Senior Commercial Accountant

Location: Multiple & Flexible

Employment type: Full-time, permanent

Work arrangement: Multi

About Us

We are one of Australia’s fastest-growing early education and school-age care groups, operating two established brands:

BASE OOSH operates 31 Outside School Hours Care services, providing before-school care, after-school care and vacation care to thousands of children and families.

Momentum Early Learning currently operates four long day care centres, with a significant expansion pipeline planned over the next 12 to 24 months.

Together with a related indoor entertainment business, Flip Out, our group employs more than 500 people across a growing network of locations.

Each of our 35 education and care services operates through its own Xero file. Our centres use OWNA for enrolments, Child Care Subsidy administration, rostering and timesheets, with Fathom used for consolidated reporting.

As the group continues to expand, we are seeking an experienced Senior Commercial Accountant who can connect financial reporting with operational performance. This role will suit someone who understands not only the accounting results, but also the operational drivers behind them.

The Opportunity

Reporting directly to the Directors and working closely with our bookkeeping team and external accountants, you will take ownership of the group’s monthly reporting, balance sheet integrity, regulatory lodgements, budgeting and financial analysis.

You will play a key role in strengthening financial controls, improving reporting and supporting the successful opening and acquisition of new centres.

This is a hands-on role for a commercially minded accountant who is comfortable working across multiple entities, systems and operational teams.

Key Responsibilities
Daily

- Oversee the bookkeeping team’s daily processing and respond to technical accounting queries.

- Review bank reconciliations across the group’s Xero files.

- Review invoices, supplier bills and expense coding for accuracy and correct centre allocation.

- Manage finance-related emails and resolve issues escalated by centre teams.

- Ensure financial transactions are processed accurately and consistently across the group.

Weekly

- Review payroll before processing and confirm Single Touch Payroll reporting is completed correctly.

- Reconcile OWNA roster and timesheet data against payroll.

- Reconcile payroll, superannuation, leave provisions and payroll-related balance sheet accounts.

- Monitor superannuation obligations and ensure payments are made within required timeframes.

- Review debtor and creditor reports, including family fees, CCS receivables, direct debit failures and arrears.

- Support the management of collections and outstanding accounts.

- Review the group’s short-term cash flow position and upcoming financial commitments.

Monthly

- Own the month-end close process across all Xero files.

- Review and correct bookkeeping entries to ensure every balance sheet account is reconciled, substantiated and supported.

- Consolidate the financial results of 31 OSHC services and four long day care centres into company and group-level reporting.

- Prepare monthly reporting packs for the Directors, including consolidated and centre-level profit and loss,



balance sheet and cash flow reports.

- Prepare actual-versus-budget reporting with clear commentary on material variances.

- Reconcile CCS entitlements and payments recorded in OWNA to the general ledger.

- Analyse operational and financial performance across each centre, including:

- occupancy and utilisation;

- average fee;

- labour cost percentage;

- wages-to-revenue ratio;

- centre contribution; and

- overall centre profitability.

- Prepare and lodge BAS and IAS.

- Prepare and lodge payroll tax returns.

- Meet with external accountants regarding monthly reporting, compliance and technical accounting matters.

Quarterly and Annually

- Complete payroll tax annual reconciliations.

- Prepare workers compensation wage declarations.

- Prepare year-end working papers and assist external accountants with annual financial statements and tax returns.

- Develop and update annual budgets for each centre and the consolidated group.

- Establish Xero files, charts of accounts, payroll settings and reporting structures for new centres and acquisitions.

- Review and improve finance processes, internal controls and reporting systems as the group expands.

- Support financial modelling and planning for new centre openings, acquisitions and business growth initiatives.

About You

You are a technically strong and commercially focused accountant who can work confidently across both financial reporting and operational performance.

You will be comfortable managing a high volume of financial information across multiple sites and entities, while maintaining accuracy, consistency and strong financial controls.

You will also be able to explain financial results clearly to Directors, centre managers and other non-finance stakeholders.

Essential Experience and Skills
Commercial and Industry Understanding

- An understanding of the early childhood education and care, OSHC or broader multi-site services sectors.

- Knowledge of childcare fee structures, gap fees, Child Care Subsidy and Additional Child Care Subsidy.

- An understanding of occupancy, utilisation and the impact of centre-level staffing on profitability.

- The ability to interpret operational data and explain how it affects financial performance.

Financial Reporting and Balance Sheet Management

- Robust ability to analyse and correct profit and loss statements and balance sheets.

- A disciplined approach to balance sheet reconciliations and supporting documentation.

- Experience ensuring balance sheet accounts are genuinely substantiated, rather than simply balanced.

- Strong knowledge of accrual accounting, particularly the monthly recognition of wages and occupancy-related expenses.

Multi-Entity and Consolidated Reporting

- Demonstrated experience consolidating a large number of ledgers, entities, locations or cost centres.

- Experience maintaining a standardised chart of accounts and consistent reporting classifications.





- Understanding of head office allocations, intercompany transactions and group-level reporting.

- Experience preparing both centre-level and consolidated financial reports.

Month-End and Compliance

- Proven experience managing a structured month-end close process.

- Ability to review the work of bookkeepers, identify errors and deliver reporting within agreed deadlines.

- Strong knowledge of:

- BAS and IAS;

- GST;

- PAYG withholding and instalments;

- Single Touch Payroll;

- Superannuation Guarantee;

- Fringe Benefits Tax;

- payroll tax;

- workers compensation; and

- associated annual reconciliations and lodgements.

- Confidence preparing and lodging recurring statutory obligations.

Budgeting and Analysis

- Experience preparing centre-level, entity-level and consolidated budgets.

- Strong variance analysis skills, with the ability to explain financial performance in practical terms.

- Ability to identify trends, risks and opportunities from financial and operational data.

Payroll Knowledge

- Strong payroll literacy, including an understanding of award-based employment conditions.

- Familiarity with the Children’s Services Award and Educational Services (Teachers) Award would be highly regarded.

- Understanding of penalty rates, allowances, leave provisions and payroll-related liabilities.

- Ability to understand how rostering decisions affect wages and labour cost percentages.

Communication and Collaboration

- Strong written and verbal communication skills.

- Confidence working directly with Directors, centre managers, bookkeepers and external accountants.

- Ability to explain financial information clearly to people without an accounting background.

- A collaborative, practical and solutions-focused approach.

Highly Regarded

- CA or CPA qualification, or substantial progress towards qualification.

- Previous experience in childcare, OSHC or another multi-site service-based organisation.

- Experience using OWNA or comparable childcare management software.

- Advanced experience using Xero across a large number of files.

- Experience using Fathom or similar consolidation and reporting software.

- Experience supporting new centre openings, acquisitions or rapid site rollouts.

- Experience with payroll systems integrated with Xero for a large workforce.

- Experience working with external finance partners, lenders or investors.

- A strong interest in improving systems, controls and reporting within a growing organisation.

What We Offer

- A competitive salary package, negotiated based on experience.

- A permanent, senior role within a rapidly growing organisation.

- Genuine scope to shape and improve the group’s finance function.

- Direct access to the Directors and involvement in key commercial decisions.

- Exposure to new centre openings, acquisitions and business expansion.

- Ongoing professional development and support.

- A supportive, close-knit and commercially focused team.

How to Apply

Please submit your resume and a brief cover letter outlining your relevant experience, including your exposure to multi-site accounting, consolidated reporting, childcare or service-based businesses, and month-end financial management.

Applications will be treated confidentially.

📌 Senior Commercial Accountant – Multi-Site Childcare Group (Sydney)
🏢 Aspire Education
📍 Sydney