Senior Finance Manager

Hardie Grant Media is a leading agency network, driven by the vision to be “Australia’s most loved integrated marketing network”. We are looking for a pivotal senior leader to join the HGM Central team and drive strategic financial excellence across our growing group of agencies.

The Opportunity: Senior Finance Manager

This is a senior leadership position reporting directly to the Group Managing Director. You will work alongside the Group Innovation Director and Head of People & Culture to provide strategic financial reporting, guidance, and essential change management support to all agencies within the network.

You will have direct oversight of the HGM Finance team, ensuring operational excellence while acting as a proactive partner in strategic initiatives that progress the network’s growth.

Key Role Responsibilities

1. Core Operational & BAU Excellence (The Foundation)

You will champion financial operations and lead a high-performing team composed of 2 Management Accountants, 1 Accountant and 1 Accounts Support team member to:

• Champion Financial Operations: Oversee the day-to-day financial heartbeat of HGM, ensuring seamless execution of EOM processes including reporting and analysis, invoicing, and the resolution of finance queries from agencies and clients.
• Adhere to all Compliance & Controls: Maintain a robust internal control environment, ensuring all financial operations, audit and tax requirements meet both HGM and parent company standards.
• Drive Efficiency & Automation: Drive process documentation, automation, and efficiency initiatives—spotting opportunities to streamline workflows and reduce manual effort.

2. Strategic Partnership & Business Enablement (The Engine Room)

As a true strategic business partner, you’ll be expected to:

• Act as a trusted finance partner to the HGM Central team and Agency Managing Directors, providing actionable insights that empower informed decision-making.
• Lead the development of management reports, dashboards, and key metric analyses to illuminate business performance and drive accountability.
• Serve as a “finance coach,” helping agency leaders understand and leverage financial data to achieve their goals, adapting financial processes with the operational intricacies of each agency.
• Oversee the integration and optimisation of Productive as the central agency platform to ensure real-time visibility.
• Proactively recommend improvements by benchmarking performance and identifying trends to drive efficiency, profitability, and growth.

3. Strategic Initiatives & Growth Leadership (The Top Layer)

You will be a growth catalyst for the HGM Network by:

• Playing a pivotal role in supporting strategic initiatives such as acquisitions and new service launches (e.g., media buying).
• Designing and implementing new finance processes and frameworks to support business innovation and scalability.
• Collaborating with the HGM Central team to translate strategic vision into actionable financial plans.
• Representing the finance function in board and executive forums, shaping the future direction of the business.
• Note: The role also has a dotted line reporting to the Hardie Grant Group Finance Director.

What You Will Bring: Experience & Credentials

Essential Qualifications & Experience

• Professional Certification: CA (Chartered Accountant), CPA (Certified Practising Accountant), or equivalent professional accounting qualification is required.
• Education: A Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, Economics, or a related field is essential. A post-graduate qualification is highly regarded.
• Finance Leadership: 5–10+ years’ experience in progressively senior finance roles – ideally in similar level Finance Manager/Senior Finance Manager positions.
• Team Management: Demonstrated experience leading and developing finance teams, including management accountants and support staff.
• Strategic & Operational Excellence: Proven ability to act as a business partner and hands-on experience with core finance operations (EOM, cash management, payroll, compliance).

Highly Desirable Attributes

• Experience in a marketing, media, or agency environment, given the unique commercial models.
• Experience driving automation, system upgrades, or finance transformation projects
• Familiarity with finance and agency platforms (e.g., Productive, Sage Intacct, ProSpend, or similar ERP/accounting systems).
• A postgraduate qualification (e.g., MBA, Master of Finance)Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial information clearly to non-finance stakeholders.

Why Join Us?

At Hardie Grant, we put our people first. A core pillar of what defines us is our commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone thrives. This is reflected in the benefits we provide and the initiatives we prioritise, including:

✨ Brand-new, custom-designed office space in the state-of-the-art T3 building in Collingwood – a 6-star environmentally sustainable workplace.

✨ Flexible work options – hybrid working and flexible hours.

✨ Bonus leave days to recharge.

✨ Discounts on books from our publishing arm.

✨ Active RAP, ESG, and Diversity & Inclusion working groups.

✨ Summer Hours program – enjoy shorter workdays in summer!

✨ Purchased leave program available to all staff.

✨ Additional menstrual & menopausal leave to support well-being.

✨ Paid volunteer day each year to give back.

✨ Paid blood donation leave.

✨ Extensive Learning & Development programs to support career growth.

✨ Free counselling services for both professional and personal matters.

✨ 3 months of paid parental leave (on top of statutory leave) for both primary and secondary carers.

✨ Fertility treatment and gender transition leave, if required.

Be Yourself, We Like You That Way

Hardie Grant are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace, and we celebrate different approaches, points of view and backgrounds. Applicants from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply, including people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and people with a disability.

At any point in the application process, please feel safe to let us know of any accommodations that will make the process more accessible for you. We encourage you to share your pronouns and anything else you would like us to know that will make this an enjoyable experience.

How To Apply

If you’re ready to take on this exciting challenge, we’d love to hear from you! Please apply with a customised cover letter detailing your experience alignment to the role requirements and selection criteria, along with an up-to-date CV.