Finance Manager job description: Duties, skills and responsibilities

A Finance Manager plays a vital role in safeguarding an organisation’s financial health. From overseeing budgets to ensuring compliance with financial regulations, they are essential in driving both fiscal sustainability and strategic growth.

If you’re hiring a Finance Manager, this guide will help you understand the responsibilities they handle and how to craft an effective job description to attract top candidates.

Finance Manager job duties and responsibilities

Finance Managers are the custodians of an organisation’s financial strategy, ensuring all resources are managed effectively and within compliance frameworks.

Here’s what the role of Finance Manager typically entails:

• Financial planning and analysis 
  • Develop, monitor, and implement annual budgeting processes to drive fiscal objectives. 
  • Conduct regular financial forecasting to align with organisational goals.
  • Evaluate financial performance, highlighting risks and opportunities. 
• Compliance and risk management 
  • Ensure strict adherence to all financial, legal, and regulatory requirements and reporting obligations. 
  • Develop and maintain internal controls to safeguard company assets. 
  • Audit company processes and finances, liaising with external auditors where necessary. 
• Team management and leadership 
  • Lead and manage the finance team, fostering growth and professional development. 
  • Set KPIs to monitor team performance and celebrate key milestones. 
  • Collaborate with departments to provide financial guidance and support decision-making. 
• Resource management and cost control 
  • Assess and approve major expenditures and capital investments. 
  • Identify cost-saving opportunities while maintaining operational efficiency. 
  • Manage treasury functions, including cash flow and banking relationships. 
• Business strategy contribution 
  • Partner with senior leadership to inform business strategies with financial insights. 
  • Provide financial models and recommendations to support organisational growth. 
  • Monitor market trends to identify opportunities and proactively mitigate risks.

An exceptional Finance Manager ensures the organisation’s financial sustainability while driving overall business performance.

Concerned about an influx of applications? Employment Hero’s recruitment software is designed to help Small-to-Medium Enterprises to manage the entire process.

What should be included in a Finance Manager job description?

To capture the attention of experienced finance professionals, ensure your job description includes these key sections:

• Job overview: Offer a concise explanation of the role’s importance in achieving financial and organisational goals. 
• Responsibilities: Provide a clear breakdown of the day-to-day tasks alongside strategic expectations. 
• Required skills: Specify technical proficiencies and soft skills essential for success. 
• Qualifications: Mention professional certifications, educational background, and/or industry-specific experience. 
• Work environment: Highlight any unique aspects, such as team dynamics or remote work opportunities. 
• Call-to-action (CTA): Encourage applications with a strong closing line.

Clearly structured job descriptions contribute towards a seamless recruitment process for both employers and prospective candidates.

Example of a job description

We are seeking a skilled and detail-oriented Finance Manager to lead our financial operations and strategies. This role is crucial in ensuring fiscal integrity, regulatory compliance, and achieving our long-term business objectives. 

Key responsibilities:

• Manage the company’s financial planning, analysis, and reporting processes. 
• Develop annual budgets, monitor expenditures, and forecast financial performance. 
• Ensure full compliance with financial regulations and manage audit processes. 
• Provide strategic financial insights to guide management decisions. 
• Lead and mentor a high-performing finance team, fostering a culture of accountability.

Required skills:

• Proficiency in financial systems and tools, such as Xero or MYOB. 
• Advanced analytical skills for creating reliable financial projections. 
• Leadership and interpersonal skills to manage cross-functional collaboration. 
• Deep understanding of Australian financial reporting standards (e.g. IFRS). 

Work environment:

• Full-time role, based on-site with flexible work options available. 
• Collaborate with a team that values innovation and financial acumen.

If you thrive in dynamic environments and are passionate about aligning financial strategies with organisational success, we’d love to hear from you.

What is the best way to screen candidates?

Selecting a Finance Manager requires evaluating technical ability, strategic thinking, and leadership skills. Use these techniques to simplify the screening process:

• Resume evaluation: Look for roles demonstrating experience in financial leadership, budgeting, and compliance. Check for advanced certifications, such as CPA, CA, or CFA credentials. 
• Technical assessments: Test candidates’ ability to analyse complex financial data and develop actionable insights. Use scenario-based tasks related to cost reduction or compliance audits. 
• Competency-based interviews: Ask candidates to explain how they’ve handled challenges, such as tight cash flows or regulatory inspections. Explore their ability to communicate financial insights to non-financial stakeholders. 
• Leadership review: Assess candidates’ leadership styles and fit within your existing cultural framework. Observe their ability to handle difficult conversations, such as addressing budget overruns.

Streamline your process with Employment Hero’s tailored recruitment tools. Get connected with pre-qualified candidates ready to make an impact.

Employment Hero gives you a talent pool with millions of active job-seekers, ready and waiting to work – without the need for any job ads

What skills should a Finance Manager have?

A Finance Manager needs a balance of technical expertise, problem-solving ability and leadership capabilities. Key skills include:

• Financial analysis proficiency: Expertise in budgeting, forecasting, and trend analysis.
• Regulatory knowledge: Strong understanding of industry-specific laws and reporting standards.
• Leadership: Ability to foster teamwork and drive performance in finance teams.
• Technical competencies: Advanced Excel, database systems, and ERP software skills. Familiarity with tech solutions for financial management and compliance. 
• Soft skills: Strategic thinking, proactive problem-solving and clear communication for translating complex data into actionable insights. 

These skills ensure operational efficiency while enhancing financial decision-making processes.

What qualifications should a Finance Manager have?

Outlined qualifications help align candidate expectations with the role’s professional requirements:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or Economics. 
• Certifications: CPA, CA, or CFA accreditation for advanced financial roles. 
• Experience: Minimum 5–8 years in senior financial management roles. 

Clearly communicate these qualifications to target experienced and qualified candidates.

Found a candidate and ready to make an offer? Download our Employment Offer Letter Template to streamline the process.

Hire fast. Hire right. All in one place with Employment Hero

For small businesses, hiring can feel like a full-time job on top of everything else. Sorting through irrelevant applications. Chasing down resumes. Coordinating interviews across packed calendars. When the right person finally comes along, you need to be ready. The best candidates aren’t on the market for long, and drawn-out processes can mean missing out altogether.

That’s why it pays to have an all-in-one Employment Operating System do the heavy lifting. With Employment Hero you can:

• Attract better candidates. Get your role in front of the right people – even if they’re not actively looking – with smart tools that go beyond traditional job boards.
• Cut down on manual work. Automate job ads, track applicants in one place, and use built-in tools to shortlist efficiently.
• Keep things moving. With structured scorecards and a clear hiring workflow, your team can make confident decisions, fast.
• Set new hires up for success. Digital contracts and tailored onboarding workflows help new team members hit the ground running.

It’s not about adding more steps – it’s about simplifying the right ones, so you can make better hires, faster.

Whether you’re hiring your first employee or growing your team, Employment Hero’s all-in-one Employment Operating System helps you focus on what matters: finding great people and getting them through the door.