A boutique Chartered Accounting practice based in the heart of the Sydney CBD, dedicated to providing exceptional, hands-on service to a genuinely diverse client base. Our clients range from small, owner-operated businesses turning over a couple of hundred thousand dollars a year through to substantial private groups turning over up to $100 million, which means no two weeks look the same, and you'll be exposed to a real breadth of industries, structures and problems to solve.
Their work goes well beyond standard compliance. They regularly advise clients on financial software implementations, business structuring, and best-practice finance processes, and are known among their clients for being commercially minded rather than just box-ticking accountants. Their systems and workflows are fully cloud-based, which gives their team real flexibility in how and where work gets done, and focus energy on advice and client outcomes rather than administration.
They're a small, close-knit team rather than a large corporate practice, which means your work is visible, your contribution matters, and you won't get lost in a big hierarchy.
The Opportunity
We're looking for a tech-savvy, CA or CPA qualified accountant with 3-5 years' experience gained in public practice. You'll work directly alongside a forward-thinking principal across the entire client portfolio, not siloed into one narrow function, giving you exposure to compliance, advisory, structuring and client relationship management all at once. It's a genuinely collaborative environment, with real opportunities to shape how the practice runs and to grow your own experience faster than you might in a larger firm.
This role suits someone who wants more autonomy and more client-facing responsibility than a typical mid-tier role offers, without sacrificing support, the principal is actively involved and accessible day to day.
We know great accountants come with all kinds of commitments outside work. My client is genuinely open to candidates, including parents balancing school drop-offs and pick-ups, who need a degree of flexibility around core hours.
If you can manage your clients, your deadlines and your offshore team effectively, they're far more interested in the quality and reliability of your work than in rigid 9-to-5 attendance. They would rather have the right person working flexibly than the wrong person working standard hours.
About The Role
- Managing your own portfolio of clients directly, ranging from small owner-operated businesses (circa $100k-$500k turnover) through to substantial private groups turning over up to $100 million
- Acting as a trusted, day-to-day point of contact for clients, building relationships that go beyond transactional compliance work
- Managing competing deadlines and priorities across a varied portfolio, keeping both clients and the principal informed on status and issues
- Supervising and reviewing the work of two offshore team members based in the Philippines
- Approximately 80% of routine compliance preparation is completed offshore, with your role centred on technical review, quality control, coaching, and ensuring everything is accurate and client-ready before it goes out the door, effectively the remaining 20% of the work, but the most critical 20%
- Providing feedback and on-the-job training to the offshore team to continually lift the standard and consistency of their work
- Managing workflow and job allocation across the offshore team so deadlines are consistently met
- Review and, where needed, hands-on completion of BAS, IAS, FBT and SMSF obligations
- Annual compliance work and income tax returns across a range of entity types
- Maintaining current, working knowledge of relevant tax law and how it applies to client circumstances — this isn't a "set and forget" compliance role, you'll need to stay across changes and flag implications to clients and the principal
- Exposure to Trusts and Family Group structures, with support to build this knowledge if it's not already an area of strength
- CA or CPA qualified (or very close to completion)
- At least 3-5 years' prior experience in a public practice Chartered Accounting or similar professional services environment, this is not an entry-level or graduate role
- Comfortable taking ownership of managing and reviewing the work of offshore team members, including giving clear, constructive feedback
- Strong client management skills, confident communicating directly with clients, the ATO and ASIC, and comfortable being a client's main point of contact rather than working purely behind the scenes
- Solid, current working knowledge of relevant tax law (income tax, GST, FBT) and a genuine interest in staying on top of legislative changes as they happen
- Practical experience with cloud and desktop accounting software, including Xero and MYOB, you should be comfortable and confident, not just familiar
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, you'll be drafting client correspondence and liaising with regulators directly
- Strong Microsoft Excel skills (comfortable with formulas, reconciliations and reporting), along with confident everyday use of Outlook and Word
- Reliable, accountable, and comfortable working with a degree of autonomy while staying closely connected to the principal and offshore team
