Financial Controller & Business Partner, USA FIT Businesses

Description

ABOUT US

Our philosophy at The Travel Corporation (TTC) is simple, we create enriching experiences for travelers by combining an unbeatable mix of exceptional service and quality at great value. As a global business with over 100 years of experience in the travel industry, our ethos of being ‘Driven by Service’, ensures we keep our values of passion, people and purpose at the heart of everything we do - designing and running immersive, innovative and responsible travel experiences for our guests across 70 countries. Join us in creating life-changing moments for every guest across our award-winning brands and experience the TTC difference. 

The Specialist & Adventure (S&A) Division is a collection of 10+ successful globally dispersed travel brands, offering enriching experiences to over 500,000 travelers and generating revenues of approximately $250 million annually. The brands offer a diverse range of immersive experiences including large group escorted holidays, small group tours, tailor-made travel, and day tours. The division also includes several coach fleet operators and accommodation providers. These highly respected brands operate across all price points, with distribution varying between travel trade focused and direct-to-consumer channels.

OUR VALUES

• Driven by service
• An inherent passion for travel
• Commitment to our customers and to our people
• Commitment to social responsibility and our 5-year sustainability strategy

POSITION SUMMARY

As Financial Controller & Business Partner for USA FIT Businesses, you will be accountable for two core areas:

Business partnering and performance insight

You will lead business partnering, management reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and strategic planning across the Business Unit. This is an increasingly important part of the role as we strengthen our use of data and financial insight to drive performance. You will be a trusted partner to the Business Unit Managing Director (MD) and a senior member of the Executive team, working closely with the Specialist & Adventure (S&A) Finance Business Partner and the wider Group Finance Business Partner organization to shape strategy, improve performance, and support decision-making.

Financial control and integrity
You will ensure robust financial control across the Business Unit, maintaining the accuracy, completeness and integrity of financial results. You will oversee month-end close, statutory reporting, audit, tax, treasury, and financial controls, working closely with the S&A Financial Controller and Group Finance Shared Services team.

As Group Shared Services expands, you will play a pivotal role in assessing the extent to which transaction processing and financial reporting can be effectively centralized. Irrespective of the decision, accountability for the accuracy and integrity of Business Unit financial results will remain with this role.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Business partnering and performance insight

• Lead the development of Finance Business Partnering across the Business Unit, acting as a trusted advisor to the Business Unit MD and Executive team to deliver strategic planning, improve financial performance, and ensure strong financial discipline.
• Collaborate closely with Divisional and Group Finance partners to deliver high-quality financial insight, with clear accountability and consistent methodologies. 
• Own the preparation of monthly management accounts, ensuring material variances to Budget, Forecast, and prior year are clearly identified, understood, and explained. 
• Deliver clear performance reporting, KPI dashboards, and driver-based analysis, including product and tour profitability, to enable leadership to monitor performance, identify risks, and prioritize action. 
• Champion continuous improvement in the quality, relevance and accessibility of financial and operational insight.
• Own all forward-looking financial planning, including annual budgets, rolling forecasts, five-year strategic plans, and associated cashflow and working capital planning. 
• Actively manage risks and opportunities to support effective decision-making.
• Shape and challenge business cases, investment decisions, and strategic initiatives to ensure robust financial discipline and commercial thinking. Support the evaluation of new projects and initiatives, ensuring financial implications are clearly understood.
• Track ROI and benefit realization to ensure investments deliver expected outcomes.

Financial control and integrity

• Assume full responsibility for financial control across the Business Unit.  Maintain strong internal controls and audit trails, ensuring adherence to Group financial policies, risk management standards, and reporting deadlines. Maintain compliance with all local statutory, regulatory, audit, tax, and treasury requirements.
• Ensure the accuracy, completeness and integrity of financial results across monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting cycles.
• Oversee the month-end close process, ensuring timely and robust balance sheet reconciliations and clear alignment between management accounts, statutory accounts, and Oracle Group submissions.
• Act as the Business Unit finance owner for statutory reporting, audit, tax, and treasury requirements. Work closely with the S&A Financial Controller, Group Finance, and Shared Services teams to ensure all reporting obligations are met.
• Own the local relationship with Group Shared Services and retain accountability for the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of Business Unit financial results.

General Responsibilities - Leadership, transformation, and functional capability

• Act as the senior finance leader for the Business Unit, and a key advisor to the Executive team.
• Coach, mentor, and develop finance team members, establishing clear objectives and fostering a commercially focused, high-performing finance function.
• Lead or support finance systems, process improvements, and transformation initiatives as required. 
• Improve data quality, reporting capability, and decision support through automation, process optimization, and clear process documentation (including R2R and P2P processes). 
• Assess finance roles, responsibilities, and operating models, developing standard operating procedures and workflows to support operational effectiveness.
• Work closely with Business Unit leadership, Divisional and Group Finance, Financial Controllership, and Shared Services teams to ensure joined-up financial leadership and robust financial control.

Requirements

ROLE SUCCESS CRITERIA

• Timeliness, accuracy and relevance of all reporting 
• Increasing performance culture and demand for data amongst peers
• Meaningful change in business results, driven by data
• Strong controls & monthly reconciliations in place. Business Unit operates with financial integrity and presents no surprises
• Successful Audit outcome (e.g., positive findings, limited adjustments)
• On-time delivery of regulatory, tax and treasury input
• Positive stakeholder feedback

KEY INDIVIDUAL TRAITS

• Attention to detail: Carefully reviews work to ensure accuracy, quality, and completeness. Adheres to rules and procedures. 
• Collaborative: Builds strong relationships and works cross-functionally with a consultative, co-creative approach to influence and align others in a fast-paced environment. 
• Resilient: Remains calm and effective under pressure, persistent through challenges, and driven to achieve long-term goals. 

YOUR EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, CPA, or equivalent).
• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business administration or related field.
•  5–10 years of progressive experience in finance, accounting, or financial management, including responsibility for financial reporting, budgeting/forecasting, and business partnering.
• Highly commercial, with strong level of curiosity for our product our market and our operation. Travel experience preferred
• Proven track record in financial operations, control and reporting, ideally within a multi-entity or group structure
• Proven track record of partnering with business leaders to drive strategy and performance.
• Strong technical accounting and analytical skills, with meticulous attention to detail.
• Experience managing or influencing remote teams.
• Proactive, continuous improvement mindset.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, with solid knowledge of Oracle, or similar ERPs.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• A collaborative mindset with a passion for developing others.

TRAVEL & OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Work Location: Hybrid (office & remote) in Glendale, CA (three days in-person and two days remote per week)
• Travel: Specialist & Adventure businesses are based across the globe with requirement to manage meetings and calls to suit, plus occasional travel. 

The Travel Corporation is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against race, color, creed, sex, gender, religion, marital status, age, national origin, sexual orientation, or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state, or local laws or ordinances. The Travel Corporation is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We not only encourage and support diversity in the workplace, we celebrate it! If you feel you have the skills and experience to thrive in a supportive and inclusive environment, we want to hear from you!