Head of Finance

Garvan Institute of Medical Research brings together world leading scientists and clinicians, collaborating locally and globally, to advance our understanding of disease, particularly cancer, autoimmunity and genetic disorders. Garvan is a global leader in fundamental biomedical research and its translation. Our mission is to make discoveries that will improve health for all.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Head of Finance is a key leader responsible for overseeing all financial strategies, risk management, policies, procedures, planning, budgeting, analysis, management reporting, and finance systems. This role provides critical financial guidance to the Garvan Leadership Team (GLT) and Boards, ensuring sound financial stewardship, strategic decision-making, and the delivery of the Institute's mission. The Head of Finance will lead a team of financial professionals and act as a strategic business partner across Garvan's various divisions, including the Garvan Research Foundation and Australian BioResources.

Salary: Up to $225, % super + salary packaging (depending on experience)

Employment Type: 1 year fixed-term

SNAPSHOT OF BENEFITS

• Generous salary packaging to save you income tax on your wages thereby boosting your monthly take home pay (max. $15,900 general expenses + $2,650 meals/accom)
• Ample opportunities for on-going training and development
• Stimulating, diverse and highly international research environment
• Flexible work arrangements e.g. start / finish times
• A range of additional leave types to meet your personal needs including cultural leave, conference leave, community service and study leave
• Discounted Health Insurance
• Lifestyle discounts with our community partners

WHAT YOU WILL DO

The key responsibilities include:

Financial Management & Strategy

• Lead the annual budgeting and forecasting processes, aligning financial plans with the Institute's strategic objectives.
• Provide insightful financial analysis, modelling, and advice to support complex business cases, major capital projects, and strategic initiatives.
• Develop and implement financial strategies to optimise resource allocation and ensure Garvan's long-term financial sustainability, including developing and maintaining the Institute's 3-year rolling financial plans and long-term financial KPIs.
• Advise the Executive Director, GLT, and Garvan Boards (Garvan Institute Board of Directors and Garvan Research Foundation Board of Directors) on all strategic and operational aspects of financial management.
• Oversee commercial decision-making, including tender analysis, margin analysis, pricing, and contract reviews.
• Ensure the Finance team acts as a valued business partner to all business units and assist with the preparation of business cases and investment analysis in support of Garvan's investments in strategic initiatives

Financial Reporting

• Oversee and deliver all financial reporting for the organisation, including accurate and timely monthly, annual statutory, and ad-hoc reporting, to provide timely and actionable insights to senior leadership.
• Ensure the preparation of annual statutory financial statements and their timely lodging with external bodies, in accordance with relevant accounting standards.
• Present financial results and insights to the GLT, Finance Risk & Audit Committee (FRAC), the Boards, and other audiences as required.
• Manage the external auditor relationship and ensure compliance with all accounting standards and external requirements.

Operations & Risk Management

• Oversee all core finance functions, including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Tax, Treasury, Payroll, Procurement, Systems and Financial Accounting.
• Oversee and ensure all payroll responsibilities, including the timely and accurate payment of wages, and communication regarding pay conditions, arrangements and regulatory requirements are met
• Oversee month-end and year-end close processes, ensuring accurate and timely financial reporting.
• Manage and oversee cash flow, investments, and banking arrangements, ensuring appropriate controls are in place for effective monitoring, forecasting, and managing cash flow, investments, terms deposits and cash.
• Maintain and monitor financial risks for the Institute, taking into account internal and external factors, and develop effective mitigation strategies.
• Manage and oversee the company's financial systems, ensuring accounting systems and processes are up to date, maintained and delivering outcomes which enable the Institute to manage its finances, initiatives and organisational changes effectively
• Identify opportunities to streamline and automate financial processes, leading technology and system improvements (e.g., in Workday and Adaptive Insights).
• Advise on and implement best practice methods to increase revenue and reduce costs.

Compliance

• Ensure the Institute meets all its financial and legislative requirements, maintaining a robust internal control framework and organisational compliance with financial policies and delegations.
• Liaise with internal and external auditors and ensure compliance with all relevant financial regulations and reporting standards.
• Manage Garvan's funding portfolio, ensuring compliance with grant conditions and reporting requirements.
• Ensure the Institute complies with the Institute's Investment Policy Statement and related cash, investment and Term Deposit policies

Leadership & Team Management

• Manage, mentor, and develop a high-performing finance team, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Act as a key liaison and business partner to Garvan's research and operational leaders, translating complex financial information into clear, strategic insights and recommendations.
• Drive a culture of accountability and financial awareness across the organisation, ensuring financial policies and processes are well understood and followed.

Safety, Health and Wellbeing

• Proactively demonstrate Garvan's safety values and standards by "Speaking Up for Safety" and exhibiting visible safety leadership to inspire those values in others and cultivate a culture of safety
• All staff are required to comply with Garvan's workplace polices (as amended from time to time) and especially Garvan's Work Health & Safety (WHS) Policy, including working in accordance with the WHS management system at all times
• Demonstrate due diligence in a proactive and positive manner to show they have taken reasonable steps to ensure health and safety is managed as required as an Officer under the WHS Act

ABOUT YOU

The key skills and experience include:

Essential Qualifications & Experience

• A professional qualification in accounting (e.g., CPA or CA).
• Extensive experience (typically 8+ years) in a senior finance role, with a proven track record of managing financial planning and analysis in a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and managing a team.
• High-level analytical and financial modelling skills, with the ability to interpret complex data and provide insightful conclusions.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels.

Desirable Attributes

• Experience in the not-for-profit, medical research, university, or healthcare sectors.
• Experience with financial systems such as Workday Financials and Adaptive Planning.
• A strong commitment to the mission of medical research and a passion for making an impact on human health.

ABOUT GARVAN

Garvan Institute of Medical Research is an independent Medical Research Institute (MRI) in Sydney, delivering scientific and clinical impact on a global basis and in partnership with organisations that share our vision. We are proud to be one of Australia's largest and most highly regarded MRI's.

Our vision is global leadership in discoveries to impact and our enduring purpose is to impact human health, by harnessing information encoded in our genome.

We seek to see our world-class discovery research achieve life-changing impacts, not only for individual patients with rare diseases, but for the many thousands affected by complex, common disease.

Garvan promotes a diverse workplace and is committed to the principles of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging. We are always looking for culture 'add', not culture 'fit' and are building diverse teams with great sets of complementary styles and skills to help deliver our important work effectively.

HOW TO APPLY

To apply for this position, please submit your application with a CV and cover letter as one document, stating why you are interested in this role. We are reviewing applications as they are received. If you think you're the right person for this role, we'd love to hear how your capabilities, achievements and experience set you apart. Only applicants with full working rights in Australia are eligible to apply for this role.