Head Accountant (Payroll) - Hospitality

About the role

A hospitality and food & beverage group in Doha, Qatar is looking for an experienced Chief Accountant (Payroll) to oversee payroll operations, employee compensation accounting, statutory compliance and financial reporting across its businesses. The role ensures accurate and timely payroll processing, compliance with Qatar labor regulations, payroll account reconciliation and strong financial controls. It suits finance professionals from hospitality groups, restaurant chains, catering companies, central kitchens, hotels or large multi-site organisations.

Key responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end monthly payroll for employees across multiple locations, including salaries, overtime, leave payments, bonuses, deductions and final settlements
• Review payroll changes such as new hires, promotions, transfers and terminations, and verify accuracy before submission and payment
• Prepare payroll journal entries and month-end accruals, reconcile payroll balance sheet accounts and allocate payroll costs to departments and cost centers
• Support monthly, quarterly and annual financial closing
• Run payroll transactions and reporting in SAP ERP, maintain employee master data and generate payroll reports, cost analyses and management dashboards
• Ensure compliance with Qatar Labor Law and company policies, keep payroll documentation and employee records, and support internal and external audits
• Implement payroll controls, prepare variance analyses and labor cost reports, and monitor payroll KPIs and labor budgets
• Create automated reports and dashboards in Excel and act as the main point of contact for payroll, supporting HR, Operations and Finance teams

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce or a related field; CPA, ACCA, CMA, CIMA or equivalent preferred
• Minimum 7-10 years of accounting experience, including at least 3 years in a Chief Accountant, Payroll Manager or Senior Payroll Accountant role
• Proven payroll management experience in hospitality groups, hotel chains, restaurant operations, catering companies or large retail/FMCG organisations
• Preferred background in Marriott, Hilton, Accor, Rotana, Wyndham, Katara, Americana, Alshaya, Azadea, Ali Bin Ali Hospitality, QACC, Chef Middle East or other large hospitality groups

Required skills

• Strong SAP ERP experience (SAP FI/CO, SAP HCM Payroll, SAP SuccessFactors preferred)
• Advanced Excel: Pivot Tables, Power Query, Power Pivot, XLOOKUP/VLOOKUP, SUMIF
• Payroll modeling, reconciliation templates and dashboard creation; Power BI highly desirable
• Attention to detail, strong analytical and reconciliation skills, and stakeholder management

What we offer

• Medical insurance
• Annual leave
• End of service benefits
• Company benefits in line with Qatar Labor Law