DIRECTOR OF FINANCE - CORPORATE

Uwajimaya is more than a grocery store — we’re a vibrant cultural destination with a legacy rooted in family, community, and food. Founded in 1928, Uwajimaya has grown into the Pacific Northwest’s premier Asian grocery retailer, serving generations of customers with a deep appreciation for tradition and innovation. From our diverse product offerings to our welcoming atmosphere, we take pride in delivering a one-of-a-kind experience centered around food, culture, and people.

At Uwajimaya, we believe in growing careers as thoughtfully as we stock our shelves. Our team is built on collaboration, curiosity, and care - this is a place where you can make an impact.

We are seeking a Director of Finance who reports to the VP of Finance and is a senior leader on the Finance and Accounting team. They will be responsible for leading day-to-day finance operations and collaborating with Store Operations, Merchandising, and the Executive Teams. This role translates the financial strategy set by the VP of Finance into processes, plans, reporting, and controls. The Director of Finance leads the financial planning and analysis, budgeting/forecasting, and performance reporting for a complex, inventory-intensive retail and wholesale business that generates thousands of transactions daily. The Director of Finance also works closely with the Controller to support accurate reporting and effective controls—particularly related to inventory, store-level results, and operational drivers.

This is an important role that balances strategy with hands-on execution. The goal is to ensure company resources are used effectively and efficiently while providing insight to improve profitability, cash flow, and decision-making across multiple locations.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Leadership & Business Partnership

• Serve as a finance advisor to senior leadership and cross-functional teams (Store Operations, Merchandising, Supply Chain/Distribution, and corporate functions).

• Support the VP of Finance, Executives and operating teams with the assessment of strategic initiatives with scenario planning, ROI screening, and risk/opportunity analyses.

• Drive the performance management cadence: monthly business reviews, dashboards, variance analysis, and actionable recommendations.

• Translate complex financial data into clear information that helps leaders make better, quicker decisions.

Financial Planning, Forecasting & Analysis

• Lead annual long-range planning for the enterprise and each location.

• Build and maintain driver-based models tied to business performance levers for Uwajimaya’s business segments.

• Develop regular rolling forecasts that reflect seasonality, promotional cycles, product mix shifts, and customer traffic trends.

• Identify and quantify opportunities to improve profitability and operational efficiency.

Multi-Unit Store Operations Finance

• Provide store-level and enterprise-level financial visibility, including:

  • Sales trends (including same-store sales), traffic, and basket metrics (as available)

  • Store labor planning and productivity (labor %, scheduling efficiency, overtime)

  • Controllable expenses and cost-to-serve insights

  • Profitability by store and, where applicable, by department/category

• Advise operational leaders on ways to improve execution and resource management without sacrificing customer experience.

Merchandising, Inventory, Margin & Shrink

• Provide financial leadership and analysis for merchandising and inventory performance, including:

  • Gross margin analysis by category/vendor and product mix

  • Pricing and promotion effectiveness (lift, profitability, cannibalization)

  • Inventory turns, aging, spoilage/obsolescence, and reserves

  • Shrink reporting, root-cause analysis, and shrink reduction initiatives

  • Vendor programs and purchasing economics (rebates, allowances, terms, funding)

• Strengthen inventory planning and reporting processes to improve working capital and reduce waste.

Capital Planning & Strategic Projects

• Support growth planning and strategic decision-making for changing businesses.

• Support capital planning and business cases for investments (remodels, equipment, technology, infrastructure).

• Evaluate ROI for new initiatives and operational improvements, track benefits post-implementation.

Accounting Support

• Work closely with the Controller to ensure accurate and timely financial reporting, with emphasis on:

  • Inventory valuation and related accruals

  • Store-level expense determination and consistent reporting

  • Audit support, documentation, and continuous improvement of internal controls

• Ensure financial policies and processes scale appropriately for a multi-location environment.

Team Leadership & Development

• With VP of Finance, lead, coach, and develop a finance team; establish goals, priorities, and a high-performance culture.

• Improve tools, reporting, and processes to strengthen finance as a proactive business partner.

• Build scalable capability in analytics, forecasting, and decision support.

Qualifications

• Proven finance leader with strong business skills and the ability to collaborate and influence outcomes across functions.

• Deep expertise in topics such as business planning, financial modeling, budgeting/forecasting, and variance analysis.

• Experience in inventory-intensive, high transactional retail environments; strong understanding of retail drivers (sales, margin, labor, shrink, turns).

• Strong systems and data fluency: advanced Excel and comfort working with ERP systems, POS/inventory data, and BI/reporting tools.

• Excellent communication skills—able to clearly present business and financial information to a wide variety of audiences.

• High integrity, strong judgment, and attention to detail; able to improve controls while keeping the business moving.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, business, or related field required.

• MBA and/or CMA /CPA preferred but not required.

• 10+ years of progressive finance experience; multi-unit retail/specialty retail/grocery strongly preferred.

• 5+ years in a finance leadership role with people management responsibilities.

Work Model / Travel

• Based in Seattle, WA with a hybrid schedule to ensure effective working relationships with business and leadership teams.

• Regular local and regional travel to store locations is expected.

Compensation & Benefits

We offer a competitive total rewards package designed to support our employees both personally and professionally, including comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, 401(k), paid time off, and bonus eligibility. The targeted salary range for this position is $150,000–$180,000 plus bonus opportunity.

Uwajimaya participates in E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. Please review the E-Verify Participation Poster and Right to Work Poster before proceeding with your application

IER Right to Work Poster (English/Spanish) (PDF, 322.73 KB)

E-Verify Participation Poster (English/Spanish) (PDF, 259.92 KB)

Uwajimaya is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.