General Manager, Finance & Operations

General Manager, Business Performance & Operations

Professional Association | Sydney | Full-time, Permanent

$180,000 – $200,000 + Super

“This is not a traditional finance role. It’s a genuine transformation brief — rebuilding systems, sharpening data and insights, and partnering directly with the CEO to drive a five-year strategy.”

A leading Australian association operating in the professional services sector is seeking an exceptional commercial leader to take ownership of the organisation’s financial performance, membership growth, technology, and operations. Reporting directly to the CEO, this is a rare opportunity to shape the long-term sustainability of a well-regarded organisation at the heart of the Australian governance and risk community.

You’ll be a key partner to the CEO and Executive Team — translating strategy into measurable outcomes, leading a high-quality reporting rhythm to the Board, and ensuring the organisation’s resources and systems are aligned to its ambitions.

This is a rare opportunity to step into a newly defined role at a critical moment in an organisation’s evolution — with the mandate, the leadership support, and the appetite to do things differently.

WHAT YOU’LL OWN

• Financial leadership and mentoring — budgeting, forecasting, audit, statutory compliance and Board reporting, with a particular focus on developing and guiding a capable but junior Finance Manager.
• Data, business intelligence and insights — consolidating dashboards into one clear view of the organisation’s key levers, championing data-driven decision making across all GMs, and driving a meaningful uplift in how insight informs strategy.
• Membership commercial performance — working alongside the Membership Retention Manager to bring strategic thinking and innovation to complement strong operational execution; understanding member behaviour, value proposition, and revenue risk.
• Risk, Audit & Finance Committee — presenting financial, membership and risk performance with transparency and gravitas; able to run the RAF Committee independently when required, steer the conversation to what matters, and maintain the trust of non-executive directors through honest, clear reporting.
• Technology and AI — strategic oversight of platforms, ICT governance, cyber security and business continuity; genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for how AI and automation can improve operations and reinvigorate the member experience.
• Operational excellence — governance frameworks, business planning cycles, premises and asset management, vendor and contract oversight.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• CA, CPA or CIMA qualified — this is essential, not just desirable
• 10+ years’ experience, including senior leadership in complex organisations
• Proven track record in financial leadership, commercial analysis and performance management
• A genuine data mindset — you’re not satisfied with dashboards that nobody acts on; you ask the questions that lead to better decisions and you know how to build the infrastructure that makes insight routine
• Board and audit committee experience — you’ve presented to non-executive directors, you understand what they need, and you can hold your own in that room without the CEO beside you
• Commercial rigour across both B2B and B2C revenue models — you understand how membership or subscription revenue works, and you can make sound commercial judgements without needing legal or financial sign-off on every decision
• Genuine enthusiasm for AI and automation — not just tolerance; you’re curious about use cases, you talk about it with energy, and you’ve thought about what it means for organisations like this one
• Experience in NFP, membership, association or professional body environments is highly regarded but not essential — broad commercial experience from a for-profit environment is equally welcome if the appetite for transformation and purpose is genuine

THE KIND OF LEADER YOU ARE

You bring energy to transformation, not just execution. You’re just as comfortable building a forecasting model as you are presenting a risk register to a Board committee or challenging a peer GM on whether their membership data tells the whole story.

You’re confident without being territorial. You lead with evidence, own difficult decisions, and build trust across an organisation through transparency and follow-through. You’re just as comfortable in a Board presentation as you are with your team working through a complex forecasting model.

Above all, you understand that behind every membership metric and every budget line, there’s a community of professionals who rely on this organisation to do its job well.

Direct reports:

3 (Finance, IT, Membership Manager)

Ready to lead at the intersection of finance, data and strategy?

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage early expressions of interest from candidates with the right mix of commercial rigour and leadership credibility.