Finance Manager

Reinventing Short-Term Renting

SmartStay is a holiday homes company that offers luxury furnished apartments in prime locations like Downtown Dubai. At SmartStay, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional service and reliability to our clients. we are looking for a highly organized and analytical Finance Manager to lead our financial operations.

The Role: Finance Manager

The Finance Manager is responsible for overseeing the financial health and administrative functions of SmartStay and its sister companies. This role combines strong technical accounting skills with operational leadership, ensuring accuracy, transparency, and compliance across all financial matters and strong administrative control. The Finance Manager will drive financial planning, analysis, and reporting, enforce internal controls, and proactively support strategic decision-making to achieve company growth and sustainability.

Responsibilities

• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning on both cash and accrual bases, ensuring projections align with actual operational performance.
• Prepare and present monthly financial reports (P&L, balance sheet, variance analysis) for each entity, maintaining clear visibility of business health.
• Develop performance dashboards and cost-per-unit analyses for each unit managed by SmartStay, consolidating revenue, expense ratio, and ROI insights in one framework.
• Ensure accurate and timely financial statements for management and external stakeholders.
• Oversee cash flow management, including daily monitoring, forecasting, and payment prioritization to maintain liquidity for payroll, vendors, and operations.
• Review and authorize vendor payments, reimbursements, and utility bills in line with internal approval hierarchies.
• Ensure accurate transaction posting, reconciliations, and journal entries, maintaining complete and auditable financial records.
• Oversee Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and Payroll (WPS) processes, ensuring compliance and accuracy.
• Manage utility accounts, OTA commission invoices, and owner statement allocations.
• Track and report operational cost breakdowns (e.g., housekeeping, engineering, consumables, repairs, utilities) monthly.
• Ensure contract lifecycle tracking (start/end dates, renewals, and financial implications) is maintained.
• Ensure regulatory compliance with UAE Corporate Tax, VAT, and financial reporting requirements, including timely submissions.
• Manage and track all unit-related administrative renewals, including tenancy, licenses, insurance, and service contracts.
• Maintain an organized contract database with clear tracking of start/end dates, renewal deadlines, and escalation points.
• Liaise with property owners to prepare and reconcile owner statements, ensuring accurate deductions and transparent reporting.
• Support the CEO in owner settlement reviews, providing breakdowns of income, deductions, maintenance fees, and commissions.
• Lead, coach, and develop finance and accounts staff, fostering a culture of ownership, transparency, and accountability.
• Coordinate with and critically evaluate external auditors to ensure accuracy, compliance, and accountability.
• Conduct weekly finance review meetings to report key insights, risks, and actions to management.
  
  

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field.
• Minimum of 3 years of experience in financial management and planning.
• Proficient in Google Sheets; familiarity with QuickBooks is a plus.
• Experience in the short-term rental (STR) sector, particularly with OTAs like Airbnb and Booking.com, is advantageous.
• Experience working with clients or companies in Dubai is a plus.
• Familiarity with Slack, Google Drive, Systeme.io and Zapier is beneficial.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent organizational and multitasking abilities in a remote work environment.
• Strong communication skills in English
• Must be available immediately