The Organisation

The Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) is the voice for Australia’s ocean. We are Australia’s leading ocean conservation organisation and one of the founding members of Australia’s conservation movement. We are a community of ocean and coastal lovers across the nation, working to protect our precious marine wildlife and secure healthy seas. As an independent charity, our team of expert advocates and campaigners works daily to safeguard Australia’s ocean and coasts.

Our Strategic Plan sets out five goals: driving climate action for the ocean, protecting threatened species and habitats, safeguarding critical places, building support for our ocean, and strengthening AMCS as an effective and sustainable organisation.

• Location: Based in South East Queensland with a preference for Meanjin (Brisbane) due to our head office location. Flexible hybrid arrangements may be considered.
• Hours: 1.0 Full-time (38 hours per week), 0.8 Part-time option may be considered
• Salary: Circa $102,000–$110,000 FTE per annum (pro rata if part-time), plus superannuation (12.5%).
• Contract Period: Permanent, ongoing role.

The Role

As Finance Manager at AMCS, you’ll lead our day-to-day finance operations and play a key role in strengthening financial systems, reporting, and planning across the organisation. From managing payroll, reconciliations, and budgeting to supporting audits, performance monitoring, and compliance, you’ll work closely with internal teams to ensure strong financial processes that enable our mission to protect Australia’s oceans. This is a hands-on, mid-level role for a finance professional who is comfortable managing core functions while contributing to organisational improvement and decision-making. As AMCS builds internal capability, this role may grow to include more strategic oversight and leadership of future finance staff or functions.

Reporting and Accountability

This role reports to the Operations Director and works collaboratively with managers and staff across AMCS, as well as our external finance and payroll providers. The Finance Manager manages AMCS’ outsourced accounts function and is expected to oversee internal finance staff or services as the finance function grows.

The Finance Manager plays a key role in ensuring AMCS’s financial operations support informed decision-making, effective planning, and compliance with internal and external obligations.

Key Responsibilities

As the Finance Manager at AMCS, you’ll:

• Lead the coordination of day-to-day finance operations, including accounts payable and receivable, reconciliations, payments, payroll, and cash flow forecasting.
• Coordinate financial reporting and budgeting processes, providing analysis and support to internal stakeholders on financial performance, grant acquittals, project tracking, and aligning budgets with organisational priorities.
• Oversee the preparation and submission of BAS, PAYG, superannuation, and other compliance reporting.
• Manage the finance calendar to ensure accurate and timely reporting across the organisation.
• Drive improvements to financial systems, processes, and internal controls, and support staff to use financial tools effectively.
• Coordinate annual financial audits and contribute to governance, Board reporting, and financial risk management activities.
• Work collaboratively with internal teams and external finance providers to ensure AMCS’s financial systems and processes are efficient, transparent, and aligned with strategic priorities.

Selection Criteria

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Experience managing day-to-day financial operations, including accounts payable/receivable, reconciliations, payroll coordination, and tax/compliance reporting (e.g. BAS, PAYG, super).
• Qualifications or training in accounting, business, commerce, or a similar field.
• Experience in budgeting, financial reporting, and forecasting, ideally in a not-for-profit setting with diverse income streams.
• Proficiency with finance and payroll systems (e.g. Xero, Employment Hero), with strong record-keeping skills and an eye for process improvement.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to work collaboratively in a dynamic, cross-functional team environment and share clear, accurate financial information to support decision-making.
• Experience working with external finance providers or advisors, and an understanding of compliance requirements in a charity or NFP environment.

Additional Information

To be considered for this role, applicants must:

• Demonstrate a commitment to AMCS’ mission, values, and non-partisan independence.
• Have the right to work in Australia (citizen, permanent resident, or valid work visa).
• Be willing to undertake occasional domestic travel if required for operational activities.

For a copy of the full position description or more information, please email [email protected] using the subject line: Finance Manager enquiry via EthicalJobs.