About the Role

At Blackbird, our mission is to be a generational owner of the most ambitious tech companies founded by Aussies and Kiwis. To match this ambition as we grow, we are building a world-class Finance function to empower the wider Blackbird team to deliver on key initiatives and to ensure that we are a transparent and fully-compliant financial services organisation.

We are looking for a high-performing, detail-oriented Senior Financial Accountant to level up the financial accounting team at Blackbird. In this role, you will take a senior role, reporting into and guided by our Head of Finance, Rebecca McCallum, with Blackbird’s management entities month-end processes, tax compliance, payroll function and annual audit.

This role is full-time, based in our Sydney or Melbourne office with the flexibility to work from home.

About You

You’re an experienced accounting professional who thrives in fast-moving environments and who loves bringing structure, rigour, clarity and continuous process improvement to everything you touch. You have strong technical foundations in accounting, tax and tax governance, but you’re equally skilled at and excited by improving processes.

You’ve managed countless month-end and year-end closes, navigated audits with confidence, and know how to coach and develop a small but mighty financial accounting team currently consisting of Kay and Lajela. Importantly, you’re comfortable rolling up your sleeves when needed. You naturally think a few steps ahead by redesigning systems and processes, and embrace automation and AI that will allow us to scale our processes. A CA or CPA qualification is preferred.

If you’re proactive, commercially minded, and energised by working alongside exceptional people building iconic companies, this role is for you.

We know candidates, especially women and those from underrepresented backgrounds, sometimes hesitate to apply unless they meet 100% of the qualifications. If this role excites you and you meet most of the requirements, we encourage you to apply. We value potential and are committed to supporting growth in this role.

Key skills and experience

• Accounting expertise: Strong understanding of accounting principles and financial reporting standards (AASB/IFRS).
• Taxation: Deep experience regarding the tax landscape for an operating business (e.g. GST, FBT, income tax) in Australia and New Zealand. Tax governance experience is a bonus.
• Financial reporting & audit: Proven capability as a key contributor across multiple annual audit cycles.
• End to end ownership & process optimisation: Proven ability to apply a systems-thinking mindset, take full, autonomous ownership of the end-to-end financial accounting function (from month-end close through reporting), and proactively re-engineer processes for efficiency, controls, and future scale.
• Leadership: Experience supporting and developing a small accounting team - whether through informal coaching or formal team management.
• Dynamic working environment: Comfort and enjoyment working at pace in environments with multiple moving parts, adapting quickly while delivering high-quality outcomes.
• Attention to detail: Strong financial accuracy and discipline, with the ability to review the work of the team, self-review and deliver high-quality outputs under deadlines.
• Humility & hospitality mindset: Low-ego, generous, and collaborative. We all pitch in, and we treat founders, investors, and colleagues with respect and care.

About the Position

Reporting to our Head of Finance, Rebecca McCallum, you’ll lead the Financial Accounting team and own the delivery of all Financial Accounting processes across Blackbird’s Australian and New Zealand entities.

Here’s what success could look like in your first 6–12 months:

• Finance leadership: With input from Rebecca, assist with the management and development of the Management Company Accounting team, ensuring roles and responsibilities are well established, promoting accountability, coaching and fostering a culture of ongoing learning whilst maintaining an appropriate “hands on” approach.
• General ledger management: Oversee and action monthly, quarterly, and annual close processes, including inter-company recharges, balance sheet reconciliations, and analysis of key movements.
• Taxation & compliance: Assist with the preparation, review and lodgement of payroll tax, FBT, BAS/GST (AU & NZ), income tax and related compliance obligations.
• Financial reporting & audit: Ensure readiness for, and successful completion of, year end audit (30 June year end). Coordinate directly with auditors, ensure compliance with internal controls and deliver high quality financial statements.
• Process improvement & automation: Lead and embed the implementation of a number of initiatives, applications, tools and/or processes to streamline workflows and increase efficiency across the finance function - including leveraging existing tools such as Xero, Airwallex and HiBob.
• Carbon accounting & impact reporting: Continue ownership of Blackbird’s carbon accounting, preparing annual reconciliations and supporting the Impact Team’s analysis of year-on-year trends.
• Collaboration & stakeholder engagement: Build strong relationships to facilitate working closely with investment, operations, and legal teams to ensure smooth financial processes. In particular, via proactive communication.

Working at Blackbird

We believe that building a diverse and inclusive team is critical to Blackbird’s success. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status. We use Applied to ensure every applicant gets an equal chance of success.

We offer:

• Flexible working: Whether it’s working from home, leaving early to pick up the kids or fitting in your favorite exercise class. We encourage you to explore when you're most productive and work in that style.
• Generous parental leave: We know family comes first, and we are proud to offer 20 weeks of parental leave for all parents (an additional 4 weeks for the birth parent), with no minimum tenure. In addition, we offer IVF, adoption and surrogacy leave. We also continue to pay superannuation and vest carried interest for up to 12 months of parental leave, and offer a supportive return-to-work policy to help with the ramp back.
• Learning & Development Budget: Our team is hungry to continuously learn and you’ll receive a budget to spend on books, conferences, training, coaching and courses relating to your profession.
• Wellbeing: We think in decades not days. To support our Blackbirds over the long haul we offer a range of holistic wellbeing benefits including a monthly healthy living allowance, 24/7 access to wellbeing support, a home office allowance, personal kit-kat days, and more!
• Unplugged weekends: We work hard without letting work get in the way of life. We’ve implemented no Slack or emails on weekends, so you can switch off and enjoy yourself.
• Connection: While being big fans of a fully distributed workforce, we value our vibe and time to connect online and IRL through team and company offsites, monthly social activities, weekly lunches and our many social clubs (#fun-manis, #fun-fantasybookclub, #bb-craft just to name a few!).
• A share of Blackbird’s success: We think it is important to share successes with the whole team. All Blackbird employees receive carry in funds raised while they are at the firm.

Blackbird is a Pledge 1% member — we pledge 1% of our time, equity and profits to help not-for-profit causes in our community. Through Pledge 1%, we established the Blackbird Foundation to supercharge the creative capabilities of young people.

We are also very proud to have won the 2023 AFR Best Place to Work award in three categories including Overall winner. In 2022, we became certified as one of Australia’s Great Places to Work. Additionally, you can find us on the Hatch Hotlist for 2024 and 2025

About Blackbird

Blackbird is Australia's biggest venture capital fund whose mission is to supercharge Australia and New Zealand’s most ambitious founders. We do this by raising venture capital funds, investing into the best startup companies and helping them succeed. Our portfolio is worth over $9.9B, and includes more than 130 companies across Australia and New Zealand, from Canva and CultureAmp to rising stars like Halter, Partly, Heidi, Gilmour Space, Eucalyptus, Fleet and Tracksuit.

We are inspired by investment firms such as Berkshire Hathaway and Bridgewater Associates. Like the companies we back, we want to build a business that lasts for decades and produces excellent returns for our investors. Most of all, we want to support our region’s most talented founders build category-defining technology companies.

We’ve written a lot about what we love at Blackbird, so check out our blog if you want some more information about us. In particular, you should read about our mission and values, our Blackbird’s Operating Principles (BOPs) and what we look for in founders.

‍