Financial Controller

Contour-Education; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid-friendly environment

On-site Melbourne campuses

Lifestyle perks

EAP access

Leave entitlements

Job summary

Contour Education seeks a Financial Controller to own the numbers, systems, automation and controls across multiple campuses. Reporting to the CFO, you will manage Finance Analysts and Junior Accountant, drive month-end close, audit readiness, and cashflow management with a first-principles mindset.

You will lead multi-entity integration, leverage AI to speed variance commentary and forecasting, and build self-serve dashboards for leadership while partnering across People, Academic, Sales and

Qualifications

• CA or CPA with 7+ years in financial control or senior finance.
• Track record in scale-ups, multi-site or service businesses.
• Proven automation or rebuild of finance processes.
• Hands-on use of AI tools in finance and forecasting.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting and scenario modelling.

Responsibilities

• Own month-end and year-end close across entities with tight timelines.
• Produce executive packs with variance commentary and forward view.
• Lead audit preparation and ensure year-round audit readiness.
• Maintain strong internal controls and documentation across campuses.
• Own short/medium-term cashflow forecasts and working capital.
• Manage banking relationships, facility compliance and covenants.
• Lead financial integration of new entities and day-one readiness.
• Redesign finance processes with automation and AI tooling.
• Write and maintain a Finance Operations Manual.

Skills

Financial control

Management accounting

Forecasting & budgeting

Automation & AI in finance

Cross-functional partnering

Process improvement

Education

CA or CPA

7+ years in financial control

Tools

Power BI

SQL

Python

ERP systems

Job description

Do you want to build a finance function that powers national growth, not maintain spreadsheets for an organisation that’s already figured it out?

Contour has proven its product‑market fit. What began as a scrappy startup is now a high‑growth scale‑up ranked on the AFR Fast 100 four years in a row (#8 in 2025), and our finance function will be central to how we grow, acquire, and scale in 2026 and beyond.

We need a Financial Controller who can run a tight ledger close, and Accounting guru who can get Contour audit ready and rebuild how finance works: someone who sees a manual processes and actively process improves.

This isn’t a role for keeping the lights on. You’ll own the numbers, but you’ll also own the systems, automation and tools that produce them. If you’ve used AI and automation to cut close time, improve forecast accuracy or free your team for analysis, and you believe in taking a first principles approach to problem solving, we want to talk.

Your mandate: control, scale, and partner.

Who We Are

At Contour, we’re reshaping education, one student at a time.

Since 2020, over 10,000+ students have trusted Contour to guide their academic journey, and we’ve grown to over 500+ team members. We’ve produced hundreds of 99+ ATARs, tutored the World‑Record UCAT scorer, and placed more students into medical school than any school in Australia.

Our growth is a testament to the simple philosophy: Put the student first, always. Everything we design, from our world‑class tutor‑training programs to our purpose‑built campuses, exists to help students master content faster, perform with confidence, and even rekindle the joy of learning.

Contour is a group of three brands united by one goal: to give every student the best chance to achieve their full potential:

• Contour Education: Reshaping how students master their high school subjects with small‑group tutoring, structured resources, and 1‑on‑1 support across Maths, Science, and English.
• Contour Medprep: Reshaping medical preparation with a proven, step‑by‑step pathway through the UCAT, interviews, and admissions, led by a team of 100+ medical students.
• Contour TestPrep: Reshaping test preparation, starting with the selective entry exam, through rigorous tutoring, mock exams, and data‑driven feedback to give students a decisive advantage.

This is Contour. Built by students, for students.

What You Will Do

Reporting to the CFO, you will serve as the operational anchor of Contour's finance function, with direct management of the Finance Analysts and Junior Accountant.

Reporting & Control

• Own month‑end and year‑end close across all entities, to agreed timelines, and keep shortening them - generate the insights that drives SLT decision making
• Produce executive reporting packs with clear variance commentary and a forward view, not just a backward one
• Lead audit preparation and keep us audit‑ready year round, including intercompany reconciliation and group eliminations
• Keep internal controls and documentation strong across campuses and entities

Cashflow & Working Capital Management

• Own short and medium‑term cashflow forecasts and track revenue, margin and cost by campus and entity
• Shorten debtor collection cycles and improve working capital
• Manage day‑to‑day banking relationships, including facility compliance and covenant reporting
• Raise material financial risks with the CFO early, with options attached

Multi‑Entity Growth & Integration

• Lead the financial integration of new entities: chart of accounts alignment, system migration, reporting integration, and control implementation.
• Establish day‑one finance readiness plans for newly established or restructured entities.
• Navigate ambiguity: make sound judgement calls on financial treatment and process design where precedent does not exist.

Systems, Automation & AI

• Redesign finance processes with automation first: bank feeds, reconciliations, accruals, intercompany, reporting
• Use AI tools to speed up the work that eats team time, such as variance commentary, transaction coding, document review and forecasting
• Build dashboards that give leaders self‑serve access to the numbers they need
• Assess and recommend system investments (ERP, consolidation, BI) as we scale, and lead the rollout
• Work with our Tech team on data flows and integrations between finance and operational systems
• Write and maintain a Finance Operations Manual that keeps up with how the function actually works

Compliance

• Ensure compliance with AASB standards and all tax obligations, including income tax, GST, FBT and payroll tax

Growth readiness

• As we grow, lead the finance side of new or restructured entities: chart of accounts, systems, reporting and controls from day one
• Make sound calls on financial treatment and process design where there’s no precedent to follow

Team and partnering

• Coach and develop your team, and shift their time from processing to analysis
• Partner with People, Academic, Sales, Operations and Tech leaders so they understand and act on their numbers

What You WIll Bring

• CA or CPA (or equivalent), with 7+ years in financial control, management accounting or senior finance, including 2+ years at controller level or equivalent
• A track record in a scale‑up, high‑growth, multi‑site or service business
• Clear evidence you’ve automated or rebuilt finance processes. You can name what you changed, the tools you used and what it saved
• Hands‑on use of AI tools in your finance work, and a view on where they help and where they don’t
• Strong budgeting, forecasting and scenario modelling, and the ability to turn numbers into operational decisions
• Comfort building structure where none exists, and making good calls with imperfect information
• High ownership: structured, disciplined in reporting upward, and you close loops without being chased

Great to have

• Multi‑entity experience: integration, consolidation or standing up finance for a new entity
• Experience leading an ERP or BI implementation
• Data skills beyond Excel, such as SQL, Power BI or Python
• Education sector experience

Why You Will Love It

• Impact & Ownership: You will own the finance function below CFO level, with real influence over the financial decisions that shape Contour's national growth trajectory.
• Complexity Without Corporate Bureaucracy: Multi‑entity, multi‑campus, and actively expanding nationally, you'll work across the full spectrum of financial complexity without the red tape of a large corporate.
• A Seat at the Table: You will partner directly with the CFO and executive leadership team, translating financial performance into strategic decisions that matter.
• Growth Potential: Opportunity for career development as Contour scales into a national education group, with a finance function that grows with it.
• Flexible Environment: Hybrid‑friendly, with on‑site presence at our Melbourne campuses to connect with the team and operational leaders.
• Competitive Package: Attractive salary commensurate with experience, plus super, leave entitlements, EAP access, and lifestyle perks.

Ready to build a finance function that sustains something that lasts? If you want to bring financial precision and commercial rigour to a mission that genuinely matters, we want to hear from you.