Intermediate to Senior Accountant | Clear Progression Pathway

About the Role

At Carnegie, we believe 90% of great accounting is relationship management — you bring the technical skill, we'll help you become the trusted advisor. This role is heavily client-facing from day one. You'll learn to manage your own portfolio, build long-standing relationships that lead to referrals and repeat business, and work alongside our specialised service hubs (Lending, Compliance, Strategic Business, Strategic Investment) to deliver real outcomes for clients.

Key Responsibilities:

• Own a portfolio of clients, acting as their trusted point of contact and building relationships that last

• Prepare financial statements, tax returns and management accounts with accuracy and initiative

• Proactively identify tax planning, compliance and business improvement opportunities for clients — we don't wait to be asked

• Communicate clearly and set expectations with clients — a returned call beats a dodged one, every time

• Collaborate across our service hubs so clients get the right expertise, not just your best guess

• Train and mentor junior team members, helping bring them up to speed technically and with clients

• Act as direct support to Managers, and occasionally Partners, on day-to-day matters

• Take ownership of your work and your development, with support from Senior Managers and mentoring from firm leadership

• Contribute in team meetings — share what you've learned, technically and with clients

About You

• CA/CPA qualified, or actively completing your CA/CPA program

• 3-5 years' experience in public practice / professional services accounting

• Demonstrated technical proficiency across:

  • Preparation and review of financial statements for companies, trusts, partnerships and SMSFs

  • Income tax returns and tax planning across multiple entity structures

  • BAS/IAS preparation and lodgement, and broader ATO compliance

  • Current Australian Accounting Standards and relevant tax legislation

• Proficient with Xero and XPM; exposure to other practice management or accounting software highly regarded

• A natural communicator who enjoys direct client contact — you know that being the smartest person in the room means nothing if you can't communicate it

• Proactive and solutions-focused — you'd rather get ahead of an issue than react to it

• Comfortable taking ownership of a portfolio and accountable for the outcomes

• A team player who takes feedback as a privilege, not a criticism

• Genuinely curious about people and business, not just numbers

What's On Offer

• We're not a traditional accounting firm where your career is determined by tenure — your career is in your hands, and we'll set you up for success

• A defined pathway — Entry, Developing, Proficient, Senior, Leadership — with transparent criteria for what "next level" looks like, not guesswork

• Discretionary pay reviews based on performance and growth, not locked into a once-a-year cycle

• Work from home one day per week after probation

• Regular 1:1s with firm leadership to track your progress and shape your future here

• Direct access to clients and mentoring from senior staff from day one

• A firm genuinely investing in people, systems and structure to grow sustainably — not growth for growth's sake

• A collaborative, energetic culture built around ownership and opportunity

• Competitive salary, reflective of experience and growth trajectory