Permanent, Full-time

The Team Leader, Parish Finance leads a team and oversees the provision and coordination of the Archdiocesan resources for parish accounting operations, including accounts payable and receivable, payroll, reconciliations, and financial. management reporting, and statutory compliance.

This team provides parishes the opportunity to standardise processes and offer fresh insights, ensuring clarity and efficiency in their financial administration.

The role provides hands-on financial support to parishes, ensures data integrity across financial systems, and delivers timely, accurate financial reports to Church leadership. Occasional off-site work at parishes is required.

Parish Finance Team Operations:

• Lead and oversee the provision of Archdiocesan bookkeeping support for qualifying parishes, ensuring serviced parishes’ financial processes such as accounts payable and receivable, reconciliations, and bank file uploads are completed accurately, consistently, and within agreed timeframes.
• Prepare and review parish month end and year end financial reports, including GST and BAS returns and lodgments, ensuring compliance with statutory and governance requirements.
• In preparation for Canonical Visitations, prepare a Visitation Audit/Review in line with the developed programme taking into account parish-specific issues. Where applicable, assist Parish to institute changes to correct compliance, procedural and accounting issues.
• Provide day-to-day leadership and supervision of Assistant Accountants (Parishes), including workload allocation, prioritisation, and quality assurance to ensure high-quality, reliable finance outputs and continuity of service.

Parish Financial Support:

• Assist parishes with their accounting queries; i.e. setting up new or updating MYOB files, general bookkeeping and payroll queries.
• Ensure completion of Annual Parish Information Reports to ensure parishes are financially viable, including ensuring parishes’ books are up to date, BAS and bank accounts are reconciled, and informing the line manager immediately when issue arises.
• Compile detailed parish financial viability dashboard report for the Episcopal Council and the Finance & Audit Committee
• Attend Parishes as required, providing advice to clergy, parish workers, and Parish Finance Committee members, making appropriate recommendations and supporting implementation of the recommendations.
• Assist with compilation and delivery of regular Parish Administration Day training content for parish workers, Parish Finance Committee members and clergy.

Payroll Administration:

• Oversee prepare and process payroll including Single Touch Payroll (STP), payment of superannuation contributions, PAYG, reconciliation of payroll and maintaining personnel files.
• Assist with the orderly transition of Parish Payroll Services over to the Archdiocesan Payroll Team within the first 6 months of appointment

Stakeholder Management:

• Build and maintain effective working relationships across departments and parishes to support business initiatives.
• Liaise with external government and industry regulators (including the ATO, ACNC, etc) as required.
• Assist the Group Financial Controller in the collaboration with relevant stakeholders to resolve issues with accounting platforms (e.g., Technology One, Xero, MYOB).

Workplace Capacity:

• Assist the Group Financial Controller in the coaching and development of individual team members performance and achievement of team objectives, encouraging accountability and a high standard of service and delivery.
• Champion continuous improvement by identifying and recommending process enhancements that contribute to quality and process initiatives, including improvements to risk management practices.
• Maintain current knowledge of professional practices, continuing professional development (CPD) requirements, and relevant legislative and regulatory changes to ensure compliance and uphold best practice standards.
• Provide regular support to the Group Financial Controller as required.
• Assist the Accountant Parish Systems Project to develop and maintain user guides and documentation to ensure parishes are equipped to manage their financial administration responsibilities.

Audit, Governance and Risk: 

• Ensure compliance with Australian Charities & Not-For-Profit Commission (ACNC) obligations including preparing and lodging Annual Information Statements (AIS) for parishes and liaising with ACNC as required.
• Lead the participation of user acceptance testing (UAT).
• Ensure compliance with Archdiocese Policies by maintaining and adhering to comprehensive, documented procedures that govern all accounting transactions.

Essential:

• Degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
• CPA or CA qualification (or equivalent)
• Previous supervisor in a finance-related role
• Advanced proficiency in Office 365 (especially Excel) and relevant software and accounting systems (such as MYOB, XERO etc).
• Strong attention to detail and delivery of accurate information
• Sound knowledge of month end deliverables and accounting and finance practices and processes
• Current National Police Clearance
• Current Western Australian Driver’s Licence

Desirable:

• An understanding of the structures of the Catholic Church and its social teaching
• Experience using Technology One (preferred), MYOB / XERO
• Knowledge of NDIS funding and compliance frameworks
• Experience with ERP system implementation or upgrades
• Proficiency with Power BI or similar analytic tools.

To express your interest, please email your current CV and Cover letter to Ian Gompertz – [email protected] by no later than Saturday, 18 April 2026. We reserve the right to begin shortlisting and interviews prior to the closing date.

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The Catholic Archdiocese of Perth is committed to the Safeguarding of children and adults at risk.

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