FP&A and Strategy Manager

Blackbird is hiring an FP&A and Strategy Manager to supercharge our business as a generational owner of generational companies!

Join our 'ask me anything' session on Tuesday 14 March at 12pm here. You can submit your questions head of the webinar here.

About the Role

At Blackbird, our mission is to be a generational owner of the most ambitious tech companies founded by Aussies and Kiwis. To match this ambition as we grow, we are building a world-class Finance and Strategy function to empower the wider Blackbird team to deliver on key initiatives and to ensure that we are a transparent and fully-compliant financial services organisation.

We are looking for an exceptional FP&A and Strategy Manager to supercharge Team Blackbird! In this role you will lead Blackbird’s management reporting, financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and analysis activities as well as support the development and execution of Blackbird’s long term strategy.

This role is full-time, based in our Sydney or Melbourne office with the flexibility to work from home.

Key Responsibilities

Reporting to our CFO, JP Moorhead, here is what success might look like in your first 6-12 months:

• Stakeholder management: Establish strong relationships with the Blackbird finance and broader Blackbird team
• Management reporting: Upgrade our monthly management reports and streamline them to provide reliable and timely financial insight to the Executive Team
• Budgeting: Prepare and agree the FY24 budget with the Executive Team and Board by 30 June 2023
• Forecasting: Maintain the 12 month rolling forecast prepare the 3-5 year financial plan
• Systems: Review existing FP&A platforms and recommend improvements and alternatives
• Benchmarking: Benchmark Blackbird’s performance metrics vs. leading global VC/PE peers
• Strategy development: Support the development and execution of Blackbird’s long term strategy with modelling, forecasting, data, preparation of materials and coordination with external advisers

Position Requirements

Ideally, you will have proven hands on experience in financial analysis, management reporting, budgeting and strategic planning. Exposure to private assessment management helps, though not essential. If you have strong commercial acumen, are resourceful and enjoy operating in a fast pace, high energy environment - this role is for you!

Key skills:

• Technical knowledge: Advanced knowledge and application of accounting and financial reporting principles and processes. Added kudos if you’re already CA/CPA qualified
• Accounting systems & processes: Familiarity with accounting and FP&A systems and processes,  Google Sheets/Excel and Canva
• Analytical problem solving: You love the details and have an ability to see patterns in complex data and translate your thinking into clear actionable insights
• Financial modelling: High proficiency in financial analysis, modelling and benchmarking
• Execution excellence: Applying solid commercial acumen, you can shift from strategic big picture thinking to producing outputs with a high level of detail and accuracy
• Hospitality mindset: Has a humble, low-ego attitude with empathy in spades. We’re a small team and we all take out the trash (literally and figuratively!)
• Communication & relationship management: Excellent communication skills, with an ability to coordinate, motivate and influence team members and other key stakeholders

Finally, we’re looking for someone who is as passionate as us about building an iconic investment business. You must have a high ownership mentality and the ability to take responsibility for goals and outcomes.

Working at Blackbird

We believe that building a diverse and inclusive team is critical to Blackbird’s success. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status. We use Applied to ensure every applicant gets an equal chance of success.

We offer:

• Flexible working: Whether it’s working from home or leaving early to pick up the kids from daycare or school.
• Generous parental leave: We know family comes first, and we are proud to offer 20 weeks of parental leave for all parents (an additional 4 weeks for the birth parent), with no minimum tenure. In addition, we offer IVF, adoption and surrogacy leave. We also continue to pay superannuation and vest carried interest for up to 12 months of parental leave, and offer a supportive return-to-work policy to help with the ramp back.
• Learning & Development Budget: Our team is hungry to continuously learn and you’ll receive a budget to spend on whatever you’d like to learn - from coding courses to meditation.
• Wellbeing: We think in decades not days. To support our Blackbirds over the long haul we offer a range of holistic wellbeing benefits including a monthly healthy living allowance, 24/7 access to wellbeing support, a home office allowance, personal kit-kat days, and more!
• Unplugged weekends: We work hard without letting work get in the way of life. We’ve implemented no Slack or emails on weekends, so you can switch off and enjoy yourself.
• Connection: While being big fans of a fully distributed workforce, we value our vibe and time to connect online and IRL through team and company offsites, monthly social activities, weekly lunches and our many social clubs (#fun-manis, #fun-fantasybookclub, #bb-craft just to name a few!).
• A share of Blackbird’s success: We think it is important to share successes with the whole team. All Blackbird employees receive carry in funds raised and ownership in management companies formed while they are at the firm.

Blackbird is a Pledge 1% member —  we pledge 1% of our time, equity and profits to help not-for-profit causes in our community. Through Pledge 1%, we established the Blackbird Foundation to supercharge the creative capabilities of young people.

In 2021, we were recognised in top 5 technology workplaces in the AFR Best Places to Work List, as well as winning Best Employee Experience. In 2022, we became certified as one of Australia’s Great Places to Work.

About Blackbird

Blackbird is Australia's biggest venture capital fund whose mission is to supercharge Australia and New Zealand’s most ambitious founders. We do this by raising venture capital funds, investing into the best startup companies and helping them succeed. We have a portfolio valued at over $7B, including some of the most successful Australian and Kiwi startups such as Canva, Safety Culture and Culture Amp.

We are inspired by investment firms such as Berkshire Hathaway and Bridgewater Associates. Like the companies we back, we want to build a business that lasts for decades and produces excellent returns for our investors. Most of all, we want to support our region’s most talented founders build category-defining technology companies.

We’ve written a lot about what we love at Blackbird, so check out our blog if you want some more information about us. In particular, you should read about our mission and values, our Blackbird’s Operating Principles (BOPs) and what we look for in founders.

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