Financial Control Manager

Why this role exists: The Financial Control Manager is responsible for safeguarding the financial integrity of Officeworks by ensuring the highest standards of financial governance, technical accounting compliance, and internal control. Operating within a high-volume retail environment, this role ensures all financial transactions are recorded in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards and Group policies. Beyond core reporting, the Financial Control Manager drives continuous improvement in financial processes and manages the external audit relationship to support a robust control environment.

Where you will make a difference: In this role you will: Financial Reporting & Compliance: Direct the preparation of statutory financial statements and Group reporting packs. Lead the delivery of accurate and timely month-end, half-year, and year-end financial reporting packages. Ensure all month-end journals, accruals, and reconciliations are reviewed and approved within agreed timelines.

Monitor changes in accounting standards and assess their impact on the Officeworks financial position. Oversee the completion of statutory returns to ensure full regulatory compliance. Governance & Internal Control: Design and implement a comprehensive financial control manual for the organization.

Conduct regular reviews of financial processes to identify and mitigate risks of fraud or error. Manage the external audit process, ensuring all requests are met and audit findings are addressed promptly. Partner with Internal Audit to ensure a coordinated approach to risk management and business-wide adherence to control requirements.

Monitor and report on the effectiveness of key financial controls to the Audit and Risk Committee. Process Improvement & Technical Leadership: Provide expert technical advice on complex transactions, including lease accounting and inventory valuation. Drive process improvement and automation within the finance function to increase operational efficiency.

Identify opportunities to streamline workflows through technology or process redesign to increase efficiency. Support the Finance Transformation roadmap as a subject matter expert for ERP enhancements. Collaborate with IT teams to ensure data integrity between POS systems and the General Ledger.

Stakeholder Management & People Leadership: Provide clear and concise financial insights to the Financial Controller, GM Finance, and CFO. Liaise with Wesfarmers Group Reporting on technical accounting matters and reporting requirements. Partner with the Commercial Finance team to ensure alignment between management reporting and financial accounts.

Manage relationships with key vendors and banking partners to ensure financial service levels are met. Lead and coach the financial accounting team to build high-performance capability and career progression. Develop and achieve key performance indicators for the team that are aligned to the overall strategy.

Who you will be working with: Internal Teams: AR & AP Associate Manager, other Financial Control Managers, and Finance Manager (BOB). Internal Partners: Senior Leadership Team (SLT), Shared Services, Internal Audit, Store Operations, and Supply Chain. External Partners: External Auditors, Banking Partners, Regulatory Bodies, and Third-Party Service Providers.

What success looks like: Reporting Integrity: Ensuring financial reporting accuracy with zero material adjustments post-period end. Deadline Adherence: 100% adherence to Group and Statutory reporting deadlines. Audit Quality: Achieving unqualified audit reports and timely closure of management letter points.

Efficiency Gains: Successful implementation of automation initiatives that reduce manual intervention in the reporting cycle. How you will lead: Line Manager: Leads a culture based on our Officeworks values and behaviors Builds capability and delivers results across a diverse global workforce. Demonstrates resilience, has determination and drives to persist through challenge Is self-aware; has humility and is self-reflective; understands how to bring out the best in self and others Strong sense of personal and team accountability, drives a genuine commitment to their teams and individual development Proactively contributes to a safe working environment, escalates appropriately if there are unsafe conditions or inappropriate behavior Operates in line with applicable Officeworks company policies and Code of Conduct Qualifications and work experience: Essential: Experience: Minimum 10+ years of post-qualification experience in financial accounting or audit.

Education: Bachelors degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field, with a CPA or CA preferred. Industry Background: Proven experience in a retail/FMCG corporate environment or a large-scale audit firm. Leadership: Demonstrated experience leading and developing a professional accounting team.

Audit Mastery: Proven experience managing complex year-end audit processes and statutory reporting. Technical Skills: Expert knowledge of Australian Accounting Standards (AIFRS) and advanced Excel proficiency. Systems: Previous exposure to large-scale ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, or Microsoft Dynamics.