Finance Manager

About Drone Forge

Drone Forge is an Australian uncrewed systems capability integrator. We deliver defence-grade drone and autonomous capabilities to defence, government and emergency services customers, and to commercial sectors including mining and energy. Headquartered in Perth, Western Australia, Drone Forge integrates aircraft, payloads, software and operational services across a broad, platform-agnostic OEM base.

We deliver real-world outcomes for customers operating in complex environments. As the company continues its domestic and international growth, we are seeking a commercially minded, hands-on Finance Manager to lead and run our finance function.

The Chance

This is a senior management position, though not an executive one. It is responsible for the complete finance function of the Australian business, from strategic financial advice through to day-to-day transactional finance.

The role is genuinely hands-on. Alongside financial control, reporting and advisory work, you will personally run:

- accounts payable and accounts receivable
- purchasing
- payroll
- the financial onboarding of customers

It suits someone who is equally comfortable presenting to leadership and processing a pay run. You will act as a trusted adviser to the CEO and leadership team. You will also work closely with the CFO of Drone Forge's US parent company to keep the group aligned.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Leadership & Advisory

- Provide financial advice to the CEO and leadership team to support strategic and operational decisions.
- Develop financial models, scenario analyses and business cases for investment decisions, growth initiatives and commercial opportunities.
- Identify financial risks and opportunities, and recommend appropriate actions.

Financial Control & Reporting

- Own the month-end close and monthly, quarterly and annual financial reporting.
- Ensure financial records are accurate, timely and compliant with relevant standards.
- Manage budgeting, forecasting and variance analysis, and monitor performance against objectives.
- Prepare management reports and board-level financial information.

Accounts Payable & Purchasing

- Run the end-to-end purchase-to-pay process: purchase orders, supplier invoices, matching and payment runs.
- Raise and manage purchase orders in line with the company's Delegations of Authority.
- Manage supplier onboarding and vendor master data, including independent verification of supplier bank details.
- Coordinate domestic and international procurement from OEMs and suppliers, including freight, import duties and GST on imports.




- Perform three-way matching against goods receipt records from the Warehouse Manager.
- Prepare payment runs for independent approval and reconcile supplier accounts.

Accounts Receivable & Customer Onboarding

- Lead the commercial and financial onboarding of new customers: entity and ABN verification, credit assessment, payment terms and account setup.
- Complete Drone Forge's supplier registration and onboarding in customer procurement systems, including government and defence portals.
- Coordinate customer due-diligence screening with the Compliance function, including sanctions and export-control checks where applicable.
- Issue accurate and timely invoices, including milestone and progress billing under government and defence contracts.
- Manage debtors, collections and customer account reconciliations.

Payroll

- Lead the transition of payroll from the external provider to an in-house system.
- Process payroll accurately and on time for permanent and casual staff [VERIFY pay cycle], applying the award and contract terms set by management.
- Manage Single Touch Payroll reporting, PAYG withholding, leave accruals and termination payments.
- Manage superannuation guarantee obligations, including payday super requirements.
- Manage WA payroll tax (where applicable) and workers' compensation declarations.
- Maintain payroll controls, including independent approval of new starters, pay rate changes and employee bank detail changes.

Cash Flow & Commercial Management

- Manage cash flow forecasting and working capital.
- Support contract reviews, pricing decisions and commercial negotiations.
- Analyse project profitability and business performance and evaluate capital investments.

Governance & Compliance

- Design and operate internal controls suited to a combined finance role, including dual payment authorisation, delegated approval limits and independent review of master-data changes.
- Coordinate external audits and statutory reporting.
- Ensure compliance with Australian taxation, corporate and regulatory obligations, including GST/BAS lodgement.
- Improve financial policies, procedures and systems as the business scales.

Group Coordination





- Act as the primary financial interface between the Australian entity and the US parent company's CFO.
- Support consolidated reporting, cross-border financial processes and information requests.

Building the Function

- Build scalable finance and payroll processes for a high-growth business.
- Advise leadership on when and how to expand the finance function as transaction volumes grow.

Other

- Reasonable amounts of domestic and international travel will be required.
- Duties outside this role description may be required at the business's request.

About You You are an experienced finance professional who combines technical capability and commercial judgement with a genuine willingness to do the work yourself.

You will likely bring

- A CA or CPA qualification.
- 8+ years' experience in financial management, financial control or commercial finance, including roles where you directly ran AP, AR, purchasing and payroll.
- Working knowledge of Australian payroll obligations, including modern award application, STP and superannuation.
- Experience supporting executive leadership teams.
- Strong financial modelling, forecasting and analytical skills.
- Demonstrated experience managing budgets, cash flow and financial reporting.
- A sound understanding of Australian accounting standards and taxation requirements.
- Experience with [accounting/ERP system — VERIFY] or comparable platforms.
- Clear communication skills and the ability to turn financial information into practical business advice.

Highly regarded:
- Experience implementing a payroll system or bringing payroll in-house.
- Experience in defence, aerospace, engineering, manufacturing or project-based businesses.
- Experience with inventory, international procurement and import processes.
- Experience in high-growth or small-to-medium businesses.
- Exposure to multinational reporting environments.
- Familiarity with government contracts and grant-funded programs.
- [VERIFY: Australian citizenship and eligibility to obtain and maintain a Defence security clearance. Include this only if Drone Forge's defence security obligations or contracts require it and confirm with employment counsel before mandating it.

What We Offer

- A key role in one of Australia's emerging uncrewed systems companies.
- Direct access to senior leadership and involvement in strategic decisions.
- Broad responsibility and real influence over company outcomes.
- Exposure to international operations and growth initiatives.
- A competitive remuneration package based on experience.

📌 Finance Manager (Perth)
🏢 Drone Forge
📍 Perth