Financial Controller

About us

We're Matter IO — an Australian smart-cities and environmental-technology company building AI that helps cities manage flooding, stormwater and waste. Our platforms (Meridian for flood and stormwater intelligence, ThinkOS for smart waste) are deployed with councils and partners across Australia and internationally, backed by a granted global patent portfolio and a Series A on the horizon.

Alongside us sits our sister company yStop (Global Smart Cities) — one of the nation's most innovative outdoor-media companies. yStop reimagines council bus shelters and street furniture as smart, digital city infrastructure. Behind it sits a portfolio of long-term council advertising contracts representing more than 95 years of combined secured tenure — a deep, recurring, contracted revenue base that gives the group financial ballast most start-ups can only dream of.

Together we're a multi-entity group with a rare balance: high-growth deep-tech upside at Matter, underwritten by long-dated contracted revenue at yStop — real growth, category-leading technology, and a genuinely AI-native way of working. We want our finance function to reflect that.

The opportunity

This is a key hire. We're looking for a qualified accountant to own finance end-to-end across the group — not just to keep the books clean, but to give us the forecasting, controls and strategic visibility a scaling company needs as it raises capital and grows internationally.

The differentiator: we expect you to run finance with AI and automation at the core. The transactional grind — data entry, reconciliations, routine reporting — should increasingly be handled by smart tooling, freeing you to do the high-value work: analysis, strategy, and partnering with the CEO and board. If you're a finance professional who's genuinely curious about AI and wants to build a modern, lean finance function rather than maintain an old one, this role is built for you.

You'll report to the CEO and work closely with the leadership team.

What you'll own

Strategic finance & CFO-lite

• Cash-flow forecasting, scenario modelling, and runway management across the group

• Board-ready management reporting, KPIs and commentary

• Support for capital raising, investor reporting and due diligence (Series A)

• Budgeting, financial strategy, and risk identification

• Commercial input into pricing, margins and major decisions

• Stewardship of yStop's long-dated council-contract revenue — forecasting, renewals visibility and margin analysis across the advertising portfolio

Financial control & reporting

• Month-end close, multi-entity consolidation and statutory reporting

• Bank reconciliations, balance-sheet integrity, and audit readiness

• Liaison with external accountants, brokers, auditors and the bank

Payroll, AP/AR & compliance

• Oversight of multi-entity payroll (timesheets, leave, STP, pay-day super, final pays)

• Accounts payable and receivable — payment runs (Westpac), international payments (Wise), invoicing and debtor management

• BAS/IAS, GST, PAYG, payroll tax and super obligations

• R&D tax incentive and grant claim coordination

AI, systems & continuous improvement

• Drive automation across the finance stack (Xero + add-ons) to minimise manual effort

• Identify and implement AI tools that improve accuracy, speed and insight

• Build clean, scalable finance processes that grow with the business

What you'll bring (essential)

• CA or CPA qualification (or finalist with strong relevant experience)

• Strong Xero skills — payroll, reconciliations, reporting, BAS

• Proven experience in financial control and management reporting

• Solid command of Australian compliance (BAS, GST, PAYG, super, payroll tax)

• A genuine willingness to use AI and automation day-to-day — curious, not cautious

• Accuracy, commercial judgement, discretion, and the ability to run your own desk to deadline

Highly regarded

• Experience supporting a capital raise / funding round — a definite advantage

• Multi-entity, trust or group-structure experience in Xero

• Exposure to R&D tax incentives, government grants, or deep-tech/start-up finance

• Long-term contract or recurring-revenue / media / infrastructure finance experience

• Prior CFO, Head of Finance or senior Financial Controller experience

What's in it for you

• $130,000–$155,000 + superannuation, commensurate with experience

• ESOP participation as a minimum, with broader equity options available for the right person — this is a key hire and we want you invested in the upside

• Broad, senior scope with a direct line to the CEO and board

• Flexible working hours, including the option of a compressed 4-day week for the right person

• A front-row seat as the group scales through Series A and international expansion — with the security of yStop's established, contracted revenue base beneath it

• Hybrid working from our Osborne Park office (with easy parking and freeway/train access)

• The chance to build a modern, AI-native finance function from the ground up (with full support from an in-house software dev team that have already built the custom AI/Xero integrated system)

Apply

Send your CV and a short note covering (1) your qualifications and Xero/control experience, and (2) one example of how you've used — or would use — AI to improve a finance function.