Driven to create unique home-grown food concepts that bring people together, the Independent Food Company is a UAE-based hospitality company with multiple concepts under its umbrella – SALT, Parker’s, Public, Somewhere, Kumo and Shalwa.

We are currently recruiting for an experienced FP&A Manager to join our Finance team, based out of our HQ in Dubai. As the Financial Planning & Analyst the incumbent will play a critical role in driving financial performance and strategic decision-making within the Group. Reporting to the Director of Finance, the FP&A Analyst will be responsible for the following key areas:

1. Strategic FP&A and Business Planning

Own the annual budget and forecasts
Monitor and control budget – question departments and operations when they are not within the set budgets.
Consolidate P&L and financial results across stores/outlets, business units, or franchises.
Partner with operations, supply chain, and cost control team to manage COGS, labor costs, and inventory turnover.
Support CAPEX planning and budgeting for exiting outlets upgrade, expansion plan, and outlet refresh activities.
Perform scenario modeling and sensitivity analysis to assess the impact of market shifts, input costs, and expansion plans.

2. Commercial Business Partnering

Collaborate closely with Marketing, Operations, and Real-estate teams to provide financial insights.
Provide financial input into new product launches, campaigns, and sales channel optimisation.
Analyse menu item profitability , customer retention, customer preferences, and product mix shifts.
Partner with supply chain to manage vendor contracts, price inflation risks, and rebates.

3. Financial Modelling & Feasibility

Build financial models and feasibility studies to support strategic decisions as:

-New outlets opening
- Product Launch, market entry or exit
- Pricing change
- Campaigns/activation
- Evaluate payback period, NPV, IRR, breakeven analysis, and scenario outcomes for key initiatives.

4. Budget Control & Monitoring

Establish and monitor department- and outlet-level budgets, ensuring adherence and early identification of variances.
Lead monthly budget reviews with department heads and outlet managers, analyzing variances vs. actuals
Ensure robust cost control, especially across COGS, labor, marketing spend, and discounts.
Track and report on budget utilization rates, flagging risks and recommending course corrections.
Drive budget discipline by embedding accountability and transparency across the business.
Enforce adherence to financial policies and spending thresholds, ensuring internal controls are respected.

5. Channel and Outlet Performance Analysis

Analyse performance across dine-in, delivery, takeaway, and third-party platforms (e.g., Talabat, Deliveroo).
Monitor brand-level and outlet-level P&Ls, identifying under performing units or margin leakage.
Support expansion, franchising models, or entry into new market segments.

6. Return of Investment Analytics

Evaluate campaigns, activation, discount programs, loyalty schemes, and menu engineering.
Track spend effectiveness by channel, time period, and customer segment.
Recommend changes to pricing and promotional strategy to optimise profitability.

7. Reporting and Insights

Develop actionable reporting dashboards for sales, margin, and store performance.
Present monthly and quarterly business reviews to senior leadership.
Provide clear, commercial financial insights to drive real-time decisions.

Role Deliverables:

• Monthly financial reporting packs with sales, margin, and outlet-level breakdowns
• Menu pricing and PLU-level profitability analysis
• Annual budget and rolling forecast packs
• Actual vs budget reports
• Investment/Expenses effectiveness analysis
• Outlet/brand-level P&Ls
• Financial Models for new store launches, refurbishments, and market expansions
• Monthly KPI results and reports
• Operations Financial Targets
• Exec board presentations and performance briefings

To be considered for this role, you will have a minimum of 5 years' experience working as part of an F&B or FMCG or multi-division retail business. You will possess strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and a passion for leveraging financial insights to support business growth and profitability.