Financial Accountant

Challenger Limited is an ASX-listed investment management firm managing $128.2 billion in assets (as at 31 December 2025). Life with us is fast moving and always exciting. Together we’re driving to deliver our vision to provide our customers with financial security for a better retirement.

We achieve this goal by providing a work environment where people from diverse backgrounds, with a range of skills and experiences can contribute and succeed.

Join us as a Financial Accountant in our Life Financial Control Team

• This is a great role if you’re looking to move beyond routine financial accounting, with hands‑on ownership and exposure to a complex Life balance sheet that will stretch and develop your technical capability.

• You’ll join a tight‑knit, collaborative and high‑performing team that supports each other and actively looks for better ways of working. The complexity of Challenger Life means you’ll also be exposed to non‑standard transactions and a broad range of financial instruments, accelerating your learning.

• We work flexibly from our Sydney CBD office, typically three days in the office and two days from home.

What you’ll do

As a Financial Accountant, you’ll own the month‑end close and general ledger for your assigned entities or groups. That ownership means you won’t just process numbers - you’ll understand them, challenge them, and improve how they’re produced

You’ll manage your own portfolio, building strong ledger and control capability while ensuring transactions are accurately recorded across systems. When things don’t look right, you’ll investigate, resolve issues, and help prevent them recurring.

You’ll also work closely with colleagues across Group Financial Control, Business Performance, Tax, Risk and Actuarial. This exposure helps you see how statutory outcomes connect to the wider business - and build the judgement needed to take on broader responsibility over time

Your responsibilities will include:

• Delivering accurate and timely month‑end ledger close, so results can be relied on with confidence

• Preparing and reviewing balance sheet reconciliations, identifying and resolving variances

• Posting monthly recurring and ad‑hoc journals

• Preparing consolidation entries and resolving consolidation issues

• Running tax calculations where applicable to ensure correct effective tax rates

• Completing BAS and tax return submissions

• Preparing statutory accounts for assigned entities

• Assisting with Challenger Life Company Limited (CLC) financial statements and explanatory notes

• Preparing audit files and responding to auditor queries

• Reviewing processes to strengthen controls, reduce manual effort and manage risk

The skills you’ll need

You’ll be CA or CPA qualified (or equivalent), with some post‑qualification experience in a commercial environment.

If you’re coming from a Big 4 (or Top 10) firm, this can be a strong first move into industry particularly if you want to move from reviewing work to owning outcomes and see how accounting decisions play out in a live business.

You’re analytical and practical. You can break down complex issues, identify what really matters, and land on solutions that work. You’re comfortable working with large data sets, have strong Excel skills, and can turn detail into clear insight.

You’ll also bring:

• Experience in financial services

• Understanding of income tax (current and deferred) and GST concepts

• Clear communication and confident stakeholder engagement

• The ability to work well independently and as part of a team

• An interest in using data, automation or new tools to improve finance processes and ways of working

Highly desirable

• Exposure to financial instruments such as derivatives, fixed income or equities

• An understanding of APRA requirements and submissions

Why Challenger?

At Challenger, we’re small enough to be agile, but big enough to accelerate bold ideas. We support your growth and development, offering flexibility and a culture that values your unique contributions. 

• Competitive discretionary bonus scheme 

• 18 weeks paid parental leave for all new parents 

• Challenger Day – one extra day off every year in recognition of the effort our people make.  

• Additional support leave (fertility, gender affirmation) 

• Extra superannuation contributions 

• Employee share plan 

• Employee Assistance Programme 

• Subsidised on-site café and central location near Martin Place Metro 

• Access to free onsite yoga, mindfulness and pilates classes. 

• Fitness Passport

• Access to annual free flu shots & skin checks

https://www.challenger.com.au/about-us/careers/our-benefits 

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Challenger's employee value proposition guides how we work: Grow and realise your potential, supporting each other, stronger together and making things happen. Our culture encourages curiosity, considered thinking and meaningful contribution, with opportunities to build a broad and rewarding career.

We are committed to fostering a safe, inclusive and respectful workplace where people of all backgrounds, identities and ways of thinking can thrive, and promoting flexible working to support work-life balance. 

Challenger is proud to be a Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA) Employer of Choice for Gender Equality, a Family Friendly Workplace and recognised as a Bronze Employer in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI), the national benchmark for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.

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