Finance Associate – Octopus Australia

This is an opportunity to join the Octopus office in Melbourne or Sydney. The successful applicant will be able to join the Octopus Investments Australia team on their mission to accelerate Australia's transition to a future powered by renewable energy.

About Octopus

Octopus Group is one of the largest owners of renewable energy projects in Australia and Europe.  It owns some 260 assets, on behalf of wholesale and institutional investors. Domestically, Octopus Australia is responsible for managing over $1 billion of assets for local and international investors.

Globally Octopus is on a mission to invest in the people, ideas and industries that will change the world. We have 2,500 employees and $25bn under management across investments, energy, ventures and real estate. From a standing start in 2010 Octopus grew its energy investment business rapidly to become Europe’s largest non-utility renewable energy investor and now has the equivalent of greater than $11bn energy assets under management. We also have one of the fastest growing energy retail businesses globally with almost 5 million customers.

Octopus Investments Australia

Established in 2018, Octopus Australia is a team of over 35 plus people across Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland, and is growing rapidly. We have big ambitions to become the premier developer/owner/operator of renewable energy assets in Australia and have a strong pipeline of projects including solar, wind and grid battery storage across the country.

About the Role

The role of Finance Associate will sit in the finance team and support across the Octopus Australia business giving the successful candidate wide exposure to various renewable asset investments, funds, and Octopus Australia as a fund manager. The role can be based in either Melbourne or Sydney, with occasional travel between offices required.

The successful candidate will be involved in the successful delivery of all financial aspects of the Octopus Australia Group. This role will report into the Financial Controller. 

Core responsibilities will include:

• Involvement in regular management and KPI variance reporting
• Involvement in quarterly and annual financial reporting (with the support of advisors)
• Cashflow forecasting and calculating funding requirements
• Forecasting and budgeting at both asset and company level
• Management of external bookkeepers and advisors, to ensure statutory filings are met (including audited financials, tax returns, activity statements, FBT)
• Managing bank accounts and payments processes
• Financial compliance (AFSL)

Qualifications

Ideally, you will have some or all of the following qualifications, skills and experiences:

• Be a Chartered Accountant (or equivalent) or be near approaching completion of the program.
• Familiarity with, or as a minimum a genuine interest in, renewable energy sector.
• Be highly proficient in MS Excel, Word and PowerPoint  
• Have an interest in implementing new technologies and leveraging digital applications.

What we offer

• 💰 A competitive salary package including bonus and medical insurance benefits
• ✈️ Extra Annual Leave entitlement
• 🏡 Flexible working 
• Ongoing learning and career development opportunities

Octopus has built an exciting and inclusive high-performance culture where employees feel empowered. We also understand the value of diversity, and we are dedicated to creating an inclusive workplace environment. We would welcome people of all backgrounds to apply. 

Our Values 

At Octopus we don’t just focus on what we do but also how we do it. Everyone to shares our values of being straightforward, helpful, and bold. Our culture is critical to our success and is built around three principles that underpin how we pursue our goals:

• Be Bold – We like people who make decisions quickly and are OK changing their mind if it turns out there’s a better way of doing things.
• Be Helpful – We like People who behave like it always day one and who remember without our customers there is no business.
• Be Straightforward – We like people who have opinions and express them in a way that’s respectful and easy to understand.

Our Values 
At our core, we believe that how a company behaves is just as important as what it does. That’s why we chose to become an accredited B Corp (the equivalent of a Fairtrade coffee stamp but for companies) and to change our Articles of Association so that the interests all our stakeholders – employees, customers, communities, environment and shareholders – are considered in every decision we make.   

We’re committed to creating a diverse and inclusive employee experience for all. We promote equal opportunities for growth and development regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, or socio-economic background. We believe strongly that teams are at their best when every member of the team feels safe to bring their whole self to work.