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Finance & Accounting careers
Roles in Finance & Accounting: what they pay, where they're heading and how to get in.
Accountant
Accountants prepare, examine and advise on financial records so organisations stay accurate, compliant and financially healthy.
Accounts Officer
Accounts officers process the invoices, payments and receipts that keep money moving in and out of an organisation.
Bank Manager
A bank manager runs a bank branch, making lending decisions and managing the staff and the results the branch is measured on.
Bank Teller
Bank tellers handle the deposits, withdrawals and everyday transactions customers bring to the branch counter.
Banking Relationship Manager
Banking relationship managers look after a set portfolio of clients, matching them to loans, deposit accounts and other banking products as their circumstances change.
BAS Agent
BAS agents prepare and lodge the business activity statements that keep a business's GST and tax reporting up to date with the ATO.
Bookkeeper
Bookkeepers record the day-to-day financial transactions of a business and keep the ledgers behind its accounts accurate and up to date.
Business Banker
Business bankers work out whether a business can repay a loan, then structure the facility and look after the relationship once it settles.
Business Broker
Business brokers value and sell small to mid-sized businesses, setting a realistic asking price, finding qualified buyers and holding a deal together through to settlement.
Chief Financial Officer
A chief financial officer leads an organisation's finance function, from the accounting that keeps it compliant to the capital decisions that shape where it goes.
Claims Assessor
Claims assessors decide whether an insurance claim gets paid, checking the policy, the evidence and the circumstances behind it.
Commodity Trader
Commodity traders buy and sell raw materials such as oil, metals and grain, taking positions on where prices are headed.
Company Secretary
Company secretaries run the governance side of a company: they organise board meetings, keep statutory records and make sure the organisation meets its legal obligations.
Cost Controller
Cost controllers track what a project is spending against its budget and give managers early warning when costs start to drift from the plan.
Costing Officer
Costing officers work out what a product, project or service costs to deliver, and track how those costs compare with the budget.
Credit Analyst
Credit analysts assess how likely a person or business is to repay before a lender commits its money.
Credit Controller
Credit controllers set and manage the credit a business extends to its customers, then recover the invoices that run past their terms.
Debt Collector
Debt collectors contact people and businesses with overdue accounts and work out payment plans or settlements so creditors recover what they're owed.
Derivatives Trader
Derivatives traders buy and sell contracts whose value is tied to another asset, such as a share index, currency or commodity, either to hedge a position or to take a view on where prices are heading.
Equities Trader
Equities traders buy and sell shares for a firm's clients or its own trading book, looking to profit from movements in share prices.
External Auditor
External auditors examine an organisation's financial records and test its controls, then give an independent opinion on whether its financial statements are true and fair.
Finance Broker
Finance brokers compare loan products from a panel of lenders and manage the application through to settlement, so a client ends up with finance that fits their situation.
Finance Manager
Finance managers lead an organisation's finance function, running the budgeting, reporting and controls that its decisions rest on.
Financial Accountant
Financial accountants prepare the statements and reports a business uses to meet its tax and reporting obligations.
Financial Analyst
Financial analysts build the forecasts and models a business uses to decide where its money goes.
Financial Controller
A financial controller runs the accounting function of a business, keeping its financial statements accurate and compliant so management can act on them.
Financial Counsellor
Financial counsellors help people in financial hardship work out exactly what they owe, negotiate with creditors and rebuild a workable budget.
Financial Planner
Financial planners help people work out what their money is for, then build a plan covering super, investments, insurance and retirement.
Foreign Exchange Dealer
Foreign exchange dealers buy and sell currencies for banks, investment firms and corporate treasuries, either on a client's instruction or to take a position for the firm's own book.
Forensic Accountant
Forensic accountants trace money through financial records to work out whether fraud or misconduct has happened, then document it in a form that stands up in court.
Fund Manager
Fund managers invest pooled money from clients into shares, bonds and other assets, deciding what a fund buys and sells to meet its stated return and risk targets.
Futures Dealer
Futures dealers buy and sell exchange-listed contracts on commodities, currencies, interest rates and share indices, hedging price risk or taking positions for the firm's own book.
Insurance Agent
Insurance agents help clients work out what they need covered and arrange a policy with the insurer they represent.
Insurance Broker
Insurance brokers work out what a client needs to protect, compare policies across insurers, and arrange the cover that fits.
Insurance Risk Surveyor
Insurance risk surveyors inspect commercial and industrial premises for fire, security and liability hazards, and their reports guide underwriters on pricing and coverage terms.
Internal Auditor
Internal auditors examine their own organisation's risks, controls and processes, and report to the board on what needs fixing.
Investment Administrator
Investment administrators keep the records and transactions behind an investment portfolio accurate, so super funds, custodians and brokers know exactly what they hold.
Investment Analyst
Investment analysts research shares, bonds and funds to work out what they are worth, then build the case that guides where a fund or a client's money goes.
Investment Banker
Investment bankers advise companies, governments and private owners on raising money, buying or selling businesses and restructuring debt, and see each transaction through to completion.
Investor Relations Manager
Investor relations managers handle how a listed company explains its results and strategy to shareholders, analysts and the market.
Land Economist
Land economists study how land and property markets work, and their analysis shapes investment, development and planning decisions.
Loan Officer
Loan officers work out whether a borrower can afford the repayments, then guide the application through to approval, decline or a referral.
Loan Processor
Loan processors check and prepare loan applications so they meet a lender's requirements before an underwriter decides whether to approve them.
Management Accountant
Management accountants work out what a business's products, contracts and units cost to run, then build the budgets and analysis managers use to make decisions.
Mortgage Broker
Mortgage brokers compare home loans across a panel of lenders and manage the application through to settlement on the borrower's behalf.
Paraplanner
A paraplanner researches a client's financial situation and drafts the plans and recommendations a financial planner then reviews and presents.
Payroll Manager
Payroll managers run the pay cycle for an organisation, making sure staff are paid accurately and on time and that tax and superannuation obligations are met.
Payroll Officer
Payroll officers run the pay cycle, applying award, tax and superannuation rules so that everyone is paid correctly and on time.
Personal Banker
Personal bankers look after a bank's everyday customers, helping them open accounts, borrow money and choose products from the bank they work for.
Private Equity Associate
Private equity associates analyse companies a fund might buy, then help manage them after the deal closes.
Property Valuer
Property valuers work out what land and buildings are worth, and their reports underpin lending, insurance, tax and court decisions.
Quantitative Analyst
Quantitative analysts build the mathematical models that banks, funds and insurers use to price financial products, guide trading strategies and measure risk.
Quantitative Trader
Quantitative traders build the models and code that decide when a firm buys and sells financial instruments, turning patterns in market data into automated trades.
Settlements Officer
Settlements officers make sure the shares and cash behind a trade reach the right accounts on the day the trade is due to settle.
Stockbroker
Stockbrokers buy and sell shares and other securities for clients, placing the trades that build and adjust an investment portfolio.
Superannuation Administrator
Superannuation administrators process the contributions, rollovers and benefit payments that keep members' retirement savings accurate and compliant.
Tax Agent
Tax agents prepare and lodge tax returns for people and businesses, and they register with the Tax Practitioners Board so they can deal with the ATO on a client's behalf.
Tax Auditor
Tax auditors check that people and businesses have paid the tax they owe, by examining returns and the records behind them.
Tax Manager
A tax manager runs a business's tax compliance and planning, making sure it meets every legal obligation without paying more tax than the rules require.
Treasurer
Treasurers manage the cash, debt and investments that keep an organisation solvent day to day and funded for its longer-term plans.
Treasury Analyst
Treasury analysts manage an organisation's cash, debt and short-term investments so it can meet its payments and fund its plans.
Trust Officer
Trust officers look after trusts and deceased estates, making sure assets are managed, accounted for and distributed as the trust deed or will requires.
Underwriter
Underwriters decide whether to offer insurance, credit or a loan, and on what terms, by weighing up how much risk the applicant carries.
Venture Capitalist
Venture capitalists invest a fund's money in young companies, taking a stake in each one in the hope that a few grow fast enough to cover the ones that fail.