Role overview
The Corporate Accountant is responsible for accurate financial reporting, maintenance of core accounting records, and enhancing financial insight through data analysis and visualisation. The role combines core accounting responsibilities with reporting and dashboard development, enabling the Finance and Performance team to deliver high-quality financial information and support data-driven decision-making across the organisation.
Key responsibilities and accountabilities
Financial accounting and reporting
- Prepare monthly and annual financial statements and reports.
- Ensure compliance with accounting policies and relevant reporting standards.
- Lead or support the external audit process, including coordination of documentation and responses.
- Work with budget managers to ensure accurate budgeting, forecasting, and financial tracking.
- Provide technical accounting guidance to the finance team and the business.
- Support the development of internal policies, controls, and processes.
- Assist in financial modelling, scenario analysis, and insights for leadership reporting.
- Identify and implement opportunities for process automation and standardisation within the Finance function.
Reporting and analysis
- Develop and maintain financial and operational dashboards using Power BI and related tools.
- Extract and transform data from ERP systems and other data sources to support business reporting.
- Ensure the accuracy and consistency of financial data across systems and reports.
- Collaborate with Finance, IT and business units to enhance reporting frameworks.
Business analysis and stakeholder support
- Provide analysis and insight to support forecasting, budgeting, and strategic decision-making.
- Translate financial data into clear, actionable information for stakeholders.
- Engage with internal stakeholders to understand and respond to reporting and analysis needs.
Compliance
- Ensure an appropriate control environment is in place and maintained.
- Support the annual audit process and provision of financial audit work papers.
- Ensure compliance with government reporting requirements (including CFISnet) and tax filings.
Leadership expectations
The following leadership expectations apply to this role.
Lead self
- Demonstrate the Education Payroll’s values – treat everyone with respect, works as a team, make things easier, improve though understanding, learn through doing.
- Maintain positive relationships.
- Hold yourself accountable.
- Be agile and adaptive.
- Show courage.
Lead Education Payroll
Strategic planning
- Actively contribute to creating and maintaining a strategy that aligns actions, plans and resources with business objectives.
Financial management and strategic financial management
- Make decisions that support the effective use and control of Education Payroll financial resources, within budget and delegations.
- Ensure financial decisions align with long-term goals of Education Payroll, maximise value and mitigate risk.
Risk management
- Identify, assess, mitigate and record risks arising from internal process, people, systems or external events that could potentially disrupt business operations and/or breach legislative requirements.
- Escalate risks that cannot be sufficiently mitigated within your span of control.
- Take collective responsibility for enterprise risk management and understand the cumulative impact of risks across the organisation.
Required experience, skill and knowledge
To be successful in this position you will need:
- a tertiary qualification in accounting or finance is required
- Chartered Accountant (CA) designation or equivalent is essential
- 3–5 years’ experience in financial or corporate accounting roles
- demonstrated experience using Power BI and data visualisation in a finance context
- strong excel skills and familiarity with data transformation tools (eg, Power Query)
- strong attention to detail and analytical thinking
- ability to communicate financial concepts to non-financial stakeholders
- proactive and solutions-focused with a continuous improvement mindset
- strong organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities
- comfortable working both independently and as part of a team.
If you have more questions about this role email myhr@edpay.nz and we will be able to get you talking to the right people.