Location: Brisbane, Australia
Employment Type: Full Time (Maternity Cover)
Reports to: Studio Leadership
Team: Finance

Finance Manager

Location: Brisbane, Australia
Employment Type: Full Time (Maternity Cover)
Reports to: Studio Leadership
Team: Finance

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced and commercially minded Finance Manager to join our 3D animated feature film studio.

The Finance Manager will play a key role in overseeing the financial management of the studio and its productions, providing accurate financial insight, robust financial controls, and practical commercial guidance to Producers, Production Management, and senior leadership.

Working across both production and corporate finance , this role will oversee budgeting, forecasting, management reporting, cash flow, production accounting, accounts payable and receivable, payroll coordination, and financial compliance.

This is an important role within the studio, requiring someone who can operate confidently at both the strategic and operational level , ensuring financial processes are robust while supporting the creative and production teams to deliver ambitious projects successfully.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Management & Reporting

- Oversee the day-to-day financial management of the studio and its productions.

- Prepare and deliver accurate monthly management accounts and financial reports.

- Provide clear financial analysis and commentary to senior management and Producers.

- Monitor financial performance against budgets, forecasts, and approved business plans.

- Identify financial risks, trends, variances, and opportunities and recommend appropriate action.

- Maintain accurate balance sheet reconciliations and financial records.

- Oversee month-end and year-end close processes in conjunction with the Tax Accountant and Bookkeepers.

- Prepare financial information and reporting for senior leadership, investors, boards, and other stakeholders as required.

Production Finance

- Oversee production accounting across the studio's feature animation projects.

- Work closely with Producers and Line Producers to maintain accurate production budgets, forecasts, actuals, commitments, and accruals.

- Monitor production costs against approved budgets and provide meaningful variance analysis.

- Support Line Producers in financial decision-making throughout the production lifecycle.

- Monitor departmental spending, staffing costs, vendor commitments, and production overheads in coordination with the Line Producers.

- Ensure production costs are appropriately coded, allocated, approved,



and reported on a monthly basis.

Budgeting & Forecasting

- Lead the annual budgeting and forecasting process for the studio.

- Oversee the Line Producers in their preparation and maintenance of feature production budgets.

- Monitor cash flow requirements across both production and corporate operations.

- Work with senior leadership to develop financial plans and identify potential funding or cash-flow requirements.

Financial Controls & Compliance

- Maintain and continuously improve the studio's financial controls and processes.

- Ensure appropriate approval processes are in place for expenditure, purchase orders, contracts, and payments.

- Oversee accounts payable, accounts receivable, expenses, and payment processes.

- Ensure financial transactions are accurately recorded and appropriately supported.

- Ensure compliance with relevant accounting standards, taxation requirements, funding conditions, and statutory obligations in consultation with the Tax Accountant, Bookkeepers and Legal team

- Assist the production teams with production incentives, rebates, grants, tax credits, and other screen industry funding arrangements where applicable.

- Partner closely with Production, Legal, Operations, and senior management.

Business & Commercial Support

- Act as a trusted financial partner to the Producers and senior leadership team.

- Translate financial information into clear, practical recommendations for non-financial stakeholders.

- Review commercial arrangements, vendor commitments, and contracts from a financial perspective.

- Assist with business cases, investment analysis, production feasibility assessments, and new project evaluations.

- Help the studio understand the financial implications of strategic and production decisions.

- Identify opportunities to improve financial efficiency with considerations to creative and production objectives.

About You

You are an experienced finance professional who enjoys working in a creative, project-based environment and understands the unique financial challenges of film and animation production.

You will ideally have:

- 5+ years' experience in finance, accounting, production finance, or a related field.





- Experience in film, television, animation, VFX, games, or another project-based creative industry .

- Strong technical accounting and financial management skills.

- Demonstrated experience managing budgets, forecasts, cash flow, and management reporting.

- Experience leading or managing a finance team.

- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

- Excellent attention to detail without losing sight of the bigger commercial picture.

- Advanced Excel/Google Sheets skills and experience working with accounting and financial systems.

- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain financial concepts clearly to creative and production teams.

- The ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

- A proactive and pragmatic approach, with the confidence to challenge assumptions and provide constructive financial advice.

Desirable Experience

Experience with the following would be highly advantageous:

- 3D animated feature film production.

- Production accounting for feature films or television.

- VFX or animation studio finance.

- Production incentives, tax rebates, grants, or screen funding.

- International productions or co-productions.

- Multi-entity or group accounting structures.

- Studio overhead and corporate finance.

- Payroll and contractor-heavy production environments.

- Production management and budgeting software.

- Working with international vendors and foreign currencies.

What You'll Bring

We are looking for someone who combines strong financial discipline with a genuine understanding of creative production .

You will be comfortable working with detailed financial data, but equally comfortable sitting with a Producer and explaining what the numbers mean for the production.

You will be a trusted partner to the business — someone who can identify problems early, provide practical solutions, and help the studio make informed decisions while maintaining solid financial governance.

The ideal candidate will be commercially astute, collaborative, organised, resilient, and solutions-focused , with the confidence to operate in a dynamic production environment where plans and priorities can evolve quickly.

What We Offer

- The opportunity to work on ambitious 3D animated feature film projects.

- A senior role within a creative and growing studio.

- The opportunity to work closely with Producers, filmmakers, artists, and studio leadership.

- A collaborative and inclusive working environment.

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📌 Finance Manager (Maternity Cover) (Brisbane City)
🏢 Cosmic Dino Studio
📍 Brisbane City