About the role
In this role, you will lead the Financial Planning & Analysis team, fostering innovation in service delivery and strengthening business partnerships. The position promotes active staff involvement in business planning within a culture of continuous improvement, with a strong focus on professional development and employee engagement to ensure services meet Council and community expectations.

Work type: Permanent, full-time.
Classification: SPL $ $172,375 pa plus super

Key responsibilities include:

• Partner closely with the Chief Financial Officer to align departmental objectives with the City’s long-term financial sustainability strategy.
• Deliver regular analysis, insights, and recommendations to the Chief Financial Officer on financial planning, performance, and emerging risks.
• Provide strong, motivational leadership to the Financial Services department, fostering an inclusive, customer-focused, and accountable culture.
• Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of leaders and professionals, ensuring they are supported, valued, and equipped for success.
• Strengthen Finance’s role as a trusted business partner to the Executive, Operations, and Shared Services functions.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to build financial and commercial acumen across the organisation and provide sound financial advice to the Executive Leadership Team and Council.
• Drive continuous improvement in organisational performance management through the development and enhancement of analytical and decision-support tools and frameworks.
• Take a proactive approach to risk management by identifying, assessing, controlling, and reporting financial and operational risks.
• Develop and implement strategies to continuously improve policies and procedures that underpin corporate financial management and reporting standards across the organisation.
• Manage the team’s budget effectively, ensuring programs are delivered on time, within budget, and in accordance with the organisation’s financial procedures and governance requirements.

About you
To be successful in this role, you will have a tertiary qualification in commerce, accounting or business management and be a qualified Chartered Accountant or possess a CPA professional qualification.

Essential Experience:

• Proven experience in business planning and management, long-term financial planning, budgeting, financial and resource management, and complex reporting aligned with strategic goals and KPIs.
• Strong people leadership skills with the ability to support, motivate, and cultivate a productive, high-performing team culture.
• Excellent negotiation, written, presentation, and public speaking skills with the ability to influence stakeholders and gain support for departmental objectives.
• Demonstrated success in leading teams through change, ensuring strong communication and stakeholder engagement throughout transformation processes.
• Solid project management experience, with the ability to deliver small to medium-sized projects on time, within budget, and to a high standard.
• Strong business acumen and a proven ability to develop and implement effective financial management strategies.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the capacity to build relationships and influence a diverse range of stakeholders.

Preferred candidates will be required to undergo a National Police Check and a Working with Children’s Check as part of the recruitment process (funded by the City).

If this sounds like the role for you, then click apply now! 

Child Safety Responsibilities   
We are committed to being a child-safe organisation and have zero-tolerance for child abuse. We have specific policies, procedures, and mandatory training in place to support employees, volunteers, and contractors to achieve and adhere to these commitments. Please read our Child Safe Standards Management Policy.  

Diversity and Inclusion  
At the City we want a workforce that reflects the community we live in. We welcome and embrace everyone, all people with their own unique experiences, and support and encourage all our employees to do their best work, have equal access to opportunities and a just working environment. For this reason, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from First Nations people, people with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, from the LGBTQIA+ community, people with disability and people of all genders, ages and diverse experience.  

We are the City
From parks to offices, childcare centres to works depots, leisure facilities to the Wool Museum and waterfront, our team plays a vital role in shaping our vibrant and growing community. Our community counts on us to get the essentials right while looking for ways to go beyond. By listening, collaborating, and focusing on sustainability, we strive to do the basics brilliantly and create a lasting impact. If you’re ready to be part of something bigger, join us in shaping the future of Geelong.

We support accessibility and encourage discussions about any adjustments or support you may need during the recruitment process.

Applications and Enquiries

Click the Position Description link to view more information about this position.

Enquiries: Jennifer Blunt | Chief Financial Officer jennifer.blunt@geelongcity.vic.gov.au

Click the Apply button to submit your application or find out more about this opportunity. If we can assist you with any reasonable adjustments in order to submit your application for this role, please contact the Talent Acquisition team via email at careers@geelongcity.vic.gov.au noting your preferred method of communication and contact details and a member of the team will be in touch.

We collect demographic data to help us learn who our advertisements are reaching and how we can reach an even more diverse audience.  We are committed to building a more diverse team. Your responses to our demographic questions are strictly confidential and will not be individually shared.

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