Business Support Lead

Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Social Workers; Hamilton; On-site; NZD 78,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Professional development budget

Competitive salary

Job summary

Shaw Asphalters, a Hamilton-based asphalt and civil contractor, seeks a capable admin/accounting lead to own the commercial and admin functions from day one.

You’ll manage inbound enquiries, Xero accounts, bank reconciliations, month-end reporting, GST, debt collection, supplier orders and job cost tracking, while supporting the MD and crew. The role offers development and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• Ability to read a balance sheet and a P&L; understand cost reporting.
• Experience QA-ing automated outputs in finance/admin.
• Proficient with Xero and standard business software.

Responsibilities

• Handle inbound enquiries and triage/route as needed.
• Manage accounts in Xero: review exceptions and payment runs.
• Perform bank reconciliations and month-end reporting; file GST returns.

Skills

Business nous

Xero accounting

Multitasking

People handling

AI awareness

Education

Bookkeeping knowledge

Xero skills

Tools

Xero

Job description

Shaw Asphalters is a Hamilton-based asphalt and chipseal surfacing contractor heading into our busiest summer yet. We need someone to take real ownership of enquiries and the commercial and admin side of the company. We're not looking for someone to be handed tasks; we want someone to own whole functions and run them properly.

Right now, almost every invoice, enquiry, supplier conversation and compliance obligation in this business crosses the owner's desk. That's the thing holding us back, and this role is being created to fix it.

What makes this different

We don't want a big admin team. We want one very good person supported by good systems.

We've already automated a chunk of what most businesses hire people to do, like accounts payable and digital job capture. The systems handle the routine; you review the exceptions, make the calls the numbers require, and decide what happens next.

If you like finding and deploying faster, smarter ways to do things, you'll enjoy it here.
If you want a predictable, unchanging job, you won't.

What you'll own

From day one:

Inbound enquiries: reception, triage, qualifying and routing

The accounts function in Xero: review exceptions, approve payment runs, and be accountable for accuracy

Bank reconciliations, month-end reporting and GST returns

Chasing debtors, and making the calls on collection and credit

Supplier ordering, and tracking job costs against budget, including working out what to do when they don't line up

Operational support to the MD, ops team and crew

Over the first 1–3 months:

Job cost reporting, presented in our review meetings

H&S support: JSEAs, client inductions, certification tracking

Compliance and risk: insurance, contracts, prequalification, company registers

Fleet: WOFs, RUCs, servicing and repairs

TMP and Corridor Access Requests

The MD's calendar, and ad-hoc projects owned end to end

Where it goes

HR, training, sales support, and eventually leading the admin team. This role is deliberately the step before Business Manager, then General Manager. You'll see every part of how this company works, which is exactly the grounding that path needs.

What you'll bring

Real business nous: you can read a balance sheet, understand the story a P&L tells, and spot when a job cost report is wrong. This matters more than years of manual bookkeeping.

Enough accounts knowledge to quality-check automated outputs

Good Xero skills, or the ability to pick them up fast

You've juggled lots of unrelated responsibilities without dropping any

Some people leadership experience, or you're clearly ready for it

You enjoy people: clients, suppliers and crews

AI forward: you use it in your own life and can see how it helps a business

Full NZ driver licence, right to work in NZ, living in the Waikato

Construction, civil or trades experience is a real advantage, but we'd rather have the right person and teach them the industry than the reverse.

Who you are

Energetic and outgoing, and you finish things. When something's handed to you, it's dealt with, and nobody has to chase it. The owner moves fast and you'll need to keep up. You want to be stretched, because parts of this role will be new to you, and we'll invest in the training to close those gaps.

The offer

Depending on what you bring to the role: $78,000–$89,000 to start, with a documented review at six months tied to the responsibilities you're carrying by then. Professional development budget. A 45-hour week, with the understanding that some weeks need more effort and others finish early on a Friday.