Accountant

Accountant

• Full-time | Permanent | Flexible
• Collaborative team culture, making a difference locally
• Base salary $78-81K +Super +5 weeks’ leave + Relocation Assistance

Elevate your accounting career with diverse responsibilities in a dynamic council environment, paving the way to senior roles.

Location: St George, QLD

Closing Date: Friday 20th Sept 10pm

About Council: 

Balonne Shire, about 600 km inland from Brisbane, straddles the border with New South Wales. Covering 31,000km² it is home to 4,286 residents across seven towns, each on a river. Traditionally agricultural, the Shire now also thrives in tourism and horticulture. St George, the Shire's hub, connects six highways, boosting goods transport and visitor flow. 

The Shire is known for its picturesque rural landscapes, which include vast open plains and diverse natural environments. The area offers opportunities for outdoor activities such as fishing, camping and bird-watching, especially around the Balonne River and other natural reserves.

Balonne Shire hosts various local events and festivals, such as the annual St George Show and various agricultural fairs, celebrating its rich rural culture and community spirit.

The Role:

Overseeing all financial and asset management aspects for the Council. This role offers a unique opportunity to provide you with a wealth of experience and the chance to develop your skills comprehensively. This diverse exposure will prepare you for future growth and enable you to step into more senior roles within any local government organisation.

• Prepare and review end-of-month financial reports including reconciliations, returns and journals to ensure accuracy and compliance.

• Develop and present monthly Finance Reports for Management and Council.
• Contribute to the Annual Operating and Capital Budget development and manage the Community Engagement process for budget adoption.
• Manage and support the Queensland Treasury Corporation (QTC) long-term finance model and Long Term Financial Plan to enhance financial planning and strategy.
• Prepare and coordinate information for internal and external audits and report findings.
• Manage the Council’s loan portfolio and investments, balancing costs, risks, returns and liquidity.
• Ensure that financial and asset management functions are effective, timely and accurate.
• Wild Dog Exclusion Fencing (WDEF) – ensure special rates scheme is reconciled between rates system, general ledger and (QTC) borrowing schedules.

About You:

To be considered for this role, experience in a Local Government environment is essential. You will be a motivated and detail-oriented accountant with strong financial planning skills and a proven track record in managing long-term financial models and strategies.

• Tertiary qualification in accounting, commerce, business or related field
• CPA/CA membership will be well regarded
• Ethical, competent, motivated, proactive and professional at all times
• Ability to work collaboratively within a team.
• Situational awareness with ability to prioritise workload as business dictates.
• Analytical skills with attention to detail.
• Experience of multi-disciplinary financial environment.
• Effective communicator with different levels of the business and external stakeholders
• Ability to resolve immediate problems whilst mitigating risk of potential issues

The Reward:

Council is committed to the training and professional development of staff and provides a wide range of additional benefits including access to salary sacrificing expenses such as rent, locality allowance and access to the Employee Assistance Programme. In addition, full-time staff are eligible for 5 weeks annual leave.

For a confidential discussion or a copy of the full position description, please call Celine Burns-Hind, Principal Consultant Recruitment, Peak Services on 0484 060 504

How to Apply:

Before you apply for this position, please read the information above carefully to assess your eligibility and suitability for the role.  You will be required to answer a few questions that relate to the criteria on the online application below.  Please note that you cannot submit your application without attaching your resume.  A cover letter is not mandatory but may be added if so desired. When uploading your Resume or documents please ensure file names should only include 'A-z', '0-9', '.' and '-' characters.

PLEASE NOTE: The application process must be completed in one sitting; you cannot save and continue later.