Head of Finance

Meet Portable

Portable is a growing, ambitious design and technology consultancy. We do work that matters across government, justice, health, and social policy and we are now in the most commercial phase of our history: scaling revenue, lifting margins, and building the group through expanded capability, AI and acquisition. We are looking for a Head of Finance to own the financial engine of that plan and to sit on our Senior Leadership Team as we build it.

For more than twenty years Portable has built digital products and services that change how people experience some of the hardest moments in their lives. There’s close to 70 of us across Australia and you’ll find us in not only the most well known government departments but emerging start-ups across the country. Our best-known work is amica: an online tool, built with National Legal Aid and backed by the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department, that helps separating couples agree on how to divide property and arrange parenting without going to court. 

This is a broad, commercial role. It reports directly to the CEO and co-founder, and it carries real authority over how the business is run, not just how it is reported. It will suit a financial controller, finance manager, or finance director ready to step into their first senior finance leadership seat, as much as an experienced head of finance who wants to do the work somewhere with genuine ambition and purpose. This is not a back-office controller role. The right person treats finance as the lens through which the business is run, and is comfortable sitting at the table when the biggest commercial decisions are being made.

We care about doing work that matters, with people we respect, in a way that is commercially honest. None of that ambition happens without a business strong enough to fund it. That is the point of this role. You are not here to keep score on the back office. You are here to build the financial engine that lets Portable do more of its best work, more often, and in more markets.

What you will own

Group finance

• Consolidated financial management across the Portable group, including five to seven trading entities, subsidiaries, and the integration of newly acquired businesses.
• Monthly reporting and forecasting to the CEO, SLT, and Board, with the analytical depth to drive decisions rather than just record outcomes.
• Cash and working capital management through a period of acquisition activity, integration cost, and revenue scaling.
• Statutory compliance and year-end in partnership with our external accountant, including ATO relationship management and audit-readiness.

Acquisitions and banking

• Financial support for the “buy-and-build” plan: preparing and analysing the numbers for due diligence, helping assess valuation and deal economics, and leading the finance integration once deals complete. 
• Banking and facilities including managing the day-to-day banking relationship, facility and covenant compliance, and debt servicing, working with the CEO on the structuring of acquisition finance.
• Integration finance for acquired businesses: chart of accounts, financial reporting, working capital harmonisation, and the commercial check on whether each acquisition is delivering against its case.

Commercial partnership

• Operating economics in partnership with the Director of Delivery including studio margins, utilisation, sell rates, project economics
• Pricing and commercial structure for major proposals, particularly non-standard and commercially complex deals.

Leadership

• Senior Leadership Team membership as an operating leader, not just a finance head.
• Finance team leadership across our offshore finance operations and the external accountant relationship, with the discretion to reshape the function as the group grows.
• Coaching and commercial partnership with the Director of Delivery as they grow into full operating P&L ownership over the next 12 to 18 months.

What we are looking for

You might be a financial controller, finance manager, or finance director ready to step up into your first senior finance leadership role. Or you might be an experienced head of finance who wants more ambition and more ownership than your current seat allows. Either way, you are as comfortable in a spreadsheet as you are in front of the Senior Leadership Team, a bank, or a board or you are ready to become so with the CEO and co-founder backing you.

Essential

• Senior finance experience in a services, agency, consultancy, or professional services business — ideally $15M+ in revenue — as a financial controller, finance manager, finance director, or head of finance.
• Group consolidation, statutory reporting, and ATO experience in the Australian context.
• Commercial fluency — you can read a P&L for what it says about pricing, utilisation, margin, and team economics, not just compliance.
• Strong or emerging people leadership with the foundations in place to lead people directly and in a range of context 
• Some exposure to M&A — diligence, completion accounts, or integration — or the commercial foundation and a clear appetite to grow into it.
• Confidence managing a banking relationship — facilities, covenants, and reporting — or the readiness to take it on.
• CA or CPA qualified, working toward it, or equivalent experience.

Desirable (but not essential)

• A background in working in an agency or consulting environment and the dynamics that drive it
• Technical exposure to our industry and the type of work we deliver
• R&D Tax Incentive experience, particularly in software or AI.

Some of the benefits of working with us

We care about the experience and wellbeing of our team. Here are some of the benefits our team enjoys:

• We support a flexible working environment whether its from home or the office or a cafe
• We're a family-friendly company who offer parental leave and part-time arrangements to allow for things like pick-ups and drop-offs or sick children
• A feedback-friendly culture, where we make space for open and respectful sharing of feedback that helps us grow
• We support our team taking mental health days as personal leave that they don’t need to explain or have a medical certificate for
• Employee Assistance Program with The Mindroom for general wellbeing check-ins, assistance with career planning, or working through difficult or challenging circumstances
• Twice-yearly salary reviews with no minimum service period
• Our team can grow their career with our structured career pathways, generous professional development allowance and hands-on learning opportunities
• Ongoing leadership coaching and development for leaders in the business
• Indigenous cultural awareness training for our entire team
• We work on meaningful projects that seek to have a positive impact in the world
• Referral programs in place that can earn team members $1500 per successful referral

Compensation and progression

Compensation will be commensurate with experience, and we will be straight with you about it early in the process. We would rather have an honest conversation about the right number for the right person than advertise a band that fits no one.

The progression is real, and it is the point. This is a business that intends to be materially larger and more acquisitive in three years than it is today. The person who builds the finance engine through that phase has a clear path to Chief Financial Officer of a bigger, more complex group. You will have direct mentorship from the CEO and co-founder, and a genuine remit from day one rather than a holding pattern.

How to apply

We are committed to building a diverse and equal team. People from traditionally underrepresented groups are encouraged to apply. Please note we are open to discussing flexible working arrangements including part time requirements. 

To be considered, please send us your resume and a cover letter outlining your interest in the role and why you think you would be a good fit. We read every application.