Finance Lead – Costing, Payroll & Ops Insights in Melbourne

HeatherBrae Shortbreads Pty Ltd – Thomastown VIC

Be the person who knows the numbers behind every biscuit, every shift and every dollar, the link between finance, operations and QA.
About us

Heather Brae Shortbreads is a fast-growing bakery manufacturer in Thomastown, making tarts, biscuits and cookies for Australia's major supermarkets. The business is part of Ember Equity, a Melbourne-based private investment group building a portfolio of Australian food manufacturers.

Our team is culturally diverse, close-knit and proud of what we make.

The opportunity

This is the finance seat at the centre of the business. You'll own finance and payroll: costing, reporting, cash and compliance. Just as importantly, you'll turn the numbers into a clear daily picture that helps our operations leaders run a better factory.

You'll work day to day with our General Manager and Operations Manager, report to the General Manager, and provide insights to our Investment Director. It's hands-on: you'll do the work yourself and see the impact straight away.

What you'll own

Costing, margins and reporting

• Getting bills of materials and cost of goods right, so every product and customer shows its true margin

• Costing new products with our product development team, and helping us decide which ones are worth making

• Working with Operations and QA to turn yield, waste and rework into clear cost impacts

• Producing a daily operating report for the General Manager and Operations Manager

• Running month-end and stocktake (closing within five business days), inventory and working capital reporting, and a rolling 13-week cash flow forecast

• Spotting what the numbers are telling us, and raising it before anyone asks

Payroll and labour cost

• Running payroll end to end for production and office staff, applying award conditions accurately

• Owning our time and attendance system (Tanda), and tracking and reporting overtime daily

• Being the go-to person for payroll queries, WorkCover administration and new-starter onboarding

Day-to-day finance

• Accounts payable and receivable, credit cards, bank reconciliations, petty cash and cash banking

• First point of contact for customer and supplier invoice queries

• BAS, IAS, super and payroll tax lodged and paid on time, with our external accountants

Systems and processes

• Key user in our new ERP rollout, working with procurement, operations, QA and the warehouse on data and processes

• Bringing in smarter systems, automation and AI so finance grows with the business

Office leadership

• Leading the administration and reception team, so the front office and phones are always covered

• Owning our people calendar, including staff events such as the annual Christmas party

Who we're looking for

We're open to two kinds of candidate.

• The experienced operator. You've run finance in an SME, ideally in food, FMCG or manufacturing. You know costing, inventory, cost of goods and month-end inside out, and you're ready to own the function and shape how it scales.

• The rising talent. You have a strong accounting foundation and a real hunger to grow. You want hands-on exposure to every part of a manufacturing business, direct mentoring and a clear route into a senior finance role.

What you'll need

• A degree in accounting, or commerce with an accounting major

• Solid accounting experience, ideally including cost or management accounting (five years or more for the experienced operator)

• End-to-end payroll experience applying modern award conditions

• MYOB (we use AccountRight) and strong Excel, including reports that non-finance managers can use

• The ability to explain numbers simply, and to own your work without close supervision

• Accurate, organised and reliable, and clear and courteous with customers, suppliers and staff

CA or CPA isn't required, but we value it.

Nice to have

• Food or FMCG manufacturing experience, particularly with supermarket customers

• Tanda or a similar time and attendance system, and ERP implementation experience

What's on offer

• $110,000 to $125,000 + super, depending on experience

• A permanent, full-time role with an established, growing food manufacturer

• Direct access to the General Manager and ownership, with real visibility and influence

• The chance to shape a finance function as the business and the wider portfolio grow, and to be rewarded as the role grows with it

How to apply

Apply with your resume and a short cover letter telling us about your costing, reporting and payroll experience.

You must have the right to live and work in Australia to apply. No agencies, please.

Be careful - Don’t provide your bank or credit card details when applying for jobs. Don't transfer any money or complete suspicious online surveys. If you see something suspicious, report this job ad .

#J-18808-Ljbffr