Finance Manager – Permanent | Canberra

Opes is looking for an experienced, hands-on Finance Manager to take end-to-end ownership of our financial operations. This role will cover everything from day-to-day admin (processing payments, reconciling accounts, issuing invoices) through to owning cashflow management and reporting, and supporting budgeting and forecasting.

You’ll support the CEO and Senior Management with the financial information needed for strategic decision-making, while running the financial operations of the business smoothly day to day, so nothing falls through the cracks and nothing has to be chased. The role will also include some project financial support: tracking purchase orders through to invoicing, preparing and issuing invoices, and supporting quoting and cost modelling for project and client work.

This is a finance-only role, with genuine end-to-end ownership. We are looking for someone comfortable operating across the full range, from processing a payment run to producing a cashflow forecast, and who takes pride in the numbers being right and the CEO never having to ask twice.

What You’ll Own

Payroll & Payroll Tax

• End-to-end payroll processing and payment file preparation and upload (fortnightly)
• Managing multi-state payroll tax lodgement schedules and acting as the primary point of contact for all relevant State and Territory revenue offices (monthly)
• Ensuring payslips and statutory obligations (including superannuation) are met accurately and on time

Accounts Payable & Receivable

• Managing the full payables cycle – reviewing, approving and processing supplier payments
• Issuing customer invoices, including reconciling timesheets for time-and-materials engagements and managing client-specific invoicing portals
• Sending remittances and maintaining accurate accounts receivable follow-up

Project Financial Support

• Tracking purchase orders against project work and ensuring they are correctly matched through to invoicing
• Preparing and issuing project and client invoices, liaising with project leads to confirm scope, milestones and timesheet data
• Supporting quoting for project and client work, working from project inputs to produce accurate, timely quotes

Financial Operations & Reporting

• Owning month-end close, bank reconciliations across multiple accounts, and general ledger accuracy in Xero
• Cashflow monitoring, reporting and forecasting, including superannuation and tax obligations
• Acting as the internal source of truth on financial transactions and business context
• Support the accountant with any queries relating to preparing and lodging BAS/IAS, and managing GST compliance
• Supporting annual budgeting and periodic forecasting, and tracking actuals against budget
• Liaising with our external accountant on EOFY processes, tax return preparation and annual financial statements
• Maintaining the fixed asset register and depreciation schedules
• Managing expense claims, credit card reconciliations and petty cash where applicable
• Maintaining sound financial controls and documented processes, and supporting any external audit or due diligence requests
• Ad hoc financial analysis and reporting to support business decision-making

About You

• 8 – 10+ years’ experience in a finance role, with a strong track record of end-to-end ownership rather than a support/coordination-only function
• High attention to detail and a genuine sense of ownership over the accuracy of the numbers, backed by a track record of getting it right
• Confident operating close to the CEO/Senior Management, translating day-to-day financial detail into information they can act on
• Deep working knowledge of Xero (or equivalent) and confident with payroll platforms and business banking portals
• Strong understanding of Australian payroll tax obligations across multiple states, and comfort being the direct liaison with revenue offices
• Solid working knowledge of BAS/GST compliance and financial control practices
• Proven ability to work autonomously in a small team, managing your own workload and priorities
• Australian citizenship required, with willingness to obtain a security clearance if required for the role
• Desirable: formal finance or accounting qualifications (e.g. CPA or CA) and/or BAS Agent registration, prior experience in a small and scaling business, experience supporting projects with financial administration.

Why join Opes

Opes is a sovereign, veteran-owned Australian technology company delivering secure builds, OSINT and intelligence capability, and cleared consulting and labour hire to Defence, Government and Critical Infrastructure clients. We are DISP-accredited and 100% veteran owned and operated, with more than half our people veterans. This is a chance to take genuine ownership of a finance function in a business where your work will be immediately visible and valued.