This is a newly created role designed to better support our organisation and to drive automation, changes and growth.

About us

Group Elephant is a global organisation with over 4,000 employees across 42 countries. We are widely recognised as the world’s largest and most experienced independent SAP HR/Payroll and Workforce Management specialist.

We design, build, and implement cloud-based, hybrid, and on-premises solutions for our clients. At Group Elephant, we believe there is no “one size fits all.” We partner closely with our clients to solve their most critical business challenges through a business enablement-led approach — delivering value through innovation in every project and every solution.

We offer a dynamic and cooperative work environment, flexible working conditions, comprehensive employee benefits, and opportunities to work on diverse, global client engagements.

About the role

The Head of Finance & Operations owns the finance and operations functions the practices depend on across Asia Pacific and Japan. It is a hands‑on leadership role. The finance unit delivers the entity and practice accounting. This role is accountable for the entity and consolidated results, the treasury and compliance position, the service the business receives, and the change programme that lifts all three — a new APJ ERP, automation, and AI embedded in how the work is done.

Group reporting and performance

- Owns the entity and consolidated results, the integrity and timeliness of the pack
- Sets the group reporting calendar and shorten it as processes and systems improve
- Provides Gross profit and operating profit insights by entity, practice, client, project and consultant
- Consolidate and challenge the entity budgets and year‑end forecasts, and explanation of variances
- Provide financial performance analysis and business insights to leadership
- Debtor and WIP discipline, with a regular reporting and meeting cadence across the business

Systems, transformation and AI

- Own the new APJ ERP end to end, from requirements and tender through to adoption
- Redesign the finance and operations processes into the new system rather than rebuild what exists today




- Embed automation and AI in how the work is done, not as a side project
- Move finance operations to SharePoint, with one repository for client documents
- Develop the reporting into analytics the practices act on
- Design the controls into the automated workflows, so what automation and AI produce stays auditable
- Run the ERP as an ongoing service after go‑live — roadmap, releases and configuration discipline

Payroll

- Accountable for payroll across all entities — in house for ANZ and through the local providers in Asia
- Payroll is the group’s largest cost — own the reporting and analysis of payroll cost and headcount by entity and practice, and the movement against budget
- Review and co‑approve each payroll with the CFO
- Payroll controls, segregation of duties and the confidentiality of remuneration data
- Payroll compliance in every jurisdiction — superannuation, payroll tax, workers compensation and the local equivalents — and the on‑cost rates applied in each country
- Manage the local payroll providers in Asia to agreed service levels, accuracy and cost
- Payroll and employee data integrity across the HRIS, payroll and the recent ERP

Treasury and cash

- Weekly entity and consolidated cash flow forecasts and the working capital decisions
- Bank account management and the mandates; co‑authoriser on payments and transfers
- Review and co‑authorise the foreign exchange payments; intercompany funding

Compliance and governance

- Group and entity taxes and the audit programme — the approach, the calendar and the advisers
- Financial controls, the finance policy framework and segregation of duties
- Company secretarial, ASIC and overseas registers
- Own the statutory accounts — prepared by the external advisers and reviewed by the finance team, for director signature

Operations





- Business Operations — the internal service desk, project and job setup, on‑boarding and off‑boarding, with service levels measured and reported
- IT and systems through the outsourced provider — infrastructure, security, data privacy and continuity
- Legal — contracts, templates, one repository and agreed turnaround times, with the outsourced provider and the legal AI tooling
- HR — employment and workplace compliance, HRIS data quality, and support to HR
- Insurance programme and third‑party risk

Acquisitions

- Integrate acquired businesses financially and operationally, including work delivered inside transition service arrangements

People and leadership

- Lead, mentor and coach the Finance, Payroll and Business Services units across seven countries
- Workforce planning and resourcing across the units
- Remove single‑person dependencies through cross‑training and documented process

About you

- Minimum 10 years' experience in a senior finance role
- Senior finance leadership in a multi‑entity, multi‑currency group — professional services preferred
- Ownership of a group consolidation, and of statutory and tax obligations across several jurisdictions
- Multi‑country payroll ownership, delivered both in house and through local providers
- A systems implementation led as the business owner, through to adoption rather than go‑live
- Automation or AI applied to finance and operations processes
- Acquisition integration, including transition service arrangements
- Able to direct external consultants and programme partners to a fixed set of deliverables
- Able to lead remote units across Asia Pacific time zones, and comfortable working hands‑on

What’s in It for You

- Competitive salary and benefits.
- A supportive, inclusive culture that values diversity.
- A friendly, engaging working environment.

Inclusion & Diversity

We are committed to fostering a truly diverse workforce that is inclusive of everyone. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, experiences, and skill sets, regardless of gender identity, age, sexual orientation, disability, or ethnicity.

#J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Head of Finance & Operations (Sydney)
🏢 EPI-USE Australia
📍 Sydney