Finance Manager - Operations

Cirql; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Cirql is seeking an energetic operational finance leader to professionalise its transactional finance and shared services, reporting to the CFO. You will oversee trade billing, credit management, supplier payments, and cash flow, ensuring a clean month-end close and accurate balance sheet.

You will lead a nine-person team across AR, AP, and related functions, drive process automation, optimise ERP usage, and partner with branch operations to provide clear commercial visibility on working capital

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (CPA or CA) with degree in Accounting, Commerce, or Finance.
• Experience leading operational finance or shared services in a multi-site corporate environment.
• Industry experience in distribution, wholesale, logistics, or retail is highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operational finance function across Transactional Finance, AR, Credit Management, AP, and cash operations.
• Mentor and develop a team across transactional finance, billing, credit management, accounts payable, and driving accountability and best practices.
• Directly manage key commercial debtor accounts and orchestrate structured payment arrangements, complex reconciliations, and executive-level resolutions.
• Deliver the month-end sub-ledger close with accurate reconciliations feeding corporate reporting.
• Oversee daily cash transactions, forecasting, treasury relationships, and foreign currency payments per policy.
• Govern trade credit risk, set credit limits, onboarding, stop-credit triggers, and aged balance recovery with regional managers.
• Direct end-to-end supplier payments, PO compliance, three-way matching, approval thresholds, and vendor relations.
• Drive continuous process automation and ERP optimisation to improve data quality and reduce bottlenecks across high-volume pipelines.
• Act as the operational finance bridge between branch operations and corporate finance, providing visibility on working capital trends.

Skills

Leadership

Operational finance

Cash flow management

Accounts payable

Accounts receivable

Credit management

ERP systems

Excel

Education

CPA or CA with degree in Accounting/Commerce/Finance

Tools

ERP systems

Microsoft Excel

Job description

At Cirql, we don't focus on industry specifics - our core specialisation is partnering with middle-market organisations that are experiencing change. This client is the perfect example of that - an established and high-growth industrial company proactively structuring its corporate systems, processes, and capability for the next wave of expansion.

Cirql is proud to represent a market-leading Australian distribution and trade services group. Operating a substantial multi-site branch footprint nationwide, the organisation delivers essential products, consumables, and technical supplies to critical commercial sectors. With an extensive national logistics and trade network, the business functions at significant operational scale, balancing substantial inventory pipelines with customer responsiveness.

Poised for the next chapter of their success, the executive team is committed to investing in the structures and leadership that will underpin their growth trajectory. The environment is built for execution. It is a lean, non-bureaucratic structure where decisions are backed by data and implemented with urgency. Leaders are given a high degree of autonomy and are directly accountable for delivering measurable outcomes. The focus is on substance over ceremony and tangible results.

About the Opportunity

This is an elevated, pivotal leadership role reporting directly to the Chief Financial Officer. Designed to lead and professionalise operational finance and shared services, this position bridges the critical link between transactional processing and balance sheet integrity.

Unlike conventional transactional management roles that focus purely on processing volume and team administration, this remit demands analytical rigour, commercial acumen, and hands-on balance sheet oversight. You will oversee trade billing, customer credit management, supplier disbursements, and operational cash flow, carrying these cycles cleanly through sub-ledger reconciliations into a pristine month-end close.

This is an operational and commercial leadership mandate rather than a technical accounting or statutory compliance post. Your impact will centre on running a clean, reliable operational engine: leading an established direct team of nine, managing key commercial customer accounts, partnering closely with branch operations, and ensuring all operational balances feeding the general ledger reflect commercial reality.

What You'll Do

As a key member of the finance leadership team reporting directly to the CFO, you will lead the day-to-day operational finance function across Transactional Finance, Accounts Receivable, Credit Management, Accounts Payable, and cash operations:

Leading, mentoring, and developing a team across transactional finance, billing, credit management, accounts payable, and driving clear accountability and best practices.

Managing key commercial debtor accounts directly, taking personal ownership of high-value customer relationships, structured payment arrangements, complex reconciliations, and executive-level resolutions.

Delivering the month-end operational sub-ledger close, ensuring accurate reconciliations for accounts receivable, accounts payable, inventory clearing, and unbilled items directly into the corporate finance reporting team.

Supervising daily cash transactions, group transactional banking relationships, rolling cash flow forecasting, and foreign currency payment execution in line with treasury policy.

Overseeing trade credit risk governance, establishing robust protocols around commercial credit limits, customer onboarding, stop-credit triggers, and aged balance recovery in conjunction with regional branch managers.

Directing the end-to-end supplier payments function, enforcing purchase order compliance, rigorous three-way matching, approval thresholds, and positive vendor relations.

Championing continuous process automation and workflow optimisation, actively identifying operational bottlenecks, uplifting ERP utilisation, and improving data quality across high-volume transactional pipelines.

Acting as the operational finance bridge between branch operations and corporate finance, providing clear commercial visibility on working capital trends, credit risks, and process bottlenecks to executive stakeholders.

What You'll Bring

We are seeking an energetic, commercially minded operational finance leader who brings the financial discipline of a qualified accountant combined with natural people leadership and strong operational instincts. You communicate with clarity, handle commercial negotiations with confidence, and take pride in turning high-volume transaction teams into efficient business partners.

In addition, you will bring:

• Full professional accounting qualification (CPA or CA) underpinned by a relevant degree in Accounting, Commerce, or Finance.
• Demonstrated experience leading operational finance, transactional teams, or shared services within a multi-site corporate environment (distribution, wholesale, automotive, logistics, or retail sectors will be highly regarded).
• Solid operational accounting foundations with the ability to reconcile complex sub-ledgers, explain variances, and deliver disciplined month-end operational closes without requiring oversight.
• A natural leadership style centered on coaching, empowerment, and team development, with a track record of lifting operational output and engagement across transactional staff.
• Strong systems literacy with large enterprise ERP systems and advanced capability in Microsoft Excel.
• A practical, continuous-improvement mindset, with direct experience implementing process improvements, automation tools, or workflow upgrades.

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