Commercial Manager

Today and tomorrow at Compass Group, we serve a better future by enriching people, communities and our planet. We do this because we believe that everyone should be seen and nourished as a whole person. We focus on the individual, their needs and more broadly on positive impacts in the community.

Restaurant Associates delivers premium hospitality experiences across some of Australia’s most iconic cultural and leisure venues. From the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) to Melbourne Zoo, Werribee Zoo, Perth Zoo, and the historic Old Parliament House (OPH), we pride ourselves on innovation, excellence, and creating unforgettable guest experiences.

We are seeking a visionary and entrepreneurial Commercial Manager to oversee our Melbourne Zoo' exclusive hospitality contract, as well as our continued growth. This is a pivotal leadership role, responsible for managing senior client relationships, driving innovation and operational excellence, and ensuring strategic alignment across the sector.

Join a global leader that feeds innovation, drives hospitality, and powers possibility!

THE ROLE

You will play a pivotal role in driving commercial excellence by leading complex deal structures and ensuring the successful execution of high-value contracts across multimillion-dollar projects. This is a critical role within our organisation, ideal for someone who combines commercial acumen with strategic thinking and a deep understanding of partnership models in both public and private sectors. This involves end of month and management reporting, contractual compliance reviews, and financial analysis.

Main responsibilities

Accurate timely month-end closing processes
Partnering with key internal stakeholders to enhance financial performance
Preparation of detailed budgets and forecasts
Contract Compliance: Preparation of price escalations and contract variations
Actual versus project performance reviews against the contract
End-to-end commercial responsibility of the project
Assisting with bid modelling and project retention
Identifying and implementing streamlined processes
End of month management reporting, including end of month PL preparation and client invoicing

THE PERSON

The role is required to be based in Melbourne
Accounting Degree qualified and CA/CPA Australia membership
Minimum 5-7 years of previous experience within a commercial accounting environment
Sound technical and analytical skills, plus Advanced Microsoft Excel skills
Proven ability in providing senior operations leadership with advanced finance support and influencing outcomes based on well-presented analytics
Desirable:

A track record of leading and developing high-performing, multi-site teams
Proven ability to build and maintain complex client relationships at a senior level
An entrepreneurial forward-thinker with a passion for delivering exceptional, innovative guest experiences
Extensive experience across all tiers of retail food and beverage - including casual cafés, bistros, and premium restaurants

THE BENEFITS

Working with a large global company means you can be assured that we have an attractive benefits program! This includes comprehensive learning development offerings, a variety of recognition programs and company discounts, an excellent salary benchmarking matrix and at this management level also includes an incentive bonus scheme! You can read all about these here: Why work at Compass

We are committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible for all. If you require adjustments or alternative methods of communication in the recruitment process, please reach out to us on either 1300TALENT or careers@compass-group.com.au Read more