Most senior business services roles still centre the job around production.

You may manage a portfolio and attend client meetings, but a significant part of your week is still spent preparing or heavily managing tax returns, financial statements and compliance work.

This role is structured differently.

At ABN Australia, a dedicated technical team handles the preparation and lodgement work. As Senior Client Manager, your role is to own the client relationship, exercise judgement over the position, provide practical advice and ensure the right outcome is delivered.

You will manage a portfolio of international businesses operating in Australia, including established multinational groups, and become the senior person they call when they need a clear answer, a commercial perspective or help navigating an Australian issue.

This is a senior client leadership position with a high level of autonomy and remuneration to match.

ABOUT ABN AUSTRALIA

ABN Australia is a boutique corporate services and accounting firm specialising in international businesses entering and operating in Australia.

We work with clients across more than 50 countries, from early-stage businesses establishing their first Australian entity through to listed multinational groups.

In 2025 and 2026, we were a finalist in the Australian Accounting Awards for Fast-Growing Firm of the Year and Multiservice Firm of the Year.

A few things about how we operate:

- We price based on scope and value, not hours. There are no timesheets.
- We are cloud-based and paperless, with systems designed to keep client-facing people focused on clients.
- We offer flexible working and leave arrangements and assess performance based on outcomes.
- Our clients are international, so occasional calls outside standard Australian business hours may be required. We manage this through flexibility and time off in lieu.
- Technical specialists are available to support complex matters, but the Client Manager remains accountable for the overall client experience and outcome.
- We expect senior people to exercise judgement, make decisions and take ownership rather than simply escalate matters upwards.

THE ROLE You will be the primary senior adviser and relationship owner for a portfolio of international clients operating in Australia.

When a CFO, Finance Director or Group Controller in London, Singapore, New York or elsewhere has a question about their Australian operations, you will be expected to understand the issue, determine what needs to happen and lead the response.

You will have considerable autonomy over your portfolio and will work directly with ABN Australia's directors and technical specialists on significant or complex matters.

Your responsibilities will include

- Owning senior client relationships across a portfolio of international and foreign-owned businesses
- Advising clients on Australian tax, accounting, corporate compliance, payroll and broader operational obligations in clear, commercial language
- Reviewing technical work and determining whether the position is appropriate before it is communicated to the client
- Identifying tax, compliance, governance and commercial risks before they become client problems
- Leading complex client discussions,



including matters where the answer is not immediately obvious
- Recognising when specialist tax, legal or regulatory advice is required and coordinating the appropriate internal or external adviser
- Managing significant client issues and escalations directly
- Leading new client onboarding and ensuring the transition from engagement through to business as usual is well controlled
- Owning scope, pricing and fee conversations within our value-based pricing framework
- Identifying opportunities to expand our relationship with clients where additional services would genuinely benefit them
- Ensuring clients remain ahead of their Australian compliance obligations and upcoming decisions
- Directing and briefing technical delivery teams so that client priorities, risks and expectations translate into the right work
- Maintaining oversight of open matters, deadlines and responsibilities across your portfolio
- Working with directors on larger, higher-risk or strategically important client relationships
- Coaching Client Managers and other team members and helping lift the standard of client management across the firm
- Contributing to improvements in client service, systems, processes and the way our broader client function operates

You will not spend your days preparing tax returns or BAS lodgements. However, this is not a non-technical relationship management position. You will need strong enough technical judgement to review a position critically, identify gaps, challenge assumptions, ask the right questions and confidently explain the outcome to a sophisticated client..

CAREER PROGRESSION

This is not a stepping-stone Client Manager position.

We are looking for someone capable of operating with considerable independence and credibility from the outset.

You should be comfortable managing senior finance stakeholders, making judgement calls, dealing with ambiguity and taking accountability for the overall quality of the client relationship.

There will always be access to specialist expertise and director support where warranted, but you should not need a director sitting behind you to manage ordinary client conversations or decisions.

For the right person, there is also scope to play a broader leadership role as ABN Australia's client portfolio and management team continue to grow.

ABOUT YOU

You are likely to be an experienced Manager, Senior Manager or equivalent from an accounting, business services or advisory environment.

You enjoy the technical side of accounting and tax, but you are at your best when you are using that knowledge to advise clients rather than spending most of your time preparing the underlying work.

You can sit across from a CFO or senior finance executive and hold a credible commercial conversation. You are comfortable saying what you think, explaining why,



and taking responsibility for moving an issue forward.

You understand that excellent client management involves more than being responsive. It means anticipating issues, maintaining control of the portfolio, managing expectations and making sure clients feel that someone senior is genuinely across their Australian operations.

You will ideally bring

- Significant experience in business services, accounting, tax or a comparable client advisory environment
- Strong Australian tax and business services knowledge, including income tax, GST, PAYG withholding and financial reporting
- Experience reviewing financial statements, tax returns and compliance work at a manager or senior manager level
- Solid technical judgement and the ability to distinguish between routine matters and issues requiring specialist advice
- Demonstrated experience managing a substantial portfolio of clients
- Confidence dealing directly with CFOs, Finance Directors, business owners and other senior stakeholders
- Excellent written communication and the ability to make complex Australian requirements understandable to international clients
- Strong commercial judgement when discussing scope, pricing, service expectations and difficult client issues
- The ability to manage multiple significant matters without losing control of deadlines or follow-up
- A willingness to take ownership and make decisions
- Experience coaching or developing less experienced team members
- CA or CPA qualification, or equivalent professional credentials
- Experience with international, multinational or foreign-owned businesses would be highly regarded
- Familiarity with Xero, cloud accounting systems, practice management software and CRM platforms

International tax experience is advantageous but not essential. We have specialist expertise available for complex international tax matters. What matters more is that you have the technical foundation, judgement and confidence to recognise an issue, understand its significance and bring the right people into the conversation.

WHO THIS ROLE MAY SUIT

This role may suit

- A Senior Manager in a traditional accounting firm who enjoys clients but wants to move away from a production-heavy model
- An experienced Manager who is already effectively operating at Senior Manager level and wants greater autonomy
- A commercially minded business services professional who wants broader exposure to international businesses
- Someone who enjoys being the trusted Australian adviser to a client rather than simply managing the completion of their annual accounts

The common thread is that you should already be capable of owning significant client relationships.

LOCATION AND WORKING ARRANGEMENTS

- Full-time position
- Based in Sydney
- Hybrid working arrangement
- Highly competitive senior-level remuneration package, reflecting the experience, autonomy and commercial responsibility of the position

HOW TO APPLY Please send your CV along with a short note describing a significant client relationship you have managed, the role you played, an issue you helped the client navigate and what you believe made the relationship successful.

We read every application and respond to every applicant.

📌 Senior Client Manager | International Business Services & Advisory (Sydney)
🏢 ABN Australia
📍 Sydney