Group Financial Accountant

Transpower; Wellington; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible start and finish times

Minimum three days in office per week

Health, wellness and insuranceBenefits

Job summary

Transpower in Wellington is seeking a Group Financial Accountant to join our Finance Team. This role focuses on financial reporting, tax compliance, technical accounting, and internal controls for a balance sheet exceeding $7 billion, with high exposure to regulatory reporting and external audit.

You’ll work closely with senior stakeholders, contribute to capital investment programmes, and support the wider business with practical accounting guidance in a commercially oriented environment.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of New Zealand and International Financial Reporting Standards.
• Understanding of corporate tax, GST, FBT and withholding tax with professional judgement.
• Experience with financial systems, controls, and reconciliations.
• Ability to distill complex accounting matters into practical guidance for business customers.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead group financial reporting, including half and full-year statements, disclosure notes, and balance sheet reconciliations.
• Provide technical accounting advice for planned transactions, new standards and interpretation guidance.
• Coordinate external audit requirements to support timely audit processes.
• Oversee tax compliance activities and engagement with external tax advisers.
• Support continuous improvement by maintaining process documentation and internal controls, and mentor junior team members.

Skills

Financial reporting

Tax compliance

Technical accounting

External audit

Internal controls

Advisory

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Chartered Accountant (CA)

Job description

• Commercially focused Wellington Head Office role, balance sheet over $7b
• Deepen your experience in reporting, tax, audit, controls and advisory work
• Join a great team and be part of a nationally significant, growth sector

Our purpose is to empower the energy future for New Zealand. As owner and operator of the National Grid, Transpower is at the centre of Aotearoa’s electricity system, enabling electrification, a net-zero carbon economy, and reliable, secure power for homes, businesses and communities.

Context

Our Wellington Head Office Corporate Services team is looking for a technically strong Group Financial Accountant to join our Finance Team. This is a broad role where you’ll build your depth and breadth in financial reporting, tax compliance, technical accounting, external audit, internal controls and business advisory support.

About the team

Our collaborative and experienced financial reporting team collaborates across the business to deliver external financial reporting and tax compliance, maintain a robust financial control framework, and provides practical accounting and tax advice. The team also manages Transpower’s accounting, tax and regulatory asset register, ensuring assets are capitalised correctly, and information supports revenue calculations and pricing allocations.

The opportunity - work on a balance sheet over $7billion!

Gain valuable exposure to asset accounting, regulatory reporting, and large-scale capital investment programmes, while contributing to New Zealand’s electricity system.

You’ll play a key role in delivering Transpower’s external financial reporting and tax compliance obligations, including half and full-year statutory reporting for the Transpower group, management of core corporate tax obligations, and coordination of an efficient and timely external audit process.

Working closely with the Financial Reporting Manager on continuous improvement, and with visibility across senior finance stakeholders, you will have the opportunity to apply your technical expertise in a commercially relevant, business-facing way.

You’ll enjoy variety as you:

• lead group financial reporting, including half and full-year financial statements, disclosure notes, technical accounting papers, balance sheet reconciliation reviews, cashflow reporting, Treasury CFIS submissions, and external agency reporting (RBNZ).


• provide technical accounting advice for planned transactions, new standards and interpretation guidance,


• work with external actuaries to support IFRS-17 compliant insurance provisions


• coordinate and manage external audit requirements, working with auditors to support an effective and timely audit process


• lead tax compliance activity, including the group annual income tax return, provisional tax calculations, and oversight of GST, withholding tax and FBT, working closely with external tax advisers.


• Partner with external tax advisors to prepare tax memos and provide practical tax advice to the business on transactions, projects and operational decisions


• Support continuous improvement by maintaining process documentation and internal controls, identifying opportunities to improve and automate reporting processes, and support the Financial Reporting Manager, including stepping in during absences and helping mentor junior team members.

What will you bring?

You’ll have at least four years’ post-CA experience, or equivalent, and bring strong technical accounting capability, ideally gained in a large commercially oriented organisation. You’ll be confident working through detail, interested in the wider business context, and comfortable turning complex information into practical insight.

You enjoy making complex matters clear, and you build effective working relationships with internal stakeholders, external advisers, auditors and Inland Revenue.

Your CV and cover letter will demonstrate:

• strong knowledge and practical application of New Zealand and International Financial Reporting Standards


• an understanding of corporate tax principles, including income tax and provisional tax, FBT, GST and withholding tax. Demonstrated ability to interpret tax legislation and apply professional judgement to document tax positions


• strong financial systems knowledge, including system controls and reconciliations


• the ability to unpick technical accounting matters and explain them clearly to internal business customers


• excellent interpersonal, verbal and written communication and presentation skills, and attention to detail

Join us at Transpower

Aotearoa New Zealand is powered by the people who work here. Every home, marae, electric vehicle and hospital relies on the electricity we manage and deliver. This is your opportunity to apply your accounting expertise to work that supports a more sustainable energy future!

With over 31 ethnicities, our people bring diverse perspectives, knowledge and experience that we value, share and celebrate.

We work in the office for a minimum of three days each week, which helps us build relationships, support learning, deliver outcomes and sustain our culture. This approach also offers flexibility for work and personal commitments, with adaptable daily start and finish times.

We prioritise employee wellbeing with a range of health, wellness and insurance benefits. Check them out here https://www.transpower.co.nz/about-us/careers-transpower/staff-benefits

Role closes Monday 7 September

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and we may contact candidates before the closing date for an informal conversation or to arrange an interview.

Existing eligibility to work in New Zealand is required.