Finance Manager (Pre-Opening)

Shape the Financial Future of a New Hospitality Landmark

Are you a strategic financial leader with a passion for hospitality? As a Finance Manager (Pre-Opening) at Hilton, you will play a pivotal role in establishing the financial foundation for a new hotel property, ensuring its long-term success from day one. This is your opportunity to contribute to the creation of an exceptional guest experience while driving financial excellence in a dynamic, high-impact environment.

Your Impact: Building Financial Excellence from the Ground Up

In this critical pre-opening role, you will oversee all financial operations for the new hotel, aligning them with Hilton’s strategic vision to maximize profitability and operational efficiency. Your responsibilities will span financial planning, reporting, compliance, and advisory functions, ensuring the property is positioned for success before its grand opening.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Financial Leadership: Develop and implement financial strategies that support the hotel’s short- and long-term objectives, ensuring alignment with Hilton’s corporate goals and regional business priorities.
• Financial Planning & Analysis: Lead the preparation of comprehensive annual plans, budgets, and financial projections, providing actionable insights to hotel leadership, area general managers, owners, and asset managers to inform critical business decisions.
• Stakeholder Advisory: Serve as the primary financial advisor to key stakeholders, including hotel management, regional leadership, and ownership groups. Present data-driven recommendations to enhance financial performance, optimize revenue streams, and mitigate risks.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Build and nurture strong partnerships with internal teams, including Hotel Finance, Commercial, IT, Procurement, Human Resources, Operations, Shared Service Centers, and Regional Operations Finance. Foster a culture of transparency and accountability to drive collective success.
• Compliance & Controls: Ensure strict adherence to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Hilton’s financial policies, and regulatory requirements. Implement robust financial controls to safeguard assets and maintain fiscal integrity throughout the pre-opening phase.
• Financial Reporting & Systems Optimization: Oversee the development and refinement of financial reporting systems and processes to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and transparency. Drive continuous improvement in financial systems to support scalable growth.
• Transaction Oversight: Monitor and authorize key financial transactions, including hotel sales, purchases, payroll, and operational expenses, to uphold fiscal responsibility and operational excellence.
• Team Development & Engagement: Lead, mentor, and inspire a high-performing finance team by fostering a culture of excellence, professional growth, and recognition. Drive engagement and retention through targeted performance management and development initiatives.

Your Qualifications: What It Takes to Succeed

To thrive in this role, you must embody Hilton’s core values and possess the following qualifications:

• Education & Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field. A minimum of 7+ years of progressive financial management experience, with at least 3 years in a leadership role within the hospitality or service industry, is required. Experience in pre-opening finance or new property launches is highly desirable.
• Technical Proficiency: Strong expertise in financial planning, budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis. Proficiency with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, financial software, and Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Excel) is essential.
• Leadership & Communication: Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels. Strong verbal and written communication skills to articulate complex financial concepts clearly and persuasively.
• Analytical & Problem-Solving: A data-driven mindset with the ability to interpret financial data, identify trends, and provide strategic recommendations. Proven problem-solving skills to navigate challenges in a fast-paced, pre-opening environment.
• Hospitality Passion: A genuine enthusiasm for the hospitality industry and Hilton’s mission to spread the light and warmth of hospitality to every guest. Alignment with Hilton’s core values of Integrity, Leadership, Teamwork, Ownership, and Now.

Why Join Hilton?

At Hilton, we don’t just create exceptional guest experiences—we cultivate an award-winning workplace culture that empowers our team members to grow, innovate, and make a lasting impact. As a global leader in hospitality, we’ve been recognized as one of the World’s Best Workplaces by Great Place to Work and Fortune, a testament to our commitment to fostering a supportive, inclusive, and dynamic work environment.

When you join Hilton, you’ll gain access to unparalleled career development opportunities, industry-leading benefits, and a world-class network of professionals. Whether you’re launching a new property or advancing your career in hospitality finance, Hilton provides the resources, support, and inspiration to help you thrive.

Explore the difference you can make at Hilton—where every stay is an opportunity to create magic, and every role is a chance to shape the future of hospitality.