Senior Project Accountant

Local Residential Pty Ltd; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hours

One day work from home

Growth opportunities

Fridays off

Team lunches & social events

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

EV salary sacrificing

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Local Residential Pty Ltd is seeking a Senior Project Accountant in Melbourne to lead the end-to-end finance for residential development and property management projects. You will drive month-end close, budgeting, capex reporting, and bank covenant compliance while liaising with internal teams and EY.

The role requires CA/CPA qualifications, 5+ years in a similar role, and property accounting experience. Travel to the Gold Coast is expected as needed.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with CA or CPA and a finance degree.
• 5+ years in a similar role, property accounting experience preferred.
• Experience with real estate, property development or commercial/retail property.

Responsibilities

• Own month-end reporting and journal entries across projects.
• Manage budgets, forecasts, capex reports, and annual audit with EY.
• Oversee cash flow, covenants and project funding.
• Track construction draws and loan compliance.
• Oversee rent roll and rental revenue reconciliations.
• Collaborate with CFO and cross-functional teams to improve processes.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Project management

Analytical skills

Financial reporting

Communication

Attention to detail

Education

Finance degree

CA/CPA qualification

Tools

Xero

Property Tree

MS Office

Job description

Local is a Melbourne-born BTR business focused on creating and managing communities built entirely for renters. We believe in using our homes to create stronger communities, making renting more secure, sustainable and connected for Australians. Now one of Australia’s largest BTR platforms, Local has a completed portfolio valued at over $2.46B, with 3,246 apartments across six neighbourhoods along the eastern seaboard. It’s also important to us to provide homes for people who, through no fault of their own, don’t have suitable places to live. That’s why at least 10% of each of our projects is committed to supplying homes for social, affordable and specialist disability accommodation. Our people are our greatest assets. We have a team made up of diverse skills and perspectives united by a shared goal: creating communities that people truly love being part of. If that sounds like something you’d like to be part of, read on!

A little about the opportunity

Our Senior Project Accountant will own the end-to-end finance function for our residential development and property management projects, starting with Smith Collective, Australia’s single largest build-to-rent asset, with future exposure to further assets. You’ll manage month-end reporting, the annual audit, budgeting and capex, bank covenant reporting and cash flow, while building strong relationships across our internal investment, operations and finance teams. It’s a commercially facing role, with some travel to Gold Coast expected; stakeholder management and communication skills are key to success.

What you’ll be doing

• Own month-end reporting, journal entries and reconciliations across your project portfolio
• Prepare budgets, forecasts and capex reporting, and manage the annual audit process with our external auditors, EY.
• Manage financial covenant reporting with our banking partners and oversee cash flow across your projects.
• Track construction draws, project funding and loan compliance requirements.
• Oversee the property rent roll process and rental revenue reconciliations.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with the CFO, finance team, project and development managers, and property management teams.
• Implement and improve financial systems, policies and processes to lift accuracy and efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with tax regulations, accounting standards and residential tenancies legislation.

What you’ll bring

• Qualified accountant: CA or CPA qualification and a finance degree, with 5+ years in a similar role.
• Property accounting experience: A background in real estate, property development or commercial/retail property, with strong project cost management skills.
• Tech-savvy: Proficient in Xero and Property Tree (or similar), with advanced MS Office skills.
• Exceptional stakeholder management: Confident building relationships across internal teams and with external auditors and banking partners strong communication is essential.
• A project-manager mindset: Highly organised and results-driven, and comfortable owning a process end-to-end.
• Detail and big-picture: Just as comfortable in the numbers as you are stepping back to see the bigger picture.

Why join Local Residential?

For us, this is more than just a job; it’s something we genuinely care about. What we’re building takes curiosity, energy and a willingness to challenge the norm. We’ve created a culture where people are encouraged to speak up, think differently and keep pushing for better because “that’ll do” isn’t really our thing. We’re not all work and no play, though. We love rewarding our people for the work that they do, and we’re big believers in having FUN.

Here’s a little about our perks:

• The days of the 9–5 are long gone. We offer flexible hours, with one day a week from home and core collaboration time to stay connected.
• We’re big on growth, from courses and conferences to leadership development; we’ll support you to learn, develop and thrive.
• We also know the importance of switching off, with 7 additional Fridays off throughout the year to switch off and focus on themselves, their loved ones and their wellbeing and additional time to give back through community impact days.
• From day one merch to “sips and chips,” team lunches and regular social events, we make sure there’s plenty of fun along the way.
• Our EAP is available to all team members and their immediate family, providing confidential support whenever it’s needed. Whether it’s personal, professional or somewhere in between, we’ve got you covered
• We support our people inside and outside of work too - from referral bonuses and fitness challenges to EV salary sacrificing and paid parental leave for our Little Locals

We’re committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. Different perspectives make us stronger, more creative, and help us keep challenging the way renting and living are done. If you’ve got the skills, curiosity and drive to learn, even if you don’t tick every box, we still encourage you to get in touch.