- Lead the finance team through a period of real growth and change
- Executive role in a well-established, family-owned business
The opportunity
Our client, a long-established Melbourne-based industrial manufacturer, is in the process of consolidating and growing their business from a position of strength. To support this, they now seek a Head of Finance; a hands-on senior leadership role created to strengthen reporting and controls across an enlarged balance sheet, and help capture the margin upside the their recent growth initiatives have created.
The company
Multi-generational and family-owned, our client is a well-regarded Victorian manufacturing business with a long track record of steady growth.
From its base in Melbourne's south-east, the company manufactures and supplies a range of engineered products used in infrastructure and the built environment, sold to engineers, specifiers and contractors across the State.
The business is backed by a strong balance sheet and a long-term ownership horizon. While proudly family-owned, it is professionally run. Led by an experienced Managing Director, it has deliberately invested in governance maturity as it has grown, and its recent acquisition signals a business with the confidence and capital to keep growing. It is a company that combines the pace and pragmatism of private ownership with the discipline of much larger organisations.
The role
Reporting to the Managing Director and as a member of the Executive Leadership Team, the Head of Finance will lead an eight-member finance and administration function. Key accountabilities include:
Leading the financial integration of all finance related systems and processes;
In conjunction with the Managing Director , oversee monthly management reporting and analysis, and preparation of Board reporting;
Budgeting, forecasting and banking covenant compliance;
Margin analysis, product costing within a manufacturing environment and pricing support;
Foreign exchange and input-cost management, including forward cover within Board-approved policy;
Working capital and cash management;
Internal controls, compliance and financial risk;
Developing the finance team's capability, systems and processes to match the enlarged business.
The candidate
Qualifications and experience
Degree qualified in accounting, finance or commerce, with CA/CPA or equivalent qualification highly regarded;
Experience as a Head of Finance, Financial Controller or senior Finance Manager, ideally in an industrial manufacturing environment;
Experience with the financial integration highly regarded;
Background in manufacturing, industrial products or the construction materials sector preferred;
Exposure to Executive Leadership Teams, with experience preparing Board reporting;
Experience managing input-cost and foreign exchange exposures, including hedging or forward purchasing;
Strong command of management and statutory reporting, controls and compliance.
The person
High-level financial expertise, high emotional intelligence, with a proven track record of developing teams;
Energised rather than daunted by change, with an appetite to do things differently;
Confident with senior stakeholders, yet hands-on enough to stay close to small finance team;
Commercially sharp, with the ability to turn financial insight into business decisions;
Well organised and highly articulate communicator, who can relate at all levels of the organisation.
Head of Finance in Dandenong employer: Bluhat Consulting
Join a leading Australian agribusiness that prioritises the safety and well-being of its employees while making a significant impact on the agricultural supply chain. With a strong focus on professional development, a supportive team culture, and competitive benefits including a generous salary and housing, this role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a proactive safety culture in a dynamic environment. Embrace the chance to grow your career in a hands-on position that values your expertise and commitment to workplace health and safety.
