Finance Manager

Private Advertiser; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Private Advertiser in Melbourne seeks a commercially minded Finance & Commercial Manager to shape the brand's financial future. You will drive profitability, manage cash flow, and build the financial foundations for growth, collaborating with the CEO and leadership team.

You'll analyse product/customer profitability, optimise inventory and implement better processes, leveraging technology and AI to improve decision-making. This is a hands-on role with real influence across the business.

Qualifications

• 5+ years' experience in management accounting or a similar role.
• Experience in FMCG, manufacturing, wholesale or another product-based business.
• CA or CPA qualification (or currently working towards it).
• Strong understanding of inventory accounting, stock control and working capital management.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, cash flow and commercial analysis.

Responsibilities

• Deliver meaningful monthly management reporting, financial analysis and insights that drive business decisions.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting and cash flow planning, providing visibility of financial performance and future business needs.
• Analyse customer, product and channel profitability to identify opportunities for growth and improved margins.
• Partner with Sales, Supply Chain and Operations to improve profitability, productivity and overall business performance.
• Support pricing strategies, margin analysis and cost optimisation.
• Provide commercial insights and recommendations to the CEO and leadership team.
• Take ownership of stock control and inventory reporting, ensuring accurate and reliable stock information across the business.
• Drive improvements in inventory accuracy, stock reconciliations and stocktake processes.
• Monitor stock levels, inventory movements, slow-moving and obsolete stock, and identify opportunities to reduce excess inventory.
• Improve stock forecasting and purchasing decisions to balance product availability, working capital and cash flow.
• Work closely with Supply Chain and Operations to improve inventory planning, purchasing controls and stock management processes.

Skills

Management accounting

Commercial finance

Inventory accounting

Budgeting & forecasting

Cash flow management

Data-driven decision making

Leadership

Education

CA or CPA qualification

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

$150,000 – $180,000 per year + annual bonus

A pivotal role in shaping the financial future of a growing Australian brand.

The Opportunity

This is not your traditional finance role. We're looking for a commercially minded Finance & Commercial Manager who loves understanding how a business works, finding opportunities to improve performance and turning financial information into better business decisions.

Working closely with the CEO and leadership team, you'll play a key role in driving profitability, managing cash flow, improving operational efficiency and building the financial foundations to support our next stage of growth.

You'll have real influence across the business, from understanding product and customer profitability to ensuring stock is accurately managed, cash isn't tied up unnecessarily in inventory and our processes are working as efficiently as possible.

We're looking for someone who is as comfortable analysing the numbers as they are rolling up their sleeves, challenging existing processes and finding smarter ways of doing things.

What You'll Be Responsible For

Commercial Finance & Business Performance

Deliver meaningful monthly management reporting, financial analysis and insights that drive business decisions.

Lead budgeting, forecasting and cash flow planning, providing visibility of financial performance and future business needs.

Analyse customer, product and channel profitability to identify opportunities for growth and improved margins.

Partner with Sales, Supply Chain and Operations to improve profitability, productivity and overall business performance.

Support pricing strategies, margin analysis and cost optimisation.

Provide commercial insights and recommendations to the CEO and leadership team.

Stock Control & Inventory Management

Take ownership of stock control and inventory reporting, ensuring accurate and reliable stock information across the business.

Drive improvements in inventory accuracy, stock reconciliations and stocktake processes.

Monitor stock levels, inventory movements, slow-moving and obsolete stock, and identify opportunities to reduce excess inventory.

Improve stock forecasting and purchasing decisions to balance product availability, working capital and cash flow.

Work closely with Supply Chain and Operations to improve inventory planning, purchasing controls and stock management processes.

Ensure stock movements, landed costs and inventory valuations are accurately reflected in financial reporting.

Develop reporting and visibility around inventory performance, stock turns and working capital.

Process Improvement, Systems & Technology

Continuously challenge existing processes and identify opportunities to simplify, streamline and improve how the business operates.

Lead initiatives to automate manual finance and operational processes, reducing duplication and improving accuracy.

Explore and implement AI, technology and smarter systems to improve productivity and decision-making.

Build dashboards and reporting tools that provide real-time visibility of key financial and operational performance measures.

Improve systems, workflows and internal controls as the business scales.

Take ownership of driving change rather than accepting that things have always been done a certain way.

Leadership, Governance & Controls

Manage and develop the Bookkeeper and finance support staff, ensuring a strong, capable and efficient finance function.

Maintain strong financial controls, reporting integrity and compliance.

Coordinate audit requirements and support ongoing business governance.

Ensure finance processes and systems can support the continued growth of the business.

What You'll Bring

We're less interested in how many years you've worked and more interested in how you think, approach problems and make things happen.

You'll likely have:

5+ years' experience in management accounting, commercial finance or a similar role.

Experience in FMCG, manufacturing, wholesale or another product-based business.

CA or CPA qualification (or currently working towards it).

Strong understanding of inventory accounting, stock control and working capital management.

Experience with budgeting, forecasting, cash flow and commercial analysis.

The ability to understand the bigger picture and translate numbers into practical business recommendations.

Strong analytical skills and a genuine interest in understanding what drives business performance.

Confidence working across teams and influencing decisions at all levels.

A passion for process improvement, automation, technology and using AI to work smarter.

A hands-on approach, with the initiative to identify problems and see improvements through to completion.

The confidence to challenge the status quo and the curiosity to continually find better ways of working.

Why You'll Love Working Here

This is an opportunity to step beyond traditional finance and genuinely influence the direction of a growing Australian brand.

You'll have a real seat at the table and the opportunity to shape how the business operates, grows and makes decisions.

You'll join a passionate team where:

Your voice matters. You'll work directly with the CEO and leadership team, with genuine input into commercial and strategic decisions.

You can make a difference. Your insights and ideas will directly influence profitability, cash flow, stock management and business performance.

You can challenge the status quo. We're open to new ideas, better systems and smarter ways of working.

You can embrace technology. You'll have the opportunity to introduce AI, automation and improved reporting to make a real impact.

You'll help build the future. Rather than inherit rigid systems and processes, you'll have the freedom to improve, innovate and build a stronger business.

You'll be part of the bigger picture. This is a role where finance works hand in hand with Sales, Supply Chain and Operations.

The Person We're Looking For

We're looking for someone who is commercially curious, proactive and naturally looks for ways to make things better.

Someone who doesn't just report on what happened but wants to understand why it happened, what it means and what we should do next.

Someone who understands that managing stock is just as important as managing cash, that good processes create better businesses, and that great financial insight can influence every part of an organisation.

If you love numbers, business performance, problem-solving and making things happen, this could be the opportunity you've been looking for.

Your application will include the following questions:

• Which of the following statements best describes your right to work in Australia?