ROLE DESCRIPTION
Financial Manager
Reports to:
Managing Director / Group Owners
Direct reports:
Financial Accountants, Management Accountants, Accounts Payable/Receivable, Payroll, Company Secretarial support and Inventory/Stock Control staff across the Group
Group operations:
Construction, Wholesale/Distribution, Earthmoving, Manufacturing and Property Development
Location:
Ipswich Head Office, with regular travel to divisional sites
Employment type:
Full-time, permanent
Role Purpose
The Financial manage is the finance leader of the Group for this privately owned, family-controlled business. The role carries end-to-end ownership of the Group's financial management, statutory and tax compliance, company secretarial obligations, treasury and cash management, inventory control, and mergers and acquisitions activity across all operating divisions.
Beyond the traditional controllership function, the role is expected to operate as a genuine business partner to the owners and divisional leadership teams — providing the commercial insight, financial modelling and process discipline needed to support decision-making across a diversified group spanning construction, wholesale, earthmoving, manufacturing and development activities.
About the Group
The Group is a privately owned, family business operating across multiple related industries, including construction, wholesale/distribution, earthmoving, manufacturing and property development. Each division operates with its own operational leadership and project or trading cycles, while sharing common Group finance, treasury, tax and governance infrastructure. The diversity and scale of operations demand a finance leader who is equally comfortable with project and contract accounting, inventory-heavy trading operations, manufacturing cost control, and the capital-intensive, cyclical nature of property development.
Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Finance Leadership
- Act as the principal financial adviser to the owners and Managing Director, providing strategic and commercial input across all divisions of the Group.
- Lead Group-wide budgeting, forecasting and long-range financial planning, consolidating divisional plans into a coherent Group view.
- Prepare and present Group and divisional financial performance reporting to the owners/board, including commentary on variances, risks and opportunities.
- Partner with divisional General Managers and project leaders to improve commercial outcomes, pricing, margin management and capital allocation decisions.
- Advise on Group capital structure, funding strategy and the financial implications of strategic and operational decisions.
Financial Management, Reporting & Control
- Own the full finance function across the Group, including financial and management accounting, payroll, accounts payable/receivable and credit control.
- Ensure timely, accurate month-end and year-end close, consolidation of multiple entities/divisions, and preparation of statutory financial statements.
- Maintain a robust internal control environment, including delegated authorities, segregation of duties and compliance with accounting standards.
- Manage the annual external audit process and relationships with the Group's auditors, bankers, insurers and other professional advisers.
- Develop and maintain Group and divisional KPI and dashboard reporting to support timely operational and commercial decision-making.
Treasury & Cash Management
- Manage Group treasury functions, including banking relationships, debt facilities, surety/bank guarantee and performance bond arrangements typical of construction and development activity.
- Prepare rolling cash flow forecasts across the Group and each division, and actively manage working capital, funding headroom and covenant compliance.
- Oversee cash management, intercompany funding arrangements and the efficient deployment of surplus funds across entities.
- Manage foreign exchange, interest rate and other treasury-related risk exposures where relevant to plant, equipment or materials procurement.
Tax Compliance & Structuring
- Ensure Group-wide compliance with all tax obligations, including income tax, GST, payroll tax, FBT and other statutory reporting requirements across multiple entities and structures.
- Manage relationships with external tax advisers on structuring, tax-effective planning, and complex transactions such as acquisitions, developments and asset disposals.
- Oversee tax compliance for the trusts, companies and other vehicles commonly used in family group structures, including intercompany and related-party arrangements.
- Monitor changes in tax legislation relevant to construction, property development, manufacturing and wholesale trading, and manage associated compliance risk.
Company Secretarial & Corporate Governance
- Act as, or oversee, the company secretarial function for all Group entities, including maintaining statutory registers, ASIC filings and corporate records.
- Ensure the Group's corporate and trust structures are properly maintained, documented and kept up to date, including entity establishment, restructuring and wind-ups as required.
- Support the owners and Managing Director on governance matters, board and family meeting administration, and maintenance of appropriate corporate governance frameworks for a private family business.
- Liaise with external legal advisers on corporate, trust and governance matters as required.
Inventory & Working Capital Management
- Oversee inventory management and stock control across wholesale, manufacturing and earthmoving operations, including raw materials, work-in-progress, finished goods, parts and consumables.
- Implement and maintain robust stock costing, valuation and reconciliation processes, and drive continuous improvement in inventory accuracy and turnover.
- Work with operational teams to optimise working capital tied up in inventory, plant and equipment, and project work-in-progress.
Mergers, Acquisitions & Financial Modelling
- Lead or support financial due diligence, valuation and deal structuring for acquisitions, divestments, joint ventures and significant capital projects.
- Build and maintain sophisticated financial models for M&A evaluation, development feasibility, project appraisal and scenario/sensitivity analysis.
- Manage post-acquisition financial integration, including alignment of accounting policies, systems and reporting for newly acquired entities.
- Provide financial modelling support for major capital expenditure decisions, including plant and equipment investment and property development feasibility studies.
Systems, Controls & Process Improvement
- Drive continuous improvement of finance systems, processes and controls across the Group, including ERP, job costing and inventory systems.
- Identify and implement automation and efficiency opportunities within the finance function and across finance-related processes in operating divisions.
- Lead system implementations or upgrades as required, ensuring appropriate data integrity, reporting capability and internal controls.
- Establish and monitor a Group risk and compliance framework, covering financial, tax, treasury and operational risk areas relevant to the finance function.
Leadership & Team Management
- Lead, develop and mentor a finance team spanning multiple divisions and locations, building capability and succession depth within the function.
- Foster a culture of accuracy, accountability and continuous improvement within the finance team and in its interactions with operational stakeholders.
Key Relationships
- Internal: Group owners/family principals, Managing Director, divisional General Managers, project and operations managers, and finance team members across all divisions.
- External: Banks and financiers, external auditors, tax advisers, legal counsel, ASIC agents/registered office providers, insurers and, where relevant, M&A counterparties and advisers.
Qualifications, Experience & Skills
- CA or CPA qualified (or equivalent), with a relevant tertiary qualification in accounting, finance or commerce.
- ‘Big-4’ experience
- Substantial post-qualification experience in a senior finance leadership role (Group Financial Controller, Finance Director or CFO), ideally within a multi-entity or diversified private group.
- Prior exposure to construction, property development, manufacturing, wholesale/distribution or earthmoving/heavy equipment industries is highly regarded.
- Demonstrated experience across the full breadth of the role, including statutory and tax compliance, treasury and cash management, company secretarial administration and inventory control.
- Proven experience in M&A support, financial modelling, due diligence and feasibility analysis.
- Strong systems capability, including ERP and consolidation tools, with a track record of driving process and systems improvement.
- Experience working directly with business owners or family principals, with the judgement and discretion this requires.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate financial information for non-financial, operationally focused audiences.
Personal Attributes
- Commercially astute, hands-on and comfortable operating across strategic and detailed operational levels.
- High level of personal integrity, discretion and trustworthiness, given the sensitivity of family and business information handled in the role.
- Resilient and adaptable, able to manage competing priorities across multiple, diverse operating divisions.
- A collaborative leader who builds strong working relationships with operational management and external advisers alike.
- Genuine continuous improvement mindset, with a bias towards simplifying and strengthening processes and controls.
Pay: $140,000.00 – $160,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
