Assistant Accountant

We are seeking a part-time (24 hours per week) Assistant Accountant to contribute to Balarinji’s studio team.

Balarinji has a rich and inclusive team culture including a commitment to employing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and those from other diverse backgrounds. 

Balarinji is Australia’s longest established and most highly awarded Indigenous design, public art and strategy agency. We are Sydney-based and Aboriginal-owned. Our “why” is to amplify Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, voices and narratives authentically, to create impactful change for a new, shared Australian identity through design excellence.

Balarinji was founded in 1983 by our Emeritus Chair, Yanyuwa man John Moriarty and Managing Director and Creative Executive, Ros Moriarty. Our founders are recognised for their design excellence and unparalleled contribution to building bridges of best practice participation between Aboriginal communities, business and the broader community.

Balarinji’s national and international projects span graphic design, branding, digital, infrastructure, urban design, precinct planning, public art and curatorial, and interiors.

As the Assistant Accountant, you will play a key role in keeping Balarinji’s daily financial and project operations running seamlessly. Reporting to the Finance Manager, you will take ownership of the accounts payable cycle and bank reconciliations, while ensuring month-end processing and inter-company balances are kept precise and up to date. You will also serve as a link between finance and operations by utilising WorkflowMax to manage project job setup, coordinate team timesheets, and close jobs ensuring project revenue and costs are accurately reconciled. This is a collaborative position that blends transactional accounting with proactive administrative support to help the studio team achieve its goals.

Accounts Payable

• Enter supplier invoices, including payment forms, credit card transactions, and ensure proper approvals for payments.
• Process payments and ensure timely settlement, maintaining accurate supplier records and updated banking details.
• Execute payment runs in Xero and upload to Westpac Online.
• Investigate and resolve discrepancies between invoiced amounts and agreed fees.
• Perform regular reconciliation of credit card transactions in Xero to match with bank statements.
• Monitor office expenses and software subscriptions, ensuring records are accurate and current.

Payroll Processing

• Assist with payroll preparation, including reconciling leave records in Xero with staff calendars and WorkflowMax timesheets.

Month and Year-End Closing

• Prepare and process intercompany charges and reconcile intercompany balances.
• Perform bank statement reconciliations to ensure accuracy of company records.
• Assist with account reconciliation of Balance Sheets and Profit & Loss Reports vs GL / Payroll.

WorkflowMax Management

• Create new jobs in WorkflowMax based on project specifications.
• Coordinate with team members to ensure timely completion and accuracy of timesheet entries.
• Generate and summarise weekly timesheet reports in Excel, then send to Project Managers (PMs) for review.
• Make necessary timesheet adjustments as requested by PMs.
• Close jobs upon completion, ensuring that revenue and costs are accurately reconciled with Xero.

Administration

• Provide PMs with necessary costing data from Xero and WorkflowMax.
• Manage the accounts email inbox 
• Assist with ad-hoc admin tasks.
• Efficient, logical, and structured file management of all collateral and documents on the Balarinji server.
• Manage workflow, task assignments and recording of timesheets in Workflow Max, Asana and Smartsheets systems.

• 3 + years’ experience in a similar Assistant Accountant or Accounts Administration role, with a strong understanding of end-to-end accounts payable processing and bank reconciliations. 
• Strong hands-on experience using Xero for transactional processing, credit card reconciliations, and payment runs. 
• Prior experience using WorkflowMax (or a similar project management tool) to set up client jobs, manage team timesheets, and generate costing reports. 
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills for organising, manipulating, and summarising timesheet and costing data. 
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills to confidently coordinate with Project Managers, internal team members, and external suppliers. 
• Exceptional attention to detail with a logical approach to digital file management and email inbox administration.

• An opportunity to be a part of an established, dynamic, high profile Aboriginal design agency.
• A comfortable and social office environment in Crows Nest, close to transport.
• A small team where like-minded people enjoy great work, and where your career is supported and developed.
• Flexible working, 3 days in the office 2 days working from home (for full time employees).
• Birthday day off at full pay.
• Competitive salary on offer.

You will be joining a high-performance team that shares values and is committed to diversity and equality – we are a long term, proactive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employer, and we also reflect the broader cultural diversity of contemporary Australia. A positive team culture is the driver of all we do at Balarinji. If you meet some but not all of the criteria, please get in touch as we would love to talk to you.