Commercial Manager

Sharp & Carter; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Sharp & Carter is seeking an experienced Commercial Manager to join a large Australian manufacturing organisation in Dandenong. This senior finance business partner role focuses on turning data into commercial action, supporting profitability, pricing, contracts and strategic initiatives across a sizeable portfolio.

You will lead budgeting, forecasting and long-term planning, challenge assumptions, and partner with executive leadership to drive performance and operational outcomes, with a

Qualifications

• CA/CPA qualified with tertiary accounting qualifications.
• Strong commercial finance experience in large, complex environments.
• Comfortable partnering with senior operational leaders and executives.
• Experienced in budgeting, forecasting, analysis and performance management.

Responsibilities

• Partner with senior operational and commercial leaders to drive performance.
• Provide commercial insight across profitability, pricing, customers and products.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting and long‑term financial planning.
• Identify risks and opportunities and translate into actions.
• Support major contracts, negotiations and strategic initiatives.
• Develop and evaluate business cases and investment proposals.
• Review monthly performance with commentary on drivers.
• Front working capital and capital expenditure management.
• Provide financial analysis for strategic projects and opportunities.
• Drive improvements across reporting, processes, controls and decision making.
• Lead, coach and develop a small finance team.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with Finance, Operations and other functions.

Skills

Financial acumen

Commercial partnering

Budgeting & forecasting

Analytical thinking

People leadership

Education

CA/CPA qualifications

Job description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an experienced Commercial Manager to join a large, complex Australian organisation with significant manufacturing operations.

Based in Dandenong, this is a senior commercial finance position partnering closely with operational and executive leadership. The role will provide financial insight, commercial challenge and decision support across a sizeable business portfolio, with a strong focus on improving performance, profitability and operational outcomes.

Initially offered as a 12 month fixed term contract, there is genuine potential for the opportunity to become permanent.

The Role

Reporting to a senior finance leader and partnering closely with the operational leadership team, you will act as a trusted commercial advisor across the business.

This is a broad and influential role that goes well beyond traditional reporting. You will use financial and operational data to understand what is driving performance, challenge assumptions and help senior stakeholders make better commercial decisions.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Partnering with senior operational and commercial leaders to drive improved business performance
• Providing commercial insight across profitability, pricing, customers, products, labour, productivity and operational efficiency
• Leading budgeting, forecasting and longer-term financial planning
• Identifying financial risks and opportunities and translating these into clear actions
• Providing commercial support across major contracts, negotiations and strategic initiatives
• Developing and evaluating business cases, capital investment proposals and other growth opportunities
• Reviewing monthly performance and providing meaningful commentary on key business drivers
• Supporting working capital and capital expenditure management
• Providing financial analysis to support strategic projects and potential investment opportunities
• Driving improvements across reporting, processes, controls and commercial decision-making
• Leading, coaching and developing a small finance team
• Working cross-functionally across Finance, Operations and other specialist functions to ensure strong commercial outcomes

The position has a particularly strong emphasis on translating financial information into practical commercial decisions rather than simply reporting historical results.

About You

We are looking for an established Commercial Manager, Senior Finance Business Partner or commercially focused Finance Manager who is comfortable operating within a large and complex environment.

You will ideally bring experience from manufacturing, FMCG, industrial, supply chain or another operationally intensive business, with the ability to understand the relationship between operational activity and financial performance.

You will be:

• CA/CPA qualified with relevant tertiary qualifications
• An experienced commercial finance professional with strong financial and business acumen
• Comfortable partnering with and influencing senior operational leaders
• Experienced across budgeting, forecasting, commercial analysis and performance management
• Able to challenge stakeholders constructively and bring an independent commercial perspective
• Confident working through complexity, change and competing priorities
• A strong people leader who can develop and empower a capable team
• Highly analytical, while equally comfortable communicating the story behind the numbers

The successful candidate will combine strong technical foundations with commercial curiosity, sound judgement and the ability to influence decisions at a senior level.