profitability. Prepare clear, actionable variance analyses and forward-looking projections to support decision-making.
Reporting & Business Insights
Deliver easy-to-understand, decision-oriented financial reporting for senior leadership, including weekly dashboards, monthly operating reviews, and board materials.Create and enhance reports that compare actual results to budgets, forecasts, and strategic targets, with clear insights and recommendations. Partner with leadership to interpret results, identify risks and opportunities, and apply learnings to future decisions. Support the development of automated reporting, dashboards, and data views through the company's data warehouse and Power BI, ensuring data accuracy, validation, and consistent business rules. Provide ad hoc financial analysis and tools to support restaurant operations, franchise performance, and cross-functional initiatives.
Audit, Tax & Internal Controls
Serve as the primary owner of external audits, including planning, coordination, and execution, ensuring timely and clean audit outcomes. Assist in year-end audit preparation, including account analyses, schedules, and supporting documentation. Partner with external advisors on tax compliance and preparation, including corporate and franchise-related filings. Review internal accounting controls regularly, identify gaps, and implement improvements to mitigate risk and improve efficiency. Communicate annually with management on how internal controls support risk management and profitability.
Treasury & Financial Stewardship
Oversee treasury-related activities including cash management, forecasting, and working capital optimization. Monitor liquidity, cash flow trends, and capital needs to support restaurant operations and growth initiatives. Support capital planning decisions related to new restaurant openings, remodels, technology investments, and strategic initiatives.
People Partnership & Incentives
Partner closely with the Head of People on the design, administration, and analysis of quarterly and annual incentive plans, ensuring alignment with company goals and financial performance. Provide financial insight into compensation strategy, bonus eligibility, and incentive outcomes. Develop strong cross-functional relationships to support talent planning, organizational growth, and change management.
Systems, Process & Continuous Improvement
Lead finance-related projects including system implementations, upgrades, and process
redesigns. Partner with internal teams and external vendors to improve the quality, scalability, and usability of financial systems and data. Proactively identify opportunities to improve finance and accounting processes, data integrity, and reporting efficiency. Ensure the finance function scales effectively to support growth in both corporate and franchise locations.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting or related field
- 7+ years’ experience in industry accounting, including 2+ years in a senior position.
- Similar role in restaurant, hospitality or retail corporate finance department preferred.
- Experience managing others and leading teams.
- Exceptional presentation and communication skills with an emphasis on the ability to communicate complex concepts simply and effectively to a wide variety of audiences.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office, with strong Microsoft Excel skills Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including data manipulation and statistic functions.
- Strong working knowledge of generally accepted accounting principles, internal controls.
- Experience with project management and conversions
Ability to travel as and when needed
WHAT ELSE DO WE THINK YOU NEED TO
- DO THE JOB: People-first leader who builds, coaches, and develops high-performing finance teams
- Trusted business partner who translates financial data into clear, practical insights.
- Strong commercial and operational mindset with deep understanding of restaurant economics
- Sound judgment and ownership over financial integrity, controls, and risk management
- Strategic thinker who balances short-term performance with long-term growth
- Confident communicator able to influence across all levels and functions
- Solutions-oriented and comfortable operating in a fast-paced, multi-unit environment
- Champion of systems, process improvement, and data-driven decision-making
- Values-led leader aligned with Nando’s culture, authenticity, and people focus
About Nando's PERi-PERi North America
The first Nando’s restaurant opened its doors in 1987 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Since then, the Nando’s flame has spread to 23 countries on five continents. Nando’s is known worldwide for its succulent PERi-PERi chicken, marinated for 24 hours, flame-grilled to perfection, and basted to the customer’s preferred flavor and spice. It’s equally renowned for its spicy PERi-PERi, the Bird’s Eye chili pepper that Africans introduced to the Portuguese centuries ago. Nando’s PERi-PERi made its U.S. debut in 2008 in Washington, DC. Nando’s PERi-PERi now operates 42 restaurants in and around Washington, Baltimore and Chicago.
For more information, please visit www.nandosperiperi.com, follow @NandosUSA on Twitter, Like Us at Nando’s PERi-PERi USA on Facebook, and follow nandosusa on Instagram.