Commercial Finance Director

Loungers was founded in 2002 and operates 3 brands; Lounge which are café bars, Cosy Club which are restaurant-bars and our new Brightside which are bringing back roadside dining. Having been listed on the AIM market since its IPO in April 2019, it was taken private in February 2025 in a deal that valued the Group at over £390m.

Loungers currently has over 300 sites spread across the country but has retained its entrepreneurial spirit and quirky 'Loungey' local community atmosphere.

The group has a strong track record of out-performing the hospitality sector and is on course to open in excess of 20 new sites in the year to April 2026.

This position gives the successful applicant the chance to be part of this exciting, dynamic company based from its HQ in Central Bristol

The role in a nutshell

The Commercial Finance Director will help to drive the next phase of Loungers growth through taking ownership of the annual planning cycle, including long term strategic plans, budgets and forecasts. With their team they will also be accountable for providing strategic and operational insight and analysis to the executive and senior operations leaders to drive overall business performance

The successful candidate will be an influential and commercially astute leader who can engage senior leaders, frame business-critical decisions and drive action through high-quality insight. They will have a proven record of leading finance teams to deliver timely and accurate analysis that proactively identifies margin, efficiency and growth opportunities. Experience in hospitality is desirable, with multi-site operational experience required.

Getting into the detail

Key responsibilities include:

• Reporting into the CFO, contribute substantially to shaping the long-term financial strategy of the Group by providing future-focused insight, scenario modelling, and strategic guidance that enables the Exec Board and Brand MDs to make confident and impactful decisions.
• Ensure that the business delivers its financial targets by driving site level efficiency and profitability, especially in reference to site gross margin and labour costs.
• Act as a strategic commercial partner to the Group MD and Brand MDs, identifying opportunities for sustainable volume and margin growth, challenging assumptions, and helping input into the next phase of Loungers' growth. In a business partnership capacity, challenge current thinking, making recommendations on revenue and cost projects
• Alongside the CFO and Director of Group finance proactively provide a strategic lens on risk, opportunity, and performance to ensure the business makes effective decisions in the medium to long term.
• Lead the evolution of Loungers' financial decision-making capability by embedding forward-looking analytics, automating insight, and modernise how the business uses data and technology grow market share in a way that stays true to the unique operating model. Through the leadership create a high performing FP&A team to deliver timely and effective Financial and KPI analysis on weekly and period performance
• Both proactively and on request, providing data driven insight to the Exec Board, Brand MD's and departmental heads in order to enable decision making and optimize the growth of the business
• Role model a culture of constant accountability, real curiosity and ownership within the team
• Taking a lead on all commercial analysis of the new site pipeline, working across the business to deliver rigorous investment appraisal, budgeting and cost reporting and control
• Take full accountability for the budgeting and forecasting process for P&L and cash flow on behalf of the business
• Provide performance analysis and context for external stakeholders including banks and investors
• Coaching and developing a team to deliver great results and grow/retain talent for the future
• Working with operations to grow commercial acumen across a wide range of stakeholders in the business from heads of functions through to regional operations managers including the delivery of financial training

What you'll bring

• ACA or equivalent with significant PQE experience
• Effective leader with record of developing high performing teams and experience of leading finance teams through a period of significant change
• Highly impactful and able to present concisely and clearly at all levels of the business
• Able to thrive in a dynamic and fast changing business
• Drive to seek out opportunities and risks early, and proactively bring solutions to the senior team
• Excellent analytical skills and ability to present financial information to non-financial people
• An ability to deal with detail but also to see the bigger picture
• Ability to challenge existing ways of working
• Tenacity to pursue issues and cut through to key points
• Collaborative and engaging

What's in it for you?

• 28 days holiday (including bank holidays)
• A highly Competitive Bonus
• The opportunity to participate in Long Term Incentive Plans
• Private healthcare for yourself & your family
• A culture that appreciates ideas and celebrates individuality
• Founder-led business - we might have c300 sites, but we still maintain an entrepreneurial spirit through everything we do
• 50% off food at all Lounges, Cosy Clubs and Brightsides
• Pension contribution
• 24/7 mental health support
• Amazing events including LoungeFest – our annual company festival - Christmas parties and more
• We want to work with nice people so if you want to work hard, have fun and be part of the Loungers ride, we'd love to have you.