Head of Finance and Accounting ANZ & SEA

Take your next step as Head of Finance and Accounting ANZ & SEA at CHG-MERIDIAN!

Location: Sydney
Department: Accounting

Role purpose:

As a Head of Accounting ANZ & SEA, you provide leadership and oversight of all accounting functions across Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, ensuring the highest standards of financial integrity, accuracy, and timeliness.  The role ensures compliance with relevant accounting standards and regulations in each country, drives the implementation of streamlined processes and robust internal controls, and establishes scalable financial governance across the region.  As a strategic partner to executive management, this role delivers actionable financial insights, champions operational excellence, and cultivates a culture of continuous improvement.  

Key responsibilities:

• Implement and oversee operational accounting and reporting processes, including month-end and year-end close, reconciliations, budget preparation, audit preparation, management reporting, statutory reporting, and remediation of legacy system and data-quality issues.
• Ensure adherence to local, national, and international accounting standards (namely IFRS).
• Build and maintain an Accounting Quality Framework with clear ownership, close calendars, account reconciliations, balance-sheet review routines, quality controls, and escalation discipline.
• Structure and professionalize the accounting department with defined roles, accountability, quality measures, controls, and sustainable routines; transition the team from reactive issue handling to controlled execution.
• Develop a scalable regional finance platform for growth, including finance setup for new market entries, compliance with local regulations, banking, tax/accounting readiness, reporting routines, and integration into group standards.
• Lead external audit processes and maintain an audit-ready environment, using audit experience to challenge evidence requests, prioritize remediation, and resolve issues pragmatically.
• Drive financial governance, internal controls, risk management, and compliance, balancing commercial speed with disciplined execution and avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Improve finance processes, systems, and reporting architecture, including automation, standardization, shared-service support, and reduction of manual workarounds.
• Deliver timely, transparent management reporting and actionable business insights for regional leadership, group stakeholders, and local management teams.
• Lead, coach and develop the finance team; set high standards for ownership, resilience, responsiveness, and collaboration across markets.
• Remain hands-on where needed, especially during stabilization, audits, new market launches, urgent escalations, and periods of high workload.

What you need to succeed in the role:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field (Master’s preferred)
• Professional accounting certification (e.g., CPA, CA, ACCA) is highly desirable
• Minimum 8-10 years of progressive accounting experience
• Proven track record in leading and managing accounting operations, audit management, statutory reporting, and regulatory compliance across multiple entities, countries, or jurisdictions
• Strong technical accounting background with proven audit experience from a reputable firm; able to operate confidently with external auditors, local IFRS topics, and audit remediation plans.
• Relevant experience in a commercial or corporate finance environment, ideally in leasing, asset finance, financial services, equipment finance, or a similarly complex B2B environment.
• Hands-on leadership style: willing to go deep into details, clean up issues personally when required, and build structure, rather than only delegate.
• Commercial judgment and decision-making capability, including the ability to balance business growth, customer needs, funding constraints, credit risk, and accounting integrity.
• Ability to structure teams, processes, and routines in a scalable way; strong process architecture mindset and comfort with ERP, reporting systems, automation, and shared-service design.
• Resilience, high work ethic, and calm execution under pressure; able to manage ambiguity, workload peaks, and transformation while maintaining team morale.
• Strong stakeholder management with executive leadership, group finance, auditors, banks/funders, legal, tax, sales and operations.
• People leadership with the ability to raise standards, coach team members, create accountability, and attract/develop finance talent across the region.

What we offer:

• Flexible working hours and a hybrid work model
• Grow through tailored training in social, methodological, technical, and leadership skills
• Stay connected with the latest-generation mobile devices
• Benefit from corporate health management, Global Health Week, and mental well-being initiatives
• Take part in sports challenges, wellness activities, and team events
• Work from inspiring locations with our workation opportunities
• Make an impact through social responsibility projects and our CARE initiatives

Let’s shape the future together. We look forward to receiving your application.

Contact: Montserrat Cazorla

Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Commitment: CHG-MERIDIAN embraces individuals from all backgrounds and perspectives to create a welcoming and collaborative workplace. We are committed to providing equal opportunities to foster a work environment free from discrimination and harassment. All individuals are treated with fairness, respect, equality, and dignity. We provide and promote an inclusive workplace where diversity is valued, and all social and cultural backgrounds are embraced. Our commitment to diversity and inclusion guides every stage of our recruitment process.