Overview
Founded in 1973 in Bahrain, Landmark Group has grown to become one of the largest and most successful omnichannel retail and hospitality conglomerates, with presence across 17 countries in the Middle East, Africa, India and Southeast Asia. Based in the UAE since 1990, the Group owns and operates 21 established homegrown and 4 franchise brands across an extensive network of more than 2,200 outlets, encompassing a gross leasable area of 30 million square feet. Landmark Group’s success is driven by its diverse portfolio of established brands, across multiple retail categories, offering a comprehensive range of products across fashion, home, groceries and electronics. These include Centrepoint, Max Fashion, Home Centre, Babyshop, Splash, Shoemart, Lifestyle, Viva, Emax, Home Box, Styli, Shoexpress, Spar and Easybuy. Beyond retail, Landmark Group has diversified into the leisure, fitness and hospitality sectors with brands like Fitness First, Citymax, Fun City, Fun Ville, Zafran and Carluccio’s. The Group boasts unparalleled logistics capabilities, owning the MENA region’s largest privately-owned distribution hub – Omega Logistics and Logistiq, which offers state-of-the-art third-party logistics services. Landmark Group places a strong emphasis on delivering exceptional value and achieving customer satisfaction throughout its comprehensive product range. Across its loyalty programmes, the Group enjoys a loyal customer base with more than 35 million active users.
Assistant Manager Finance
About the job
Job Purpose: The Assistant Manager will play a crucial role in managing the financial performance of the business, focusing on commercial aspects like budgeting, Open-to-Buy (OTB), legal compliance, franchise management, and supporting brand strategies. This position requires close collaboration with various departments, including operations, planning, legal, and buying to ensure the company’s financial health aligns with its business objectives.
Key Accountabilities
- Manage budgets, forecasts, and OTB planning; track key metrics and provide insights for business decisions
- Ensure adherence to contractual regulations, timely renewal of contracts, obtain brand authorization letters.
- Manage brand license royalty reporting, and act as the single point of contact for brand-related financial matters
- Monitor franchisee territory performance and ensure compliance with financial terms as per the franchise agreement
- Identify financial risks and conduct due diligence on new opportunities
- Serve as business partner to all key stakeholders
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Minimum Requirements:
- Qualified CA
- 3-5 years of experience in a finance role, preferably within retail (Post articleship)
- Proficiency in financial software and systems, such as Oracle, advanced Excel, Power BI
- Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and communication skill
Key Competencies
Strong ethical standards and ability to handle sensitive information confidentially.
Independent stakeholder management.
Strong commercial acumen and understanding of brand/franchise dynamics.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and work cross-functionally with various departments.
High attention to detail and accuracy.
Skills:
1. Financial Management & Analysis:
- Budgeting & Forecasting: Strong ability to manage budgets, create forecasts, and track financial performance to ensure alignment with business goals.
- Open-to-Buy (OTB) Planning: Expertise in managing and planning OTB to optimize inventory levels and maximize profitability.
- Financial Reporting & Metrics Tracking: Ability to track and report key financial metrics, providing actionable insights to inform business decisions.
- Risk Management: Proactively identifying financial risks and opportunities, conducting thorough due diligence on potential business opportunities.
- Brand License & Franchise Financial Management: Experience in managing brand license royalties, franchise agreements, and ensuring compliance with financial terms.
2. Technical & Analytical Skills:
- Financial Software Proficiency: Advanced proficiency in financial software systems (e.g., Oracle) and tools like Excel and Power BI for data analysis, reporting, and visualizing financial data.
- Analytical & Problem-Solving: Strong analytical skills to interpret complex financial data, identify trends, and make recommendations to support decision-making.
- Attention to Detail: High level of accuracy and attention to detail in all financial reporting and analyses.
3. Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Collaboration:
- Stakeholder Management: Ability to independently manage relationships with key stakeholders across various departments (e.g., operations, legal, buying), aligning financial strategies with business objectives.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong ability to work collaboratively with various departments to ensure alignment between finance and operational goals.
4. Commercial Acumen & Business Insight:
- Understanding of Brand/Franchise Dynamics: In-depth knowledge of how brand management and franchise models operate, with the ability to apply this understanding to financial management and decision-making.
- Strategic Business Partnering: Ability to serve as a financial business partner to key stakeholders, offering commercial insights to help drive business performance.
5. Legal & Compliance Knowledge:
- Contract Management: Expertise in ensuring legal compliance with contractual regulations, timely renewal of contracts, and securing necessary brand authorizations.
- Franchise Compliance: Knowledge of franchise agreements and ensuring compliance with financial terms within these agreements.
6. Time Management & Prioritization:
- Multi-Priority Management: Ability to handle multiple priorities efficiently, balancing financial management tasks with cross-functional collaboration and business strategy execution.
Senior Executive – Finance
Job Summary:
The Senior Finance Executive will play a crucial role in managing the financial performance of the business, focusing on commercial aspects like budgeting, Open-to-Buy (OTB), legal compliance, franchise management, and supporting brand strategies. This position requires close collaboration with various departments, including operations, planning, legal, and buying to ensure the company’s financial health aligns with its business objectives.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage budgets, forecasts, and OTB planning; track key metrics and provide insights for business decisions
- Ensure adherence to contractual regulations, timely renewal of contracts, obtain brand authorization letter
- Manage brand license royalty reporting, and act as the single point of contact for brand-related financial matters
- Monitor franchisee territory performance and ensure compliance with financial terms as per the franchise agreement
- Identify financial risks and conduct due diligence on new opportunities
- Serve as business partner to all key stakeholders
Qualification
- Qualified CA
- 5 years of experience in a finance role, preferably within retail
- Proficiency in financial software and systems, such as Oracle, advanced Excel, Power BI.
- Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
Key Competencies
Strong ethical standards and ability to handle sensitive information confidentially.
Independent stakeholder management
Strong commercial acumen and understanding of brand/franchise dynamics
Ability to manage multiple priorities and work cross-functionally with various departments
High attention to detail and accuracy.
Skills:
- Budgeting & Forecasting: Expertise in managing and overseeing budgets, preparing forecasts, and tracking financial performance against key metrics. Ability to provide actionable insights for informed business decisions.
- Open-to-Buy (OTB) Planning: Proficiency in managing OTB to optimize inventory purchases and balance stock levels while ensuring profitability.
- Financial Reporting: Skill in managing and analyzing brand license royalties and providing regular reports on the financial aspects of brand-related matters.
- Risk Identification & Due Diligence: Ability to identify financial risks and opportunities, and conduct thorough due diligence on new opportunities to ensure sound financial decision-making.
- Franchise Compliance: Expertise in monitoring franchisee territory performance and ensuring adherence to financial terms outlined in franchise agreements.
2. Technical & Analytical Skills:
- Financial Software Proficiency: Advanced proficiency in using financial systems and tools like Oracle, Excel (including advanced functions), and Power BI for financial reporting, data analysis, and visualizations.
- Data Analysis & Interpretation: Strong analytical skills to interpret complex financial data, identify trends, and extract meaningful insights for decision-making.
- Attention to Detail: High accuracy and attention to detail in all financial transactions, reports, and analyses.
3. Commercial Acumen & Business Insight:
- Brand/Franchise Management: In-depth understanding of franchise and brand dynamics, and the ability to apply this knowledge in managing financial aspects such as royalties and territory performance.
- Strategic Business Partnering: Ability to serve as a business partner to key stakeholders, offering financial insights to guide commercial decisions that align with business objectives.
- Financial Strategy Support: Actively contributing to brand strategy and supporting the overall business financial health.
4. Legal & Contractual Compliance:
- Contract Management: Expertise in ensuring adherence to legal and contractual regulations, including the timely renewal of contracts and obtaining brand authorization letters.
- Franchise Agreement Compliance: Ability to ensure franchise agreements are followed, particularly in terms of financial obligations and terms.
5. Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Collaboration:
- Independent Stakeholder Management: Ability to manage relationships with internal and external stakeholders, ensuring smooth communication and collaboration across departments like operations, legal, planning, and buying.
- Cross-Functional Teamwork: Working effectively with different departments to ensure financial strategies align with business objectives and brand goals.
6. Time Management & Prioritization:
- Multi-Tasking: Ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, balancing complex financial analysis, contract management, and cross-departmental collaboration.
- Efficient Workload Management: Strong organizational skills to manage workload effectively and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
7. Communication & Presentation Skills:
- Clear & Effective Communication: Ability to present complex financial information clearly to senior management and stakeholders, ensuring transparency in reporting.
- Negotiation & Relationship Building: Skilled in negotiating with external partners (e.g., franchisees) and maintaining professional relationships with key stakeholders.
