Financial Controller

Buildcert; Newcastle; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working (home + office)

Competitive salary + annual reviews

Birthday leave + Purchased leave

A supportive team that’s got your back

Job summary

Buildcert is seeking a capable Financial Controller to lead the finance function, oversee day-to-day financial operations and ensure the integrity, accuracy and timeliness of financial reporting.

You will lead a small finance team and take ownership of core financial control activities, including budgeting, payroll oversight and financial compliance, working with an external accounting firm for taxation and statutory reporting.

Qualifications

• Commercially minded finance professional
• Strong technical accounting capability
• Experience communicating complex financial information to senior stakeholders
• Ability to lead and develop a finance team
• Experience partnering with senior leaders for strategic planning
• Experience overseeing payroll and financial operations

Responsibilities

• Financial leadership and business partnering to inform strategic decisions
• Management accounting including monthly reporting and variance analysis
• Oversee budgeting, forecasts and cash flow management
• Build financial acumen across the business for informed decision making
• Lead and develop the finance team for continuous improvement
• Oversee day-to-day financial operations including GL, AP/AR, reconciliations
• Payroll oversight to ensure accuracy and compliance
• Maintain financial governance and compliance
• Coordinate with external accounting firm on taxation and statutory reporting
• Support multi-entity consolidation and group reporting
• Identify opportunities to improve financial systems and processes

Skills

Financial leadership

Management accounting

Budgeting & forecasting

Stakeholder management

Payroll oversight

Financial reporting

Financial governance

Education

CA or CPA qualification

Job description

At Buildcert, we make life easier for our clients — finding smarter, faster, better ways to handle building approvals and private certification. We're Australia's largest private building certifier, with a growing footprint across NSW and South-East QLD, and we're expanding to meet demand across residential, commercial and industrial development.

Our values — Passionate, Trustworthy, One Team, Boldly Curious — guide how we work, with our clients and with each other.

We're not just ticking boxes — we're solving real problems for real people.

Lead our finance function and support business performance

We are seeking a capable and hands‑on Financial Controller to lead our finance function, oversee day‑to‑day financial operations and ensure the integrity, accuracy and timeliness of financial reporting.

You will lead a small finance team and take ownership of core financial control activities, including financial reporting, management accounting, budgeting, payroll oversight and financial compliance. You will also work closely with an external accounting firm to support technical accounting, taxation and statutory reporting requirements.

Alongside these responsibilities, you will provide practical financial insights to the CEO and senior leadership team, helping build financial understanding across the business and supporting informed decision‑making.

This opportunity would suit an established Financial Controller or an experienced Finance Manager looking to take the next step in their career.

Key Responsibilities

• Financial leadership and business partnering: Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO and senior leadership team, providing financial insights, analysis and recommendations to inform strategic and operational decisions.

• Management accounting and reporting: Lead management accounting activities, including monthly management reporting, variance analysis, financial performance analysis and identification of trends, risks and opportunities.

• Budgeting and forecasting: Oversee the annual budgeting process, financial forecasts and cash flow management, ensuring leaders have clear visibility of financial performance against plan.

• Building financial acumen: Partner with leaders across the business to improve their understanding of financial performance, budgets, cost management and commercial drivers, enabling more informed decision‑making and accountability.

• Finance team leadership: Lead, mentor and develop the finance team, building capability, supporting professional growth and fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.

• Financial operations: Oversee day‑to‑day financial operations, including accounts payable, accounts receivable, general ledger integrity, reconciliations and month‑end and year‑end reporting.

• Payroll oversight: Oversee payroll processing to ensure accuracy, timeliness and compliance with relevant employment, taxation and reporting obligations.

• Financial governance and compliance: Maintain effective financial controls, accounting policies and reporting processes, ensuring compliance with relevant statutory and regulatory requirements.

• External accounting partnership: Coordinate with the external accounting firm on taxation, statutory reporting, year‑end accounts, audits and technical accounting matters.

• Multi‑entity financial management: Support financial consolidation and reporting across multiple legal entities, ensuring consistency, accuracy and visibility of group performance.

• Continuous improvement: Identify and implement opportunities to improve financial systems, processes, reporting and controls, strengthening the efficiency and effectiveness of the finance function.

About you

You are a commercially minded finance professional who combines strong technical accounting capability with a solid management accounting background. You understand that finance is not simply about reporting historical results; it is about helping leaders understand performance, challenge assumptions and make better business decisions.

You are confident engaging with senior stakeholders, able to communicate complex financial information in an accessible way, and passionate about building the financial capability of others. You also enjoy leading and developing a team, creating an environment where people are supported to grow and continuously improve.

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• A current CA or CPA qualification.

• Experience as a Financial Controller, or as an experienced Finance Manager ready to step into a Financial Controller role.

• A strong management accounting background, including budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis and financial performance reporting.

• Demonstrated commercial acumen and the ability to translate financial data into meaningful insights and practical recommendations.

• Experience partnering with senior leaders to support strategic planning, operational performance and sound financial decision‑making.

• The ability to build financial acumen across a business, helping non‑finance leaders understand and take ownership of their financial performance.

• Experience leading, mentoring and developing a finance team, with a focus on capability building and continuous improvement.

• Experience overseeing payroll and broader financial operations.

• Strong financial governance, reporting and compliance capabilities.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the confidence to act as a trusted advisor to the CEO and senior leadership team.

Why join Buildcert?

We know great work comes from great people. Here’s what we offer in return:

• Flexible working (home + office)

• Competitive salary + annual reviews

• Birthday leave + Purchased leave

• A supportive team that’s got your back

A Workplace for Everyone

We believe diversity makes us stronger. No matter your background, identity or lived experience—if you’re passionate about what you do and align with our values, we want to hear from you. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, just give us a call.