Senior Accountant

Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced Senior Accountant to join our accounting practice.
This is a senior, hands-on role suited to an accountant who can take ownership of client work from start to finish, review work prepared by bookkeepers and junior accountants, and provide guidance and training to team members.
The successful candidate will be technically capable, organised and confident working independently. You will be expected to manage your own workload, identify and resolve issues, meet deadlines, and deliver high-quality work without requiring ongoing supervision or step-by-step direction.

You will work closely with the Director and Client Managers while also acting as a senior point of support for our bookkeeping and accounting team.

Key Responsibilities:
Accounting & Tax Compliance
• Manage accounting and tax compliance work for a portfolio of clients from commencement through to completion.
• Prepare and review annual financial statements, including profit and loss statements, balance sheets and supporting workpapers.
• Prepare and review company, trust, partnership and individual income tax returns.
• Prepare and review BAS and IAS lodgements and other ATO compliance obligations.
• Review general ledgers, reconciliations and bookkeeping records and identify errors, inconsistencies and areas requiring further investigation.
• Perform tax reconciliations and ensure accounting records are appropriately prepared for year-end compliance.
• Identify relevant tax issues and make appropriate adjustments or recommendations.
• Ensure work is completed accurately and in accordance with Australian taxation requirements, accounting principles and internal practice standards.
• Manage assigned jobs and lodgement deadlines proactively.
Review & Quality Control
• Review work prepared by bookkeepers and junior accountants before submission for final review or lodgement.
• Identify errors and provide clear review notes explaining what needs to be corrected and why.
• Ensure workpapers and supporting documentation are complete, accurate and appropriately documented.
• Identify recurring issues in team members' work and provide practical guidance to improve future performance.
• Maintain a high standard of accuracy and consistency across client files.
Team Guidance & Development
• Provide day-to-day technical guidance to bookkeepers and junior accountants.
• Train and mentor team members in bookkeeping, reconciliations, BAS preparation, year-end accounts and tax compliance processes.
• Assist team members in developing stronger problem-solving and technical accounting skills.
• Delegate appropriate tasks and follow up to ensure work is completed correctly and on time.
• Help establish efficient and consistent processes across the accounting team.

About You
To succeed in this role, you will be someone who can be given responsibility for a job and take ownership of getting it
completed correctly and on time.
You will be comfortable reviewing the work of others, identifying issues and providing constructive guidance to less experienced team members.
You will ideally have:
• Strong experience in Australian public practice accounting.
• Strong knowledge of Australian taxation, GST, BAS and general accounting requirements.
• Experience preparing financial statements and income tax returns for companies, trusts, partnerships and individuals.
• Demonstrated experience reviewing accounting, bookkeeping and tax compliance work prepared by other team members.
• Experience supervising, training or mentoring bookkeepers and/or junior accountants.
• Strong reconciliation and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent attention to detail and the ability to identify issues rather than simply process information.
• Strong organisational and time-management skills.
• The ability to manage multiple client jobs and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• A proactive approach and the ability to work with minimal supervision.

Qualifications & Experience
• Relevant accounting qualification.
• CPA or CA qualification, or progress towards qualification, will be highly regarded.
• Minimum 2-3 years' relevant accounting experience, within an Australian public practice environment.
• Demonstrated experience with Australian tax compliance and financial statement preparation.
• Experience reviewing the work of junior staff is strongly preferred.
• Experience with accounting and practice management software such as Xero, MYOB and/or similar platforms will be highly regarded.

What We Are Looking For
This position is not simply a processing role.
We are looking for someone who can think through a job, identify what needs to be done, investigate discrepancies, resolve routine issues and present a substantially completed file for final review.
The right person will be comfortable taking responsibility, making considered decisions within their level of authority and asking focused questions when genuine technical or judgement issues arise.
You will also play an important role in developing our bookkeeping and junior accounting team by reviewing their work, explaining corrections and helping them become more capable and independent over time.