The new Finance Manager role reports directly to the Finance Director, offering a unique opportunity to join a well-established and growth-focused fintech firm.

We are seeking an energetic team player with a strong commercial mindset, capable of actively contributing to our expanding expertise in financial controllership and analytical capabilities. This pivotal role will play a crucial part in driving our financial strategy forward, ensuring robust financial controls and providing insightful analysis to support our continued growth and success.

What you'll do: 

• Managing and providing leadership to the finance team, ensuring smooth operations and fostering a collaborative work environment.
• Overseeing the monthly management reporting process, including month-end reconciliations, financial consolidation, variance analysis, and preparation of board reports.
• Assisting in the annual budgeting process and long-term strategic planning, as well as periodic re-forecasting to support business decision-making.
• Providing insightful commentary and detailed reporting to stakeholders, including equity investors and sophisticated debt providers.
• Leading the preparation of statutory audited financial statements, tax returns, BAS, FBT, and R&D claims.
• Conducting ad hoc financial analysis to support strategic initiatives and operational efficiencies.

You will be leading the development of renewable projects, including solar, wind, battery storage projects and hydrogen opportunities that will need your stewardship through the development life cycle to financial close.

The role is based in Melbourne or Sydney – with site visits required periodically to: our development sites, stakeholders and communities. Our current portfolio consists of a mixture of greenfield through to late-stage assets, and with your help, we’ll be growing the pipeline to feed more projects into the construction phase.

Just as important as what you achieve in this role, is how you perform the role. We’ll need you to be an engaged team member, who can cross pollenate your development expertise into an investment world. Be ready for a dynamic work environment, with a start-up mindset. You’ll be encouraged and supported to be bold in your thinking and leadership, whilst being a helpful colleague to those around you.

Responsibilities

• Project Development from land owner liaison, development approvals, grid connection, EPC procurement, PPAs etc. Treat the projects as if they are your own.
• Assist the wider Investment Team through asset growth opportunities as required, including bringing your contributions and knowledge into project evaluations, acquisition bids, transaction and negotiation processes, due diligence work and supporting Investment Directors through internal approval processes.
• Provide leadership in developing sound relationships with relevant stakeholders including: landholders, community, Traditional Owners, regulators and policy makers.
• Manage project teams of multidisciplinary internal and external experts, including technical, planning, legal, grid, environmental and engineering advisors.
• Selecting advisors, consultants, OEMs and construction contractors (including EPC contractors), running procurement process and contract negotiations through to financial close.
• Take the lead role for negotiation of high value contracts including project construction, equipment supply and transmission connection agreements.
• Manage the grid connection process, working closely with NSPs and grid consultants, to navigate the complexity of the technical, regulatory and commercial connection landscape.
• Manage the delivery of development works within allocated budgets in a timely, efficient and effective manner.
• Development of project execution plans including timelines, costs, risk assessments, communication of project financials and progress reports in a consistent manner across the assigned projects.
• Development of required inputs for management papers, board papers and commercial negotiations as required.
• Prepare and manage budgets for Capex and Opex, project schedules, and technical inputs into financial models, supporting overall project business case development.
• Support our fundraising efforts, including meeting with prospective investors, promoting the Octopus profile, and supporting our fund managers with development expertise as required.
• Support ongoing profile-raising activities – networking with industry participants and at times engaging with energy policymakers to influence energy policy.

• Leadership role within Rest's P&C team - 12 month parental leave role 
• Hybrid working - blending work from home and office
• Interviews will be in early 2025 

Established in 1988, Rest is one of Australia’s largest profit-to-member superannuation funds.

We support nearly two million members, with around $86 billion of funds under management and are recognised as a responsible investment leader*. We believe when members understand and engage with their super, they’re more likely to get a better retirement outcome.

Everything we do at Rest is underpinned by our values and behaviours, we want to Be Daring, Keep it Simple, Take Action and Have Grit. To put it simply we want our people to thrive and love the work they do.

Your role will work closely with the Chief People Officer (CPO)  to embed and develop the People & Culture operating model structure and rhythm. You will assist with setting up reporting frameworks and meeting cadences; playing a lead role in preparing and drafting Board and Committee papers and liaising with CoSec and supporting delivery of key P&C strategic and BAU work. This will include support on key strategic functions as well as the day-to-day priorities and management responsibilities for the CPO as required.

• Serve as a thought partner to the CPO, offering them and their direct reports perspectives they might not see by using data and “joining the dots”, uncovering or helping the team uncover new possibilities and challenging ideas before they are committed to action.
• Maintain awareness of the external and regulatory landscape and develop strategies to achieve business outcomes.
• Work closely with the Head of Governance & Integrated Planning on the coordination of delivery of P&C strategic planning and BAU initiatives 
• Work with the CPO and leaders of the P&C team to prepare and communicate key priorities across the team 
• Work with the P&C leaders to provide ad hoc support, particularly on matters requiring strategic insight and input (e.g. paper drafting).
• Ensure the key P&C messages for internal and external meetings are succinctly and efficiently developed 
• Ensure a central repository of key documents, artifacts, ‘key facts’ is maintained and updated for use by P&C and the team. 
• In conjunction with CPO’s EA, work together to design and administer key operating rhythms, meetings and governance oversight 
• Assist in the preparation of P&C reporting and other Board & Committee papers 

The Manager (Quantitative Research) is responsible for leading the development of quantitative models used to develop asset allocation and portfolio construction recommendations. This role will drive the continuous development of research and quantitative analysis activities with the aim of improving expected returns and risk for fund members.

Key accountabilities:

• Lead the development of Rest’s internal stochastic capital market assumption models across all asset classes and oversee model governance.
• Develop asset allocation optimisation models and recommend strategic asset allocations for all investment options.
• Provide portfolio construction and deployment advice to private markets asset classes based on internally generated research.
• Provide modelling insight and recommendations on the inclusion of new asset classes and their impact on portfolio design.
• Develop quantitative ESG research to inform portfolio construction, including climate scenario analysis.
• Represent the Investment Strategy and Asset Allocation team on investment data, technology stack and investment data strategy committees.
• Undertake ad hoc research to inform investment decision-making.