About the Company

Our client is a Private Equity backed Australian industrial manufacturing and resource recovery enterprise, operating across an international multi-site processing and manufacturing footprint with international trade links. The business employs over 1,000 skilled professionals dedicated to delivering end-to-end industrial packaging, material handling, and sustainable supply chain solutions. Supported by strong private equity backing, the organization has grown through strategic acquisitions and operational integration, bringing together specialist capabilities spanning raw material processing, high-volume precision manufacturing, converter operations, and closed-loop recycling services.

The operating environment is characterized by multi-entity complexity, high-volume production facilities, capital-intensive site networks, and ongoing operational evolution. Finance operates as a strategic commercial partner to operations, directly influencing site-level efficiency, capital allocation, yield optimization, and long-term sustainable growth.

The Opportunity

Based at the flagship manufacturing facility in Clayton, Victoria, this Finance Business Partner role sits at the intersection of production operations, commercial decision-making, and executive reporting. By consolidating the core functions of cost accounting, commercial financial analysis, and forward-looking FP&A;, this position serves as the primary commercial advisor to site leadership.

You will bridge the gap between physical production workflows and financial outcome metrics. Spending time on the factory floor understanding labor absorption, machine rates, and material yields,



you will translate operational data into robust financial models, project pricing evaluations, and rolling forecasts. This role suits a pragmatic, analytical finance professional who enjoys converting operational data into strategic commercial insights that protect margins and drive long-term business performance.

What You'll Do

Reporting directly to the Commercial Finance Manager, you will take operational ownership of the financial rhythms, cost accounting frameworks, and forward-looking projections for the Clayton manufacturing facility. Positioned as a key commercial advisor to site leadership, you will translate complex physical shop-floor activities into robust financial data, driving process discipline, cost transparency, and site-level profitability.

- Lead the development of annual operating budgets, quarterly rolling forecasts, and operational volume models across active site production lines.
- Establish, review, and refine standard costing frameworks, Bills of Materials (BOMs), labor rates, and machine overhead allocation methodologies.
- Conduct deep-dive variance analysis across material yields, labor efficiency, and rate absorption to identify operational inefficiencies and eliminate margin leakage.
- Build custom financial models to evaluate product margins, customer pricing structures, project tenders,



and major contract profitability.
- Lead site inventory accounting, taking ownership of Work-in-Progress (WIP) tracking, cycle counting discipline, stock valuations, and provisioning to optimize working capital.
- Execute month-end close activities—including inventory journals, Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) reconciliations, and accruals—and deliver monthly executive reporting packages.
- Collaborate with site engineers, procurement, and supply chain teams to ensure ERP system routings accurately reflect physical production workflows.

What You'll Bring

- Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
- CA or CPA qualification (or actively working towards completion).
- Demonstrated experience as a Commercial Analyst, Cost Accountant, FP&A; Analyst, or Management Accountant within manufacturing, industrial engineering, or heavy technology sectors.
- Technical understanding of standard costing, activity-based costing, inventory control, and manufacturing variance analysis.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills (financial modeling, nested formulas, Power Query) with a track record of manipulating complex data sets.
- Hands-on exposure to manufacturing ERP platforms and inventory management databases.
- Robust communication skills with an ability to engage with plant managers, engineers, and executive management.
- Capability to comply with site-specific regulatory and security compliance requirements as required by commercial contracts

Not sure if you meet these requirements? Please apply - we are happy to discuss your individual circumstances.

📌 Finance Business Partner (Clayton Bay)
🏢 Cirql
📍 Clayton Bay