5+ years of Australian public practice experience | Advanced Xero Tax & XPM | Tax Review & Compliance | Practice Workflow & Team Mentoring

About the Opportunity

Our client is an established Australian accounting practice supporting a diverse portfolio of SME clients. They are looking for a Senior Australian Tax Accountant & Practice Manager to provide technical oversight, quality control, and workflow leadership across their tax and accounting operations.

This is a hands-on senior position for someone with 5+ years of Australian public practice experience who can independently review financial statements, tax returns, BAS/IAS, and complex tax positions while also helping manage the firm's workflow and improve the quality of work produced by junior and offshore accounting staff.

The successful candidate will act as an important quality-control bridge between the preparation team and the firm's senior/onshore team, ensuring work is technically accurate, compliant, well documented, and completed within required deadlines.

Schedule

Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–6:00 PM AEST

What You Will Be Doing

Australian Tax & Technical Review

• Review year-end financial statements and tax returns prepared by junior and offshore accountants.
• Review a diverse SME client portfolio, including companies, trusts, partnerships, and sole traders.
• Identify and resolve technical tax issues before files progress to the next stage.
• Review complex tax matters, including Division 7A, Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT), and trust distributions.
• Reconcile and cross-check BAS and IAS against underlying bookkeeping records.
• Ensure files meet Australian tax and compliance requirements and internal quality standards.
• Identify missing information, inconsistencies, and potential compliance risks.

Practice Management & Workflow

• Manage and monitor the workflow pipeline using Xero Practice Manager (XPM).
• Track jobs, deadlines, turnaround times, and file progression.
• Monitor upcoming ATO lodgement deadlines and ensure priority work is addressed in advance.
• Identify workflow bottlenecks and recommend improvements.
• Coordinate with the onshore/client-facing team when additional information or clarification is required.
• Ensure files move efficiently from preparation through review and completion.

Team Mentoring & Quality Improvement

• Review work prepared by junior and offshore accountants and provide clear, constructive feedback.
• Explain technical or structural errors so the team understands how to improve.
• Mentor team members on Australian tax, accounting, documentation, and quality standards.
• Identify recurring errors and help develop processes and SOPs to prevent them.
• Support continuous improvement in the team's accuracy, efficiency, and overall output.

What We Are Looking For

Essential Experience

• 5+ years of Australian public practice experience in tax preparation and review.
• Strong experience reviewing Australian tax returns and financial statements.
• Experience working across companies, trusts, partnerships, and sole traders.
• Strong technical knowledge of Australian taxation, including Division 7A, CGT, FBT, and trust distributions.
• Advanced, hands-on experience with Xero Tax and Xero Practice Manager (XPM).
• Strong understanding of Australian tax compliance and the ITAA36/ITAA97.
• Experience managing accounting workflow pipelines or overseeing the output of a small accounting team.
• Experience mentoring, reviewing, or managing junior and/or offshore accounting professionals.
• Excellent written English and the ability to communicate technical feedback clearly.
• Strong attention to detail and the ability to work independently.

Strongly Preferred

• Experience working in a high-volume Australian accounting practice.
• Experience establishing or improving accounting SOPs and review processes.
• Experience managing ATO deadlines and compliance calendars.
• Experience working with offshore accounting teams.
• Experience with practice-management and accounting workflow systems beyond Xero.

What Success Looks Like

In this role, success means:

• High-quality work: Tax returns, financial statements, BAS, and related files are accurately reviewed with minimal rework.
• Technical confidence: Potential tax and compliance issues are identified before they reach the client or partner.
• Efficient workflow: Files move through the practice efficiently and deadlines are consistently met.
• Stronger team performance: Junior and offshore accountants receive useful feedback and progressively improve their output.
• Better processes: Recurring errors and inefficiencies are identified and converted into practical process improvements.
• Executive confidence: Partners and senior leadership can rely on the role to provide accurate technical review and strong operational oversight.

Who You Are

You are a senior Australian tax professional who enjoys both technical work and operational leadership.

You are comfortable getting into the detail of a tax return when necessary, but you can also step back and see the bigger picture: what is holding up the workflow, where the team is making recurring mistakes, what needs to be prioritized, and how the practice can operate more efficiently.

You are confident enough to challenge an error, experienced enough to explain why it is wrong, and collaborative enough to help the person who made it improve.

Most importantly, you take ownership. You do not simply identify problems — you help solve them and improve the process so they do not keep happening.

Independent Contractor Benefits

• Permanent work from home
• Immediate hiring
• Health Insurance Coverage for eligible locations

Application Process

Candidates will complete an application that includes assessment questions, a technical check, and a voice recording.

The hourly pay rate will be established based on performance throughout the application process. Candidates who complete all required components will receive priority consideration.

Note:

Please click the "Apply" button to complete your application, including the assessment questions, technical check, and voice recording. Your hourly pay rate will be established based on your performance in the application process; submissions with all requirements fulfilled will receive priority review.

Important Disclaimer:

BruntWork never charges fees for applying or any part of the hiring process—it is 100% free. If you are ever asked for payment, please stop and report it immediately to our official email through the ‘Contact Us’ form on our official BruntWork website.