Job Description
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STE Financial is a small Kingscliff practice that pairs accounting, tax, and mortgage broking under one roof. Our partners cover both sides of the picture: Mark Moore is a licensed mortgage broker and Craig Hughes is a CPA, so clients get their Accounting and Loans from the same two people.
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We are a team of 5 in an office on Pearl Street, KINGSCLIFF two minutes from the beach. We like good coffee, an honest conversation, and a Friday knock-off that happens on time.
About the role n
You own the accuracy and rhythm of our clients' day-to-day books. You run the bookkeeping, payroll, and BAS cycle end to end across a portfolio of clients, keep our Xero files clean and reconciled, and make sure nothing is late or unexplained.
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You are also the person clients ring when something in their numbers does not look right.
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This is a senior seat in a small team, so it comes with real ownership: your own portfolio, input into how we build our processes, and the chance to mentor junior team members as we grow.
What you will do n
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Portfolio bookkeeping.
Run the full cycle for your own client files in Xero: coding, bank and credit card reconciliations, accounts payable and receivable, and month-end close.
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Payroll.
Process accurate pay cycles including award interpretation, leave accruals, superannuation, and Single Touch Payroll, so every client's team is looked after.
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BAS and compliance.
Prepare and lodge BAS and IAS, manage GST and PAYG positions, and keep ATO obligations and lodgement calendars on track with no surprises.
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Client relationships.
Be the first point of contact for your clients: answer questions in plain English, chase what you need without friction, and flag issues early.
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Reporting handover.
Deliver clean, reviewed files and management reports to the accounting team, with the commentary the partners can advise from.




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Systems and process.
Improve and document our workflows, onboard new clients onto our standard Xero setup, review junior work, and be the technical go-to.
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What you need n
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Five or more years of Australian bookkeeping experience, ideally across multiple clients in a practice or outsourced setting.
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Advanced Xero skills, including payroll, bank rules, tracking categories, and common app integrations.
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Confident with GST, PAYG, superannuation, and STP, and comfortable preparing BAS for review or lodgement.
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Cert IV in Accounting and Bookkeeping, or equivalent experience, with BAS agent registration or eligibility to register.
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Genuinely good with people: clear written and verbal communication, and the patience to explain things without jargon.
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Self-managing and deadline-driven, with the discipline to keep a multi-client workload on schedule without being chased.
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Nice to have n
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Hubdoc experience
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Job or project costing
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Trades or construction clients
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Hospitality awards
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CRM management
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Mentoring juniors
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What success looks like n
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First 30 days.
You know your portfolio, you have met your clients, and the weekly reconciliation and pay run cycle runs without hand-holding.
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First 90 days.
Every file is current and reconciled, one BAS quarter is delivered on time, and you have flagged the clean-ups worth doing.
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Ongoing.
Lodgements are on time, reconciliations are clean at month-end,



and review notes trend down because the work lands right the first time.
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A better system.
Our process is documented, consistent across clients, and a little faster each quarter because you improved it.
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What we offer n
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A senior seat with real ownership of your portfolio and a direct line to the partners.
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Adaptable part-time hours with the option to increase them over time. We do not measure people by hours at a desk.
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A tight-knit Kingscliff team that brings personality to the numbers.
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Supported training, BAS agent registration, and CPE, plus exposure to advisory and lending work as you grow.
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A salary that reflects senior experience, reviewed annually, and a say in how the bookkeeping side of the practice is built.
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This is not the right fit if n
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You need a single set of books and a fixed routine. This role juggles a portfolio, and priorities move week to week.
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You would rather not talk to clients. Direct, friendly client contact is core to the job, not an occasional extra.
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You are attached to desktop-era software or manual workarounds and resistant to cloud systems and automation.
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Close enough is good enough for you. Our accuracy comes from real review and a genuinely careful eye for detail.
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You need close supervision to stay on track. Seniority here means owning your deadlines and asking for help early.
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The work rhythm n
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Weekly.
Bank feeds reconciled, payables coded, pay runs processed, client queries cleared.
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Monthly.
Month-end close, balance sheet reconciliations, management reports to the team.
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Quarterly.
BAS preparation and lodgement, super obligations, client check-in calls.
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Yearly.
Year-end file handover, payroll finalisation, workflow review and clean-up.
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📌 Senior Bookkeeper (New South Wales)
🏢 Ste Financial
📍 New South Wales