Be the person who knows the numbers behind every biscuit, every shift and every dollar, the link between finance, operations and QA.

About us

Heather Brae Shortbreads is a fast-growing bakery manufacturer in Thomastown, making tarts, biscuits and cookies for Australia's major supermarkets. The business is part of Ember Equity, a Melbourne-based private investment group building a portfolio of Australian food manufacturers. Our team is culturally diverse, close-knit and proud of what we make.

The opportunity

This is the finance seat at the centre of the business. You'll own finance and payroll: costing, reporting, cash and compliance. Just as importantly, you'll turn the numbers into a clear daily picture that helps our operations leaders run a better factory. You'll work day to day with our General Manager and Operations Manager, report to the General Manager, and provide insights to our Investment Director. It's hands-on: you'll do the work yourself and see the impact straight away.

What you'll own

Costing, margins and reporting

- Getting bills of materials and cost of goods right, so every product and customer shows its true margin
- Costing new products with our product development team, and helping us decide which ones are worth making
- Working with Operations and QA to turn yield, waste and rework into clear cost impacts
- Producing a daily operating report for the General Manager and Operations Manager
- Running month-end and stocktake (closing within five business days), inventory and working capital reporting, and a rolling 13-week cash flow forecast
- Spotting what the numbers are telling us, and raising it before anyone asks

Payroll and labour cost





- Running payroll end to end for production and office staff, applying award conditions accurately
- Owning our time and attendance system (Tanda), and tracking and reporting overtime daily
- Being the go-to person for payroll queries, WorkCover administration and new-starter onboarding

Day-to-day finance

- Accounts payable and receivable, credit cards, bank reconciliations, petty cash and cash banking
- First point of contact for customer and supplier invoice queries
- BAS, IAS, super and payroll tax lodged and paid on time, with our external accountants

Systems and processes

- Key user in our new ERP rollout, working with procurement, operations, QA and the warehouse on data and processes
- Bringing in smarter systems, automation and AI so finance grows with the business

Office leadership

- Leading the administration and reception team, so the front office and phones are always covered
- Owning our people calendar, including staff events such as the annual Christmas party

Who we're looking for

We're open to two kinds of candidate.
- The experienced operator. You've run finance in an SME, ideally in food, FMCG or manufacturing. You know costing, inventory, cost of goods and month-end inside out, and you're ready to own the function and shape how it scales.




- The rising talent. You have a strong accounting foundation and a real hunger to grow. You want hands-on exposure to every part of a manufacturing business, direct mentoring and a clear route into a senior finance role.

What you'll need

- A degree in accounting, or commerce with an accounting major
- Solid accounting experience, ideally including cost or management accounting (five years or more for the experienced operator)
- End-to-end payroll experience applying modern award conditions
- MYOB (we use AccountRight) and robust Excel, including reports that non-finance managers can use
- The ability to explain numbers simply, and to own your work without close supervision
- Accurate, organised and reliable, and clear and courteous with customers, suppliers and staff

CA or CPA isn't required, but we value it.

Nice to have

- Food or FMCG manufacturing experience, particularly with supermarket customers
- Tanda or a similar time and attendance system, and ERP implementation experience

What's on offer

- $110,000 to $125,000 + super, depending on experience
- A permanent, full-time role with an established, growing food manufacturer
- Direct access to the General Manager and ownership, with real visibility and influence
- The chance to shape a finance function as the business and the wider portfolio grow, and to be rewarded as the role grows with it

How to apply

Apply with your resume and a short cover letter telling us about your costing, reporting and payroll experience. You must have the right to live and work in Australia to apply. No agencies, please.

📌 Management Accountant (Thomastown)
🏢 HeatherBrae Shortbreads
📍 Thomastown