Financial Director

Contract/Perm: Perm

Job Title: Financial Director

Location: Hybrid on-site 4 days per week at the Aurora offices in Sydney

40 hours per week

Why is job open? (Growth/Backfill): Growth

They are looking for someone who is comfortable in an execution-first leadership role, focused on driving results rather than title. The position is particularly well suited for a seasoned Director ready to step into a Senior Director role, or an early Senior Director/VP who enjoys being hands-on and operating close to the business.

Key areas of focus include:

• Leading the operational finance function and keeping the financial engine running effectively.
• Managing planning cycles, schedules, SOW tracking, and bid/proposal financial models.
• Maintaining strong controllership and financial discipline.
• Providing actionable financial analysis to support commercial decision-making.
• Supporting equity financing activities and strategic growth initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Reporting & Accounting

• Ensure timely and accurate monthly, quarterly, and annual financial close and reporting.
• Prepare and review financial statements and management reporting in accordance with AASB requirements and US GAAP requirements for consolidated reporting.
• Maintain AASB-to-US GAAP differences schedules and ensure Australian close calendars and reporting deadlines align with global corporate requirements
• Plan for and provide timely support for the development of quarterly board reporting packages.
• Establish and maintain appropriate accounting processes and controls over manufacturing activities, including inventory, raw materials, work-in-process, finished goods, manufacturing overhead, and cost of goods manufactured.

Budgeting, Forecasting & Financial Planning

• Develop financial models, forecasts, and scenario analyses to support strategic and operational business decisions.
• Provide management with timely analysis of actual financial results relative to budget and forecast.
• Support financial analysis related to capacity planning, manufacturing scale-up, capital expenditures, and operational expansion.

Finance Operations Management

• Oversee day-to-day finance and related administrative functions, including payroll, procurement, purchase orders, accounts payable, expense management, and vendor payments.
• Oversee Australian cash management and liquidity planning, including the proactive preparation and maintenance of cash flow forecasts.
• Maintain appropriate controls over contract authorizations, contracted payments, bank account access, and vendor banking information.
• Serve as finance owner of the company's ERP environment for the Australian entity, including chart of accounts governance, close configuration, reporting, and user access.
• Lead implementation and optimization of inventory management capabilities within the ERP environment, covering raw materials, work-in-process, finished goods, costing, and cycle-count processes.

Australian Tax & Statutory Compliance

• Oversee Australian statutory financial reporting, tax, and compliance requirements.
• Oversee preparation and filing of applicable Australian tax returns and regulatory filings, including GST and payroll-related requirements.
• Oversee preparation and lodgement of company income tax returns, BAS/GST, FBT returns, superannuation guarantee obligations, applicable payroll taxes, and corporate regulatory filings.
• Lead the annual R&D Tax Incentive claim, including eligibility assessment, project and cost documentation, and coordination with external advisers.
• Manage applicable government grant funding, milestone reporting, and acquittals.

Internal Controls & Compliance

• Ensure Australian finance processes are consistent with the US parent company's policies and internal control framework while appropriately addressing Australian regulatory requirements.
• Design, document, and test key controls over financial processes, including segregation of duties, delegation of authority, and approval thresholds.
• Support the parent organization's internal control and SOX-readiness requirements, including process narratives, walkthroughs, and remediation of identified deficiencies.
• Maintain the Australian entity's accounting policy manual and finance procedures and ensure record-keeping and retention requirements appropriate to a regulated manufacturing environment are met.
• Manage the entity's insurance program and provide financial review of commercial contracts, including payment terms and delegation-of-authority compliance.

Business Partnership

• Act as the primary finance partner to local leadership and the broader business, providing decision support on pricing, contracts, capacity commitments, make-versus-buy decisions, global supply, and strategic purchasing decisions.
• Partner closely with manufacturing leadership on cost of goods, batch costing, yield, and margin improvement, translating operational drivers into measurable financial outcomes.
• Support strategic initiatives, business expansion, capital investments, and other corporate projects.
• Maintain an active, prioritized, and well-characterized register of capital commitments and proposed investments supporting the organization's growth strategy.
• Support customer and supplier negotiations, including commercial terms, payment terms, and contract profitability analysis.
• Support external business discussions of a strategic nature.
• Ensure corporate financial and business documentation is organized, maintained, and readily available to support strategic corporate initiatives.

Qualifications

Required

• CPA Australia or CA ANZ professional accounting qualification, or an overseas equivalent recognized in Australia.
• Significant progressive experience (10+ years) in accounting and finance, including at least 7 years of experience in a Junior Controller, Controller, Finance Director, or similar senior finance role.
• Strong knowledge of Australian accounting standards (AASB), taxation, and statutory requirements.
• Experience with financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis.
• Strong understanding of internal controls and financial processes.
• Experience with manufacturing cost accounting, inventory, and work-in-process accounting.
• Demonstrated ability to operate effectively within a growing organization with evolving processes and systems.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with both operational and corporate stakeholders.

Preferred

• Post-qualification experience gained within a Big 4 or mid-tier audit or advisory practice.
• Experience within biotechnology, pharmaceutical, CDMO, or other life sciences manufacturing environments.
• Experience with leading ERP platforms, including implementations, inventory modules, or finance systems optimization.
• Experience with human resources functional management within a small, growing organization.
• Experience supporting an organization through rapid growth, manufacturing scale-up, or organizational transformation.
• Growth-oriented mindset with an interest in helping build and support a strong corporate culture aligned with executive leadership and board objectives.