Senior Management Accountant

A Wellington public sector organisation seeks a Management Accountant for an 18-month fixed-term role. You'll provide strategic financial analysis and advice, supporting transformation projects and ensuring sound financial management. Responsibilities include budgeting, forecasting, and risk assessment. Ideal candidates are Chartered Accountants with five years' experience, strong accounting skills, and excellent communication. Apply now to join a collaborative, flexible environment.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Senior Management Accountant to join a highly respected public sector organisation in Wellington on a 18-month fixed-term basis. This pivotal role offers you the chance to make a meaningful impact by providing strategic financial analysis and expert advice within a complex, evolving environment. You will work closely with project teams, senior managers, and governance groups to ensure robust financial management and reporting that supports key organisational objectives. The position is ideal for someone who thrives in collaborative settings, values professional integrity, and is passionate about supporting positive change across large-scale programmes. With a focus on flexibility, inclusivity, and personal growth, this role provides an excellent platform for you to further develop your skills while contributing to initiatives that benefits all communities across New Zealand.

• Play a central part in supporting major transformation projects by delivering high-quality financial analysis and advice to senior stakeholders, ensuring decisions are informed and aligned with organisational strategy.
• Enjoy working in a supportive team culture that values collaboration, open communication, and continuous improvement, where your input will help shape the future of essential public services.
• Benefit from flexible working opportunities and ongoing training designed to foster your professional development while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
  
  

What You'll Do

As a Senior Management Accountant based in Wellington, you will play an integral role in supporting significant transformation projects within a dynamic public sector setting. Your day-to-day responsibilities will involve partnering with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality financial analysis that underpins critical decision-making processes. You will be instrumental in developing robust budgets and forecasts while ensuring that all reporting meets the highest standards of accuracy. By building trusted relationships with stakeholders at every level—from project delivery teams through to executive leadership—you will help drive improvements in financial management practices. Your expertise will also be called upon to assess risks, analyse data trends, and recommend enhancements that contribute to organisational success. In this role, your ability to communicate complex information clearly and collaborate effectively will be key factors in achieving shared goals.

• Provide comprehensive financial analysis and insightful advice to project steering groups, governance bodies, and senior managers to support effective decision-making across multiple business units.
• Deliver accurate budgeting, forecasting, management accounting reporting, and other financial services in a timely manner to ensure the integrity of financial information.
• Support the HRIS/Payroll implementation team by offering hands-on guidance on finance processes, controls, and compliance with internal policies throughout the project lifecycle.
• Enhance and maintain the organisation’s financial model as the single source of truth for all forecasting and reporting activities.
• Develop strong relationships with a wide range of internal stakeholders including EPMO teams, management accountants, data analysts, and executive leaders to facilitate seamless collaboration.
• Undertake risk assessments, reviews, financial modelling, and data analytics of existing processes and systems to identify opportunities for business improvement.
• Guide the capital planning process by supporting evaluations and business case development for new investments or initiatives.
• Prepare regular and ad-hoc reports that integrate both financial and non-financial data for periodic review by senior leadership teams.
• Promote awareness of internal financial policies through advisory support to project teams while ensuring compliance at all stages of delivery.
• Contribute to safety, health, and wellbeing initiatives by following relevant policies and encouraging best practices among colleagues.
  
  

What You Bring

To excel as a Senior Management Accountant in this environment, you will bring substantial experience gained from roles involving complex project support or programme delivery. Your background should include advanced knowledge of accounting principles alongside practical expertise in budgeting, forecasting, risk assessment, and data analytics. You are adept at navigating modern finance systems—leveraging technology such as Excel or Power BI—to produce actionable insights for stakeholders. Your interpersonal strengths enable you to foster trust-based relationships across all levels of an organisation; you are comfortable advising executives as well as collaborating closely with operational teams. A commitment to continuous learning means you actively seek feedback and adapt your approach when necessary. Your ability to communicate clearly—both verbally and in writing—ensures your recommendations are understood by audiences ranging from technical experts through to board members. Above all else, your dedication to ethical practice aligns with the values of service-oriented organisations focused on community outcomes.

• Chartered Accountant (CA) or equivalent qualification with at least five years’ post-graduate experience is highly desirable for this position.
• Extensive experience working on projects or programmes within complex environments where adaptability is essential.
• Proven track record supporting enterprise programme management offices (EPMOs) or similar change management functions.
• Demonstrated expertise in management accounting—including analysis, modelling, analytics—and report writing within large organisations.
• Advanced proficiency with modern finance systems; familiarity with tools such as Excel and Power BI is considered advantageous.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills enabling you to build rapport with senior leaders as well as technical specialists across diverse teams.
• Strong organisational abilities allowing you to manage multiple priorities under pressure while consistently meeting deadlines for reporting requirements.
• Experience identifying business improvement initiatives that facilitate organisational change in line with strategic objectives.
• Well-developed written and verbal communication skills suitable for preparing clear reports and presenting findings at board or executive level meetings.
• A proactive approach combined with motivation and attention to detail ensures you deliver results efficiently even when faced with competing demands.
  
  

What's Next

If you are ready to take your career forward by contributing your expertise where it truly matters—apply now for this rewarding opportunity!

Robert Walters endeavours to review all applications in a maximum of five working days. If you have not received correspondence in this timeframe please do not hesitate to contact Luke Spratt on +64 4 471 9722.