The Australian National Maritime Museum is seeking an experienced and forward-thinking Senior Accountant, Financial Planning and Analysis to join our Finance team in this full-time, ongoing APS Level 6 position.
As one of Sydney’s most visited museums, the Australian National Maritime Museum shares our national maritime story across Australia and the world, online, onsite and through research, presentations and travelling exhibitions, and provides must-visit museum experiences that delight and inspire.
We connect our visitors with the oceans and waterways that are the heartbeat of who we are. From deep time to modern Australian and beyond, we explore our past, our present and future as an island nation shaped by sea, offering a sustainable and cohesive vision for the future.
The Museum welcomes over 2.5 million local, interstate and international visitors annually, and is supported by a thriving and passionate staff, membership, volunteer and education base. Find out more at https://sea.museum.
The key duties of the position include:
As the Senior Accountant, FP&A, you will play a pivotal role in driving the budgeting and forecasting process across the business, partnering closely with department leaders to provide financial insights that shape strategic decisions. This role offers the opportunity to analyse business performance, identify cost-saving initiatives, and enhance profitability through detailed financial analysis and modelling.
You’ll work directly with senior management, developing and presenting financial plans that guide the organisation’s growth, while gaining valuable exposure to high-level commercial decision-making. If you’re a forward-thinking professional looking to grow your commercial acumen and influence key business outcomes, this is the role for you.
Why Join Us?
At the Museum, we value innovation, teamwork, and excellence. As part of our finance team, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to meaningful projects, work within a supportive and collaborative environment, and help drive the financial success of a leading cultural institution. If you’re ready to bring your expertise to a role where you can truly make a difference, we’d love to hear from you!
Key Accountabilities
Under limited direction, this position is responsible for delivering the following functions:
- Lead Budgeting & Forecasting: Oversee the development and management of the annual budget and monthly reforecasts, working closely with business units to align financial plans with strategic objectives.
- Strategic Partnerships: Serve as a key financial partner to department heads and senior management, providing financial insights and actionable recommendations to support decision-making and drive business performance.
- Financial Analysis & Reporting: Perform in-depth financial analysis, including variance analysis, cost trend analysis, and scenario modelling to provide comprehensive financial reports and forecasts to leadership.
- Performance Reporting: Develop and maintain financial dashboards and reports that highlight key performance indicators (KPIs) and provide actionable insights into overall business performance.
- Cost Control & Profitability Analysis: Assess the financial performance of business units, identifying opportunities to enhance margins, reduce costs, and drive profitability improvements.
- Support Business Cases and Proposals: Collaborate with the Finance and Business Manager to assist in the development of business cases and commercially focused proposals as needed, providing financial insights and analysis to support decision-making.
- Strategic Planning Support: Assist the leadership team with long term financial planning and strategy development, translating financial data into insights that inform key business decisions.
- Cash Flow Management: Monitor and manage the company’s cash flow, ensuring optimal working capital levels and identifying opportunities to enhance liquidity.
- Process Improvement: Identify and implement process improvements across FP&A, AP, and AR functions to increase efficiency, accuracy, and overall financial control.
- Team Leadership & Development: Provide guidance, coaching, and support to junior finance team members, fostering their professional growth and enhancing team performance.
- Internal Controls & Compliance: Ensure adherence to internal controls, company policies, and regulatory requirements, while also driving process and policy improvements within the finance function.
- Stakeholder Communication: Present financial insights and updates to senior management and key stakeholders, ensuring clarity and understanding of financial performance and forecasts.
Selection Criteria
- Proven experience (5+ years) in financial planning, budgeting, and forecasting.
- Proven ability to work collaboratively across departments, building strong relationships with key stakeholders.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines effectively, demonstrating strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
- Ability to present complex financial data in a clear, concise manner, especially to non-financial stakeholders.
- Excellent attention to detail, strong numeracy and literacy skills.
- Excellent organisational skills and the ability to meet deadlines.
Qualifications and/or relevant experience required
Mandatory
- A relevant degree and CPA/CA or equivalent accounting qualification.
Desirable
- Strong commercial mindset with the ability to understand business drivers and assess the financial implications of strategic decisions, enabling effective support for growth initiatives and profitability enhancement.
- Advanced skills in financial modelling techniques and scenario analysis to support strategic decision-making.
- Prior experience in assisting with the development of business cases and commercially focused proposals.
- Experience in implementing or improving financial systems or processes is highly desirable.
- Experience with managing a team.
- Experience with Certinia (previously FinancialForce) – Salesforce compatible system.
- Knowledge of Salesforce.
- Advanced proficiency in Excel and the Microsoft Office Suite.
Eligibility
This position is open to all eligible members of the community, and we encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with a disability and people from every cultural and linguistic background. To be an eligible member of the community, you must be an Australian citizen. Applications may be accepted from Australian permanent residents who are in the process of acquiring Australian citizenship.
Notes
No Applications will be accepted by mail or email.
When applying via our online e-recruitment system, please provide a written application addressing each Selection Criteria. Your current resume and cover letter is also to be included in your application.
In addition to an application, your resume and cover letter, the assessment process for this position may also include an interview and referee reports.
Selection for this position will be made on the basis of relative merit which will be assessed against each item of the selection criteria. Applications that do not address the selection criteria will not be considered for short listing by the Selection Committee. As part of the selection process the selection committee may invite candidates to undertake psychometric test, you should advise the selection committee if you have any special needs. Psychometric tests may be used as the initial short-listing test or later in the selection process. Some tests are very short while others may take one or more hours.