Practice Manager

Priah Chartered Accountants; North Canberra; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Priah Chartered Accountants in Lyneham, Canberra, is seeking a Practice Manager to partner with Jackie, the Principal, as her operational 2IC. You will help run the practice and turn ideas into practical plans.

You’ll connect people, workflow, lodgements, WIP and billing, balancing strategy with daily delivery. This full-time, office-based role rewards proactive leadership, collaboration and continuous improvement.

A supportive, energetic culture with opportunities to shape how the firm operates.

Qualifications

• Experience in practice management or operations leadership within an accounting firm or professional services.
• Experience leading people, including coaching and performance management.
• Understanding of workflow, WIP, billing, deadlines and capacity in professional services.
• Strong systems and technology skills; exposure to practice management software and AI is advantageous.
• You do not need to be an accountant but must understand how to run an operation.

Responsibilities

• Oversee workflow, lodgements, WIP, billing and team capacity.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, performance and staff development.
• Monitor cash flow, billing and practice performance; assist budgeting.
• Improve processes, technology and AI use while ensuring compliance.
• Partner with the Principal as 2IC to drive strategy and action.

Skills

Proactive & Accountable

Strong People Skills

Highly Organised

Strategic & Commercial

Improvement Focused

Tools

Xero Practice Manager

Accounting practice systems

AI or automation

Job description

OUR COMPANY

Priah Chartered Accountants provides accounting, taxation and business advisory services to individuals, small to medium businesses, investment entities and SMSFs.

We do accounting really well and we also pride ourselves on creating a genuinely enjoyable environment for our clients and staff alike.

We build our base of loyal clients in a very intentional way - we love to partner with clients who are interested building a collaborative and genuine relationship with their accountants beyond the once-a-year conversation. We love to work with our clients in a proactive and supportive way.

Accounting and tax can already feel complicated. Our job is to make clients feel comfortable, explain things clearly and help their businesses grow and thrive.

Internally, we are building the same kind of business: clear systems, consistent processes, measurable expectations and continual improvement. We are open to new technology, automation and AI, and we are happy to question "the way it has always been done" if there is a better way.

Our values are Passion, Reliability, Innovation, Authenticity, Honesty and, importantly, Fun. There is plenty of banter, personality and music in our Lyneham office because we think people should enjoy the place where they spend a large part of their week.

This is a full-time, office-based role. Being present with the team matters because you will be the person with a finger on the pulse of what is happening across the practice.

PURPOSE OF ROLE

This is one of the most important roles at Priah. As Practice Manager, you will work closely with Jackie, the Principal, as her operational 2IC, sounding board, challenger, organiser and occasional keeper-out-of-the-weeds.

Our goal is to build Priah into a business that does not rely on Jackie for every operational decision. You will help managers and staff take ownership, keep the practice moving and turn ideas into practical plans, systems and actions.

You will not be expected to blindly agree. The right person will challenge thinking, identify the gaps Jackie has not seen and help decide what should happen now, later, differently or not at all.

YOUR ROLE

You will connect the moving parts of Priah: people, workflow, lodgements, WIP, billing, systems, compliance, suppliers and culture. The role is about seeing how those pieces affect each other and acting before a small issue becomes a large one.

You might be discussing strategy with Jackie in the morning, reviewing staff performance at lunch and working out why WIP is climbing in the afternoon. You need to be comfortable moving between the bigger picture and the practical details of the day.

ROLE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Practice Operations: Oversee workflow, lodgements, WIP, billing and team capacity, keeping the practice running smoothly and issues under control.
• People & HR: Manage recruitment, onboarding, probation, performance, development and staff issues while supporting and coaching the team.
• Financial Management: Monitor cash flow, billing and practice performance and assist with budgeting and forward planning.
• Systems & Compliance: Improve processes, technology and AI use while managing internal compliance requirements, including the operational implementation of AML/CTF.
• Strategy & Leadership: Work alongside Jackie as a genuine 2IC, helping turn ideas into action, challenging thinking and keeping the business moving forward.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES

• Proactive & Accountable: You think ahead, take ownership and solve problems without needing to be chased.
• Strong People Skills: You build rapport easily, coach effectively and can confidently manage difficult conversations.
• Highly Organised: You stay across deadlines, priorities and follow-ups and rarely let things fall through the cracks.
• Strategic & Commercial: You can see the bigger picture while still understanding what needs to happen operationally each day.
• Improvement Focused: You naturally look for smarter and more efficient ways to work, including through technology, reporting, automation and AI.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience in practice management, operations management or a similar leadership role within an accounting firm or professional services environment.
• Experience leading people, including coaching, performance management and conflict resolution.
• An understanding of workflow, WIP, billing, deadlines and capacity management in a professional services environment.
• Strong systems and technology skills. Exposure to Xero Practice Manager, accounting practice systems, AI or automation would be highly regarded.
• You do not need to be an accountant, but you do need to understand how to run an operation, manage people and take responsibility.

ORGANISATIONAL FIT

You will probably love this role if you naturally think a few steps ahead, enjoy knowing what is happening across a business and get satisfaction from taking something off someone else’s plate and knowing they no longer need to think about it.

You will be comfortable with different personalities, able to bring energy to the office and confident enough to challenge Jackie or a manager when you see another option. You understand that leadership sometimes means being the cheerleader, sometimes the coach and sometimes the person who has to have the uncomfortable conversation.

This role probably is not for you if you prefer to wait for instructions, avoid difficult conversations, report problems without proposing solutions or need the Principal to remind you what comes next.

OUR PROMISE TO YOU

• A genuinely influential leadership role where your ideas can shape how Priah operates and where it goes next.
• Clear expectations, measurable performance and the freedom to improve systems rather than simply maintain them.
• A supportive environment with personality, banter and no culture of wearing late nights as a badge of honour.
• Professional development and genuine opportunity to grow alongside the practice.

REMUNERATION

We offer a unique "set your own wage" remuneration package. It’s built around expectations, contribution and performance. Responsibilities and KPIs will be clearly defined so there is no guessing about what great performance looks like.

This is not a half-hearted role. You will be trusted with significant responsibility, given genuine influence and held to a high standard.