Finance Manager

Method Recruitment Group; City of Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Method Recruitment Group is recruiting a Finance Manager for a well-established Australian agribusiness based in Melbourne. The role is hands-on and offers a clear pathway toward CFO-style leadership, working with owners and the senior team to boost commercial performance.

You will lead budgeting, forecasting, reporting and finance transformation, including maximising ERP value, data insights and operational partnering. A lean finance team supports a seasonal, high-volume environment.

Qualifications

• Experience leading budgeting, forecasting and financial planning in a high-volume operation.
• Strong ability to develop dashboards and commercial insights from multiple data sources.
• ERP implementation or optimisation experience, NetSuite advantageous.
• Finance business partnering with operational leaders to drive value.

Responsibilities

• Lead budgeting, forecasting and financial planning processes.
• Develop meaningful management reporting, dashboards and insights.
• Improve data integrity and integrate information from multiple sources.
• Partner with operational leaders to improve financial outcomes.
• Support investment decisions through financial modelling and ROI analysis.
• Identify process improvements and drive efficiency.
• Continue ERP and finance systems optimisation.
• Work with tech teams to enable scalable processes.
• Challenge budget overruns and strengthen financial accountability.
• Develop and mentor the finance team in a lean, high-performing environment.
• Provide commercial insight to owners and leadership.

Skills

Budgeting & forecasting

Commercial analysis

Finance business partnering

ERP systems

Data capability

Process improvement

Team leadership

Education

CPA/CIMA/CA preferred

Tools

NetSuite

Job description

Our client is a well-established, family-owned Australian agribusiness with a long and successful operating history. The business has grown into a significant producer and exporter, servicing customers across international markets, while also operating a substantial tourism division.

The organisation operates in a highly seasonal, high-volume and time-critical environment where operational efficiency, commercial discipline and the ability to make fast, informed decisions are critical.

With continued investment across operations, technology and infrastructure, the business is entering an exciting period of growth and transformation. A key priority is strengthening systems, data and commercial capability to support the next phase of the organisation's development.

The Opportunity

This is a hands-on Finance Manager opportunity with a clear pathway toward a broader CFO-style leadership role.

Working closely with the owners and senior leadership team, you will play a key role in improving commercial performance, strengthening financial reporting, optimising systems and supporting strategic decision-making across the business.

A major component of the role will be maximising the value of the organisation's ERP investment, while developing stronger capability across data, reporting, forecasting and operational insights.

This is an opportunity for a commercially minded finance leader who wants to move beyond traditional accounting and become a genuine operational and strategic partner to the business.

Key Responsibilities

You will be responsible for:

• Leading budgeting, forecasting and financial planning processes.
• Developing meaningful management reporting, dashboards and commercial insights.
• Improving data integrity and integrating information from multiple business sources.
• Partnering closely with operational leaders to improve financial and commercial outcomes.
• Supporting investment and capital decisions through financial modelling and ROI analysis.
• Identifying process improvement opportunities and driving greater efficiency.
• Continuing the development and optimisation of the organisation's ERP and finance systems.
• Working closely with operational and technology teams to support scalable business processes.
• Challenging budget overruns and strengthening financial accountability across the organisation.
• Developing and mentoring the finance team within a lean, high-performing environment.
• Providing commercial insight and analysis to support the owners and leadership team.

Future Growth

The organisation sees significant long-term potential in this position.

Over time, the role is expected to evolve into a broader operational finance leadership position with increasing exposure to:

• Commercial operations
• Strategic planning
• Customer and product decisions
• Process and operational optimisation
• Operational leadership
• Business growth initiativesTechnology and data transformation

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to become a trusted commercial and operational partner to the owners and executive leadership team.

About You

We are seeking a commercially minded finance professional who enjoys working close to the operation and thrives in a fast-paced, hands-on environment.

You will ideally bring:

• Experience in a high-volume, operational environment such as manufacturing, FMCG, agribusiness, food production, supply chain or logistics.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting and commercial analysis capability.
• Finance business partnering experience with operational stakeholders.
• ERP implementation or optimisation experience; exposure to NetSuite would be highly advantageous.
• Strong systems, technology and data capability.
• Experience improving processes, controls and operational efficiency.
• Previous leadership experience within a lean finance function.
• The confidence to challenge stakeholders constructively and drive accountability.
• A practical, solutions-focused approach rather than a purely technical accounting mindset.

Candidates from traditional banking or local government environments are unlikely to be the strongest fit for the role.

Leadership & Culture

Culture and team fit are critical.

The successful candidate will be:

• Humble and approachable.
• Hands-on and operationally focused.
• Commercially savvy.
• Comfortable challenging stakeholders when required.
• Highly organised and process-driven.Strong with systems and technology.
• Innovative and solutions-focused.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, seasonal environment.
• Capable of leading, developing and supporting others.

This is a lean, high-performing organisation where people are expected to take ownership, make decisions, add value and continually improve how the business operates.

Finance & Systems

The finance function is lean and experienced, supported by external tax advisers.

The team includes a Group Management Accountant, Accountant and part-time bookkeeping support.

The organisation is also undertaking a significant ERP transformation, with finance now operating on the platform across both sandbox and production environments.

A key focus for the incoming Finance Manager will be to take the system beyond its core accounting functionality and leverage technology, data and automation to generate better business insights and improve operational performance.

• Approximately 50 permanent employees, supported by a significant seasonal workforce.
• Highly seasonal operating cycle, with peak season running from September through March.
• Full onsite presence required during peak season.
• Outside peak season, a flexible hybrid arrangement generally applies, with approximately three days in the office and two days working from home.
• New head office planned within the next 12-24 months.
• Strong team culture with regular social and team-building activities.

Location

The role is based in Melbourne's eastern suburbs, with a preference for candidates who live within reasonable commuting distance given the onsite requirements of the position.

Why Join?

This is an opportunity to join a successful Australian business at an important stage of its growth and transformation.

You will have genuine influence, direct access to the owners and leadership team, and the opportunity to shape the way finance, systems and commercial decision-making operate across the organisation.

For an ambitious Finance Manager looking to broaden their influence and ultimately progress toward a CFO-style role, this represents an excellent long-term opportunity.