Description

Commercial Finance Manager - Energy & Trading

Drive Commercial Decisions in One of Australia's Largest Energy and Resource Businesses

Our client is one of Australia and New Zealand's largest privately owned industrial organisations, operating a diverse portfolio across manufacturing, resource recovery, energy, utilities and infrastructure. With operations spanning hundreds of sites and employing thousands of people across the region, the business is committed to sustainability, innovation and operational excellence.

A significant part of its growth strategy is its Energy, Waste and Water division, which manages large-scale energy procurement, generation, trading and optimisation activities. As the business continues to expand its energy trading capability and commercial footprint, an opportunity has arisen for a high-calibre Commercial Finance Manager to join the team.

The Opportunity

Reporting directly to the Group General Manager - Energy, with a dotted line into Group Finance, this is a highly visible commercial finance position partnering with senior leaders across Energy Trading, Operations, Procurement and Corporate Finance.

You will take ownership of the financial performance of the Energy and Trading function, providing commercial insights, forecasting, reporting and decision support across a dynamic and fast-moving trading environment. The role offers a unique blend of financial control, business partnering and commercial analysis, with direct exposure to energy markets, trading strategies and complex commercial transactions.

This is an ideal opportunity for a commercially minded finance professional looking to step into a business-facing role where they can influence decision-making and contribute to the continued growth of a strategically important division.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the financial performance, reporting and integrity of the Energy and Trading portfolio
• Lead budgeting, forecasting and long-range planning processes
• Develop and maintain sophisticated forecasting models across price, volume and margin drivers
• Deliver insightful analysis on trading performance, hedging outcomes and market exposures
• Support the evaluation of derivatives, structured energy transactions, PPAs and commercial agreements
• Provide executive-level reporting and commentary to senior leadership
• Partner closely with trading, operational and commercial teams to drive informed decision-making
• Identify opportunities to improve financial processes, systems and reporting capabilities
• Oversee and optimise offshore shared service finance support activities
• Support internal and external audit requirements and ensure strong financial governance

About You

You are a commercially astute finance professional who enjoys operating close to the business and translating complex financial information into meaningful commercial insights.

You will bring:

• CA or CPA qualification
• 10+ year's experience in commercial finance, FP&A, trading, commodities, utilities or energy-related environments
• Strong financial modelling and analytical capability
• Experience analysing complex P&L drivers including pricing, volumes, margins and market movements
• Excellent stakeholder management and business partnering skills
• The ability to communicate financial outcomes clearly to both finance and non-finance audiences
• A proactive mindset with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, evolving environment

Highly Regarded

• Energy, utilities or commodities trading experience
• Exposure to derivatives, hedging instruments and risk management
• frameworks
• Experience working with shared service or offshore finance teams
• SAP and/or Hyperion experience

Why Apply?

• Rare opportunity to combine commercial finance with energy trading exposure
• Partner directly with senior executives and key decision-makers
• Join a business investing heavily in sustainability, energy and resource innovation
• High-profile role with significant visibility and long-term career progression opportunities
• Melbourne-based position, hybrid working with exposure across Australia and New Zealand

If you're looking for a commercially focused finance role where your insights will directly influence business performance and strategy, please apply and we will be in touch.

Job Reference Number: 06810-0013458283LH

By clicking 'apply', you give your express consent that Robert Half may use your personal information to process your job application and to contact you from time to time for future employment opportunities. For further information on how Robert Half processes your personal information and how to access and correct your information, please read the Robert Half privacy notice: https://www.roberthalf.com/au/en/privacy. Please do not submit any sensitive personal data to us in your resume (such as government ID numbers, ethnicity, gender, religion, marital status or trade union membership) as we do not collect your sensitive personal data at this time.