Financial Controller / Management Accountant

Role overview

A quick-service restaurant brand in Zambia is looking for a Financial Controller / Management Accountant to strengthen financial systems as the business expands. The opportunity is intended for professionals with experience in QSR, restaurant operations, or FMCG environments.

Compensation and benefits

The package includes a monthly salary of USD 1,800 (approximately INR 1,72,000) along with a food allowance of USD 300 (approximately INR 29,000). The employer also provides a car, fuel, medical coverage, and a mobile allowance.

Candidate profile

The company is seeking someone with at least 5 years of accounting experience and a background of 2–3 years or more in QSR/fast food, restaurant chains, FMCG, or multi-branch retail businesses. The role requires strong familiarity with inventory control, food cost management, recipe and costing systems, cash handling controls, payroll, budgeting, forecasting, VAT compliance, ZRA compliance, and reporting across multiple branches.

Core responsibilities

The selected professional will be expected to design and strengthen the finance framework, control environment, and reporting setup needed for expansion.

• Set up and improve financial systems, controls, and reporting processes that support business growth.
• Track food costs across items such as chicken, oil, chips, packaging, sauces, and drinks.
• Compare expected food costs with actual spending and identify waste or unusual variances.
• Prepare weekly branch-wise performance reports covering sales, product mix, food cost percentage, labour cost percentage, gross profit, net profit, average transaction value, and transactions per day.
• Oversee inventory processes including daily stock checks, monthly stock counts, warehouse controls, and supplier reconciliations.
• Support expansion planning by building store profitability models, cash flow forecasts, capex tracking, and ROI analysis for new outlets.
• Maintain internal controls through cash reconciliations, POS reconciliations, delivery platform reconciliations such as Yango, and fraud-prevention measures.

Additional role details

The brand is currently around 25 stores and is expected to scale significantly, with a long-term target of 510 stores. The finance structure mentioned for the current stage includes a Financial Controller / Management Accountant, Accounts Assistant, and External Auditor. At a larger scale of 10+ stores, the structure expands to include roles such as Finance Manager, Financial Controller, Accounts Payable Officer, Accounts Receivable Officer, Inventory Controller, and Payroll Officer.

Preferred tools and systems

Experience using restaurant POS systems is considered an advantage. The employer also values advanced Excel capability, Power BI or other dashboard reporting tools, and familiarity with accounting software such as Sage, Pastel, QuickBooks, or comparable platforms.

Joining timeline

The position requires an immediate departure/start.

Location

This opportunity is based in Zambia.