Finance Director

Hello Chef is scaling fast — launching new brands and product lines, and targeting 4x growth by 2032. To get there, Finance must transform from a reliable support function into a true driver of profitable growth.

We’re hiring a Finance Director to lead that change. Reporting directly to the CEO and part of the senior management team, this role is about much more than numbers: it’s about shaping how capital is invested, how pricing decisions are made, and how financial clarity drives growth across the business. This is an ideal opportunity if you want to take ownership of building a profit-driving Finance function in one of the UAE’s most exciting growth companies.

Mission
Grow contribution margin and ROI year-on-year by making Finance the source of discipline, foresight, and accuracy in decision-making.

Accountabilities, Goals, and Outcomes

• Contribution margin and ROI improve year-on-year, with capital and OPEX consistently deployed to the highest-return areas.
• Leaders make confident, forward-looking decisions with no financial surprises, enabled by clear targets, rolling forecasts, and scenario planning.
• Finance delivers accurate, timely accounts with full compliance and lean, scalable processes that support growth.

What You’ll Do

• Grow margin and ROI: Lead pricing strategy, enforce ROI discipline on investments, and drive OPEX efficiency by ensuring resources are directed to the highest-return areas.
• Provide foresight: Own financial targeting, rolling forecasts, and scenario planning to give leadership a forward view they can trust. Produce monthly analysis of contribution margin, dashboards, and variance insights, surfacing opportunities and guiding peers on where improvements can be made to achieve commitments.
• Ensure accuracy and compliance: Oversee the finance team to deliver accurate and timely month-end close, reconciliations, and reliable accounts. Manage outsourced partners for VAT, corporate tax, and filings, ensuring obligations are met without penalty.
• Build scalable processes: Strengthen controls, reporting rhythms, and systems so Finance runs lean and spends more time on insights than admin.
• Coordinate across functions: Act as the hub between Product, Operations, Procurement, and Marketing — embedding financial insight and discipline across functions so resources deliver maximum value, while building a strong, scalable Finance team by developing current staff and planning future hires.

Competencies

• Commercial finance & FP&A mastery: 8–10 years’ experience, with strength in financial targeting, forecasting, scenario planning, capital allocation, and cash control.
• Margin impact & cost discipline: Proven track record of improving contribution margin and ROI, with relentless focus on OPEX discipline, spending control, and forecast vs. actual variance accuracy (especially with COGS).
• Leadership & influence: Builds trust, develops the finance team, and communicates complex financials simply; holds peers accountable for commitments, enforces financial discipline across the business (cut-offs, spending rules, targets), and guides leaders to make confident, forward-looking decisions.
• Accounting & reporting expertise: Strong foundation in accounting (IFRS knowledge and ERP systems essential), with the ability to ensure integrity in financial close, reconciliations, compliance, and cost reporting accuracy to support reliable decision-making.
• Process & systems builder: Designs lean, scalable processes and controls, managing outsourced partners for compliance and freeing time for analysis and insights.
• Sector experience: Background in FMCG, F&B, retail, or e-commerce, with deep familiarity in managing contribution margin, pricing, and cost discipline at scale.

What We Offer

• Market-competitive compensation with biannual performance reviews.
• 22 days annual leave, annual flight allowance, relocation support if moving to Dubai.
• Premium medical coverage (mental health, dental, optical), plus generous parental leave.
• 50% Hello Chef discount and weekly food tastings.
• A high-feedback, high-growth culture — clarity through job levels, frequent reflections, and real ownership.