Senior Accountant

Challenger Limited; Sydney; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Employee share plan

Parental leave

Challenger Day

On-site café

Job summary

Challenger Limited in Sydney CBD seeks a Senior Accountant in Life Insurance and Investments to own end-to-end statutory financial statements and support ASX reporting. You’ll work across portfolios including fixed income, real assets, alternatives, and equities, with exposure to insurance products and the front office.

Based in our Sydney office, the role offers a hybrid work arrangement (3 days in the office, 2 from home) and involves monthly close, audits and process improvements.

Qualifications

• CA or CPA qualified, or equivalent
• Hands-on experience preparing statutory financial statements end-to-end
• Experience with group reporting and ASX requirements

Responsibilities

• End-to-end statutory financial statement preparation for Challenger Life Company entities
• Support monthly and quarterly reporting, half-year statements and ASX disclosures
• Consolidation entries and balance sheet reconciliations for assigned groups
• Liaise with auditors and drive process improvements
• Provide coaching to team members and ensure high-quality deliverables

Skills

CA/CPA qualified

Analytical skills

Excel

Financial services experience

Statutory reporting

Education

CA/CPA qualification

Tools

Excel

Job description

Challenger Limited

Challenger Limited is an ASX-listed investment management firm managing $128 billion in assets (as at 31 March 2026). Life with us is fast moving and always exciting. Together we’re driving to deliver our vision to provide our customers with financial security for a better retirement. We achieve this goal by providing a work environment where people from diverse backgrounds, with a range of skills and experiences can contribute and succeed.

Senior Accountant — Life Insurance and Investments Sydney CBD

If you’re looking for a Senior Accountant role that goes beyond standard financial control, this is an opportunity to work across complex investment structures, life insurance and ASX reporting. You’ll rotate across investment portfolios spanning fixed income, real assets, alternatives and domestic and international equities. You’ll also build an understanding of insurance products and how accounting supports an annuity business. Based in our Sydney office, you’ll enjoy flexible working (3 days in the office, 2 from home).

About the role

You’ll join a close-knit Life Insurance and Investments Financial Control team, working with colleagues across Group Financial Control, Tax, Business Performance, Risk and Actuarial. The team shares core responsibilities, while you’ll take ownership of a portfolio of assigned entities, including some of our more complex structures. End-to-end statutory financial statement preparation is a core part of this role. You’ll support monthly and quarterly reporting, prepare half-year statutory accounts, and play a key role in delivering Challenger Life Company's financial statements and disclosures as part of Challenger Limited's ASX reporting. You’ll get direct exposure to our front office, working with portfolio managers, seeing how investment decisions translate into the numbers you're reconciling. Alongside this you’ll also be responsible for: Monthly balance sheet reconciliations, investigating movements to ensure a timely month-end close Consolidation entries and resolving issues for assigned groups P&L and Balance Sheet analysis including half-year and year-end reporting that contributes to Challenger Limited's ASX reporting. Working closely with auditors, providing clear evidence for your balances. Reviewing processes to improve efficiency and strengthen controls Providing coaching and practical support to other team members, sharing knowledge and helping maintain a consistent standard of work across the team Liaising with our Tax team on compliance matters Taking ownership of issues raised with the team, investigating root causes and recommending solutions from both systems and technical accounting perspectives.

What you'll need

We’re looking for someone who enjoys understanding how a business works, not just processing numbers. You’ll be naturally curious, take ownership of your work and enjoy solving problems, improving processes and building strong relationships with stakeholders. You’ll be CA or CPA qualified, or hold an equivalent qualification, ideally with at least two years of post-qualification experience and hands‑on experience preparing statutory financial statements from end to end. You’ll also bring:

• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills - able to break down issues and work through options
• Confident using Excel with large volumes of data and an interest in understanding how systems integrate with the general ledger
• Exposure to Australian income tax and GST requirements, together with an understanding of regulated environments such as those overseen by APRA or ASIC
• Experience in financial services, insurance or another complex corporate environment will be highly regarded, particularly where you've developed strong financial control and statutory reporting experience.
• Knowledge of financial instruments (derivatives, fixed income, equities) is a bonus, not essential Additional Information

Additional Information

Many people join this team because of the breadth of experience on offer and stay because of the opportunities it creates. Whether your long‑term interests lie in financial control, group reporting, investments, insurance or broader finance leadership roles, you’ll build skills and relationships that can open a range of future career paths.

Why Challenger?

Working at Challenger means being part of a connected team that enjoys what they do. We’re small enough to move quickly, and big enough to make meaningful change. We support your growth and development, offer flexibility, and value the unique contributions people bring. We provide access to a range of exclusive employee benefits that will support you both personally and professionally and a hybrid work environment including.

• Competitive Discretionary bonus scheme.
• Employee share plan.
• Eighteen weeks paid leave for all new parents with flexibility on when, and how, parental leave is taken.
• Challenger Day – one extra day off every year in recognition of the effort our people make.
• Subsidised on-site café and fantastic central location a stone's throw from Martin Place Metro
• Additional support leave (fertility treatment leave, gender affirmation leaves).
• Extra superannuation contributions.
• Access to Fitness Passport

#LI-KM1 #LI-Challenger #LI-Hybrid

Challenger's employee value proposition guides how we work: Grow and realise your potential, supporting each other, stronger together and making things happen. Our culture encourages curiosity, considered thinking and meaningful contribution, with opportunities to build a broad and rewarding career.

We are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace where people of all backgrounds, identities and ways of thinking can thrive, and promoting flexible working to support work‑life balance. Challenger is proud to be a Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Employer of Choice for Gender Equality, a Family Friendly Workplace and recognised as a Bronze Employer in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), the national benchmark for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.

Job type: Permanent Posting Close Date : 03/10/2026

Life at Challenger is fast moving and always exciting. Together we’re driving to deliver our vision to provide our customers with financial security for retirement. Our people bring their diverse backgrounds and perspectives to a workplace which is inclusive, flexible, and driven by our values – act with integrity, aim high, collaborate and think customer. Our environment is one where our passionate teams can thrive. Our people quickly discover that a role at Challenger is much more than just a job. Our working environment is unique and encourages our employees to share their ideas and feel empowered to tackle new opportunities.