Management Accountant (Australia Focus) - Remote

Position: Management Accountant
Employment Type: Part-Time or Full-Time
Industry: Managed Services Provider (MSP) / IT Services
Reporting To: Managing Director / Finance Director
Location: Flexible / As Applicable

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Management Accountant to take ownership of financial planning, management reporting, cash-flow management, budgeting and financial controls within a growing IT services and Managed Services Provider (MSP) business.

This is a hands-on commercial finance role. The successful candidate will provide management with accurate financial information, forecasts and analysis to support better business decisions, while ensuring appropriate financial controls and compliance with Australian accounting and taxation requirements.

Previous experience working in an Australian business is mandatory. Candidates must have a practical understanding of the Australian taxation and regulatory environment, including GST, BAS, PAYG, superannuation and company tax requirements.

Previous experience working within an MSP or IT services business is also mandatory.

The position can be structured as either part-time or full-time, depending on the experience and availability of the successful candidate.

Key Responsibilities

Cash Flow Management & Forecasting

• Prepare and maintain short-term and long-term cash-flow forecasts.
  

• Monitor actual cash position against forecasts.
  

• Identify upcoming cash-flow requirements and potential shortfalls.
  

• Monitor customer receipts, supplier payments, payroll and other major cash movements.
  

• Develop rolling 13-week cash-flow forecasts where appropriate.
  

• Provide management with visibility of expected cash position and working-capital requirements.
  

• Recommend actions to improve cash conversion and working capital.
  

Budgeting & Financial Planning

• Lead the annual budgeting and periodic forecasting process.
  

• Prepare revenue, expense, payroll and cash-flow budgets.
  

• Develop monthly and quarterly forecasts.
  

• Compare actual financial performance against budget and forecast.
  

• Analyse and explain significant variances.
  

• Work with management to develop realistic revenue and cost assumptions.
  

• Prepare scenario and sensitivity analysis to support business decisions.
  

Management Reporting

• Prepare accurate and timely monthly management accounts.
  

• Produce Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet and Cash Flow reporting.
  

• Develop management dashboards and financial KPI reports.
  

• Provide monthly budget-versus-actual analysis.
  

• Analyse revenue, gross margin, operating expenses and profitability.
  

• Identify financial trends, risks and opportunities.
  

• Present financial results and key insights to management in a clear, commercially focused manner.
  

MSP & IT Services Financial Analysis

• Analyse profitability by customer, contract, project and service line.
  

• Monitor recurring revenue and managed-service contract performance.
  

• Analyse Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR) and other recurring revenue streams.
  

• Review customer contract margins and identify low-margin or loss-making accounts.
  

• Analyse labour utilisation and employee/contractor costs against customer revenue.
  

• Monitor software licensing, cloud, hardware and third-party supplier costs.
  

• Analyse project profitability, including actual costs against quoted or budgeted costs.
  

• Support pricing decisions for managed services, professional services and project work.
  

• Review customer billing against contracts, statements of work and recurring service agreements.
  

• Assist management in understanding customer lifetime value, margins and revenue concentration.
  

Financial Controls

• Develop, implement and maintain appropriate financial policies and controls.
  

• Review Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable processes.
  

• Ensure appropriate approval processes for purchases and payments.
  

• Review bank and balance-sheet reconciliations.
  

• Monitor aged receivables and overdue customer accounts.
  

• Establish controls around supplier payments, expenses, credit cards and purchasing.
  

• Review revenue recognition and customer billing processes.
  

• Identify weaknesses in existing financial processes and recommend improvements.
  

• Ensure appropriate segregation of duties and financial approval authorities.
  

Australian Tax & Compliance

The successful candidate must have practical experience working within the Australian financial and taxation environment.

Responsibilities will include:

• Overseeing accurate GST treatment of transactions.
  

• Reviewing and supporting preparation of Business Activity Statements (BAS).
  

• Understanding PAYG withholding and payroll-related obligations.
  

• Understanding Australian superannuation requirements.
  

• Supporting company income-tax preparation in conjunction with external accountants/tax advisers.
  

• Maintaining appropriate financial records and supporting documentation.
  

• Assisting with year-end financial accounts and audit/accountant requirements.
  

• Liaising with external accountants, tax advisers and other professional advisers as required.
  

The Management Accountant will not necessarily be expected to provide regulated tax-agent services but must have sufficient Australian tax knowledge to ensure the company's day-to-day financial processes are correctly managed.

Working Capital Management

• Monitor Accounts Receivable and Accounts Payable positions.
  

• Review debtor ageing and collection performance.
  

• Develop strategies to improve debtor collection and cash conversion.
  

• Monitor supplier payment terms.
  

• Assist management with decisions regarding payment timing and working-capital requirements.
  

• Monitor customer credit exposure where appropriate.
  

Systems & Process Improvement

• Maintain and improve financial processes and reporting systems.
  

• Improve automation of financial reporting wherever practical.
  

• Develop appropriate management dashboards.
  

• Improve integration between accounting, billing, payroll and operational systems.
  

• Assist with improving financial data quality.
  

• Reduce reliance on manual spreadsheets and repetitive financial processes.
  

Experience with Xero is highly desirable, together with strong Excel skills and familiarity with PSA/RMM or other systems commonly used within MSP businesses.

Required Experience

Candidates must have:

• Previous experience as a Management Accountant, Commercial Accountant, Finance Manager or similar role.
  

• Demonstrated experience working for an Australian business.
  

• Strong practical understanding of Australian accounting and taxation requirements.
  

• Experience with GST and BAS.
  

• Understanding of PAYG, payroll and superannuation obligations.
  

• Strong cash-flow forecasting experience.
  

• Strong budgeting and financial forecasting experience.
  

• Experience preparing monthly management accounts and management reports.
  

• Strong financial-control and balance-sheet reconciliation experience.
  

• Advanced or strong Microsoft Excel skills.
  

• Experience using accounting software such as Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks or equivalent.
  

• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
  

• High attention to detail.
  

• Ability to communicate financial information clearly to non-financial managers and business owners.
  

Mandatory MSP / IT Services Experience

Candidates must also have previous experience working within a:

• Managed Services Provider (MSP); or
  

• IT services / technology services organisation operating under a managed-services model.
  

Candidates should understand the commercial dynamics of an MSP, including:

• Recurring monthly contracts.
  

• Managed-service agreements.
  

• Professional services/project revenue.
  

• Customer profitability.
  

• Resource and labour utilisation.
  

• Employee and contractor costs.
  

• Software and cloud licensing costs.
  

• Hardware procurement and resale.
  

• Vendor and distributor costs.
  

• Recurring customer billing.
  

• Contract margins and gross-profit analysis.
  

Experience with MSP platforms or PSA systems such as ConnectWise, Autotask, HaloPSA or similar would be highly regarded.

Qualifications

Preferred qualifications include:

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Commerce or a related discipline.
  

• CPA Australia, CA ANZ, CIMA or equivalent qualification, or currently working towards one.
  

• Relevant Australian accounting experience is more important than qualification alone.
  

Key Performance Indicators

Performance may be measured against:

• Accuracy and timeliness of monthly management reporting.
  

• Cash-flow forecasting accuracy.
  

• Budget and forecast quality.
  

• Reduction in overdue Accounts Receivable.
  

• Quality of financial controls and reconciliations.
  

• Visibility of customer and contract profitability.
  

• Accuracy of MSP revenue and margin reporting.
  

• Improvement in financial processes and reporting automation.
  

• Timely completion of Australian compliance requirements.
  

• Quality of financial insights provided to management.
  

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate combines strong accounting capability with commercial thinking.

We are looking for someone who does more than record historical transactions. The successful candidate should be able to interpret the numbers and explain:

Where are we making money? Where are we losing margin? What will our cash position look like over the next 13 weeks? Which customers or contracts are most profitable? Are our recurring services priced correctly? Where are costs increasing? What financial risks need management attention?

You will be comfortable working closely with business owners and senior management and translating financial data into practical business recommendations.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Management Accountant who understands both the Australian financial environment and the commercial structure of an MSP/IT services business.