• Location: Australia-wide
• Term: Ongoing
• Job Type: Full-time (37.5 hours per week)
• Remuneration: SCHADS Level 8: $133,000 -145,000 + 11.5% super + 17.5% Annual Leave Loading
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and members of the Global Majority* are particularly encouraged to apply.
• Direct reports: Grant Finance Lead and Finance Manager
• Reporting to: Director of Finance and Operations

Environmental Defenders Office (EDO) is the largest environmental legal centre in the Australia Pacific, dedicated to protecting our climate, communities and shared environment by providing access to justice, running ground-breaking litigation and leading law reform advocacy.

As the region’s legal experts in our field, we aim to be a brave, unified, and focused team, committed to inclusion and excellence in all that we do. We strive to be a diverse and inclusive workplace supporting a highly skilled, engaged, and effective team, where everyone can feel that they belong.

The opportunity:

We are recruiting for an experienced Financial Controller to manage EDO’s accounting operations, audit processes and financial systems with rigour and technical excellence. This hands-on Financial Controller role will include ensuring compliance with regulations, overseeing accounting operations, leading the external audit processes, monitoring and implementing proper internal controls, ensuring accuracy of financial information, direct and indirect line management of Finance Team members, and working with the Director, Finance and Operations to improve financial reporting and analysis, and evaluate risk.

Candidate Profile:

We are looking for someone with excellent financial management and analytical skills able to lead a small team. You will ensure rigor and accuracy of the organisation’s financial processes and data through your own work and the continued development of the Finance Team. You will be able to balance a drive for efficiency with an understanding of operational context - you are an excellent problem solver. You will operate through a risk lens and be able to communicate effectively with financial and non-financial roles to identify risk and mitigation strategies. You will be able to work independently and flexibly as the role requires - and be able to put in the hours needed during the audit season and other peak periods.

You will also be a team player comfortable working with people across the organisation, working within our distributed team across Australia, and reporting to the Director, Finance and Operations.

Key selection criteria:

Essential requirements

• Experienced Financial Controller or similar with 8 years+ experience in a similar role exercising financial controllership and the management of risk.
• Experience leading internal and external audit.
• Experience in financial and business process reform, including review and improvement of internal controls, and financial policy and procedures.
• Experience in the assessment and implementation of contemporary finance systems, financial management and service delivery within a disseminated, national organisation.
• Knowledgeable of and have the ability to interpret and implement accounting standards, relevant legislation and agreements.
• Solid understanding of Australian Accounting Standards AASB 15, AASB 1058 and AASB 16.
• Experience in business analysis and long-term financial planning.
• Significant experience in the leadership of a Finance Team or similar, including direct line or performance management.
• A tertiary degree qualification in accounting or equivalent, supported by further professional development.
• Full Membership of a professional accounting association, e.g. CA, CPA.
• Excellent attention to detail without sacrificing efficiency.
• Exceptional Excel skills and proficiency in other Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong communication skills and willingness to interact regularly with suppliers and stakeholders.
• Proactive and self-motivated with the ability to meet concurrent deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to confidently exercise sound judgement and make decisions based on consideration of different views.
• Ability to work in a geographically disseminated team and organisation.

Desirable experience

• Experience with SAGE Intacct.
• A diverse career that includes financial management experience in the Not-for-Profit sector.
• A registered BAS Agent.

Personal qualities and cultural competency

• A champion of the EDO values
• Strong initiative and self-motivation
• Commitment to the protection of the environment and related human rights
• A strong sense of ethics and understanding of professional obligations
• Demonstrated awareness of, and sensitivity to, the needs and concerns of First Nations peoples and peoples from diverse cultures, backgrounds and orientations in both the delivery of our work and our internal culture
• Thrive in a collaborative team-based environment.

Our Culture and Benefits:   

• We care deeply about creating a workplace where our team members feel valued, respected, and empowered. We are committed to providing equal opportunity regardless of gender identity, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, or life stage. 
• The chance to be part of the largest environmental legal practice in the Australia-Pacific 
• A very flexible and family-friendly workplace 
• While primarily office-based, some flexibility to work from home
• 8 weeks paid parental leave, regardless of gender or carer status
• 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave per year
• 3 days paid cultural leave per year
• Extra leave over the Christmas period
• Access to Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Ongoing professional development opportunities 
• EDO proudly has a JEDI (Justice, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion) Committee and a Mental Health Ambassador Committee, and has developed a First Nations Program with the aid of indigenous-led consultancies. 
• Three Affinity groups for the following: Disability, Global Majority* and LGBTQIA+.

*Global Majority is a collective term that first and foremost speaks to and encourages those so-called, to think of themselves as belonging to the majority on planet earth. It refers to people who are Black, African, Asian, Brown, dual-heritage, indigenous to the global south, and or, have been racialised as ‘ethnic minorities’.

Our Values

Commitment – We are committed to a united organisation, to each other, to collaboration, to justice, to our communities and to creating a world where nature thrives.

Diversity – We are respectful of, and welcome, diversity of staff, volunteers, offices, environmental regions, communities, stakeholders.

Integrity – We work effectively, efficiently, strategically, professionally, and ethically; “justice is in our nature”.

Vision – We lead change and environmental empowerment using innovation, creativity, and courage.

How to Apply

Click 'Apply Now' below

To review the position description, please see the attachment below.

If you have queries in regard to this advert, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] using the subject line: Financial Controller - Office and Work from Home enquiry via EthicalJobs. 

Applications must include a CV and a letter (1-page maximum) that clearly outlines how the applicant satisfies the Essential Requirements of the role.Under the Key Selection Criteria, the Essential Requirements of the position are the minimum requirements of the role. The Desirable Experience criteria outline additional attributes which would enable the successful candidate to perform the role more effectively; they are not essential but may be used to distinguish between applicants during the shortlisting process.

EDO particularly encourages applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Pacific Island people, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, workers of all ages, people with disabilities and people who identify as LGBTQIA+.

Please note: Your application may be considered for future roles at the EDO within the next 12 months without additional advertising. Please notify us in your application if you would not like to be considered for similar roles beyond this recruitment.

If you have any accessibility needs for the recruitment or interviewing process, please let us know in your application or by emailing [email protected] using the subject line: Financial Controller - Office and Work from Home enquiry via EthicalJobs.

Vaccination Requirements

EDO does not have a vaccination mandate. EDO staff have the option to share vaccination details within the EDO HRIS system. EDO will maintain this record of vaccination status of EDO employees; however, staff are not required to disclose this information.
Working with clients face-to-face:

• EDO works with diverse peoples and groups across the Australian and Pacific communities, including people who are considered a high-risk group in terms of COVID-19.
• In order to ensure the safety of all EDO employees and the people we work with and around, staff visiting overburdened communities are required to take a COVID-19 test three (3) days prior and on the day of travel to the overburdened community.

Other Information

All offers of employment may be subject to satisfactory background checks including a National Police Check, disclosure of previous or current disciplinary action, referee checks, proof of eligibility to work in Australia and qualification checks.