Assistant Accountant

Full job description

We currently have an opportunity for an Assistant Accountant in NZ. Join our Government and Infrastructure Management team and play a key role in maintaining financial integrity, assisting with reporting, reconciliations, and other essential accounting tasks. Reporting to Finance Team Manager NZ, you'll help deliver high-quality outcomes that support our essential services.

Please note this position is a 6 month contract.

What You’ll Do

This role offers a broad scope, with key responsibilities including:

Support the Accounting Services team in a high-performance culture environment ensuring adherence to deadlines and compliance.

Actively contribute to accounting and finance activities to ensure accurate recording of revenues, expenditures, assets, and liabilities while maintaining compliance with accounting standards and ensuring timely financial reporting.

Play an integral part in the month end process to ensure all transactions are recorded in a timely fashion.

Have a strong understanding of both the Order-To-Cash and Purchase-to-Pay processes to be able to support the broader Finance team and Operational teams in troubleshooting and resolving issues.

Maintain accurate and timely reconciliation of balance sheet accounts, investigate and resolve discrepancies.

What You’ll Bring

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/ Finance, or a related field (required).

Preferred CPA or CA with postgraduate degrees are highly regarded

Proven ability to work independently, take ownership of financial processes, and solve problems effectively, both individually and as part of a team.

Sound understanding of relevant accounting standards/guidelines, and applicable legislation.

Highly effective planning, reporting and prioritising skills.

More than anything, you’ll bring a strong work ethic, a positive attitude, and a commitment to delivering high-quality outcomes for our clients.

Why Downer?

At Downer, we plan, create, and sustain essential public services across Australia and New Zealand. From hospitals to data centres and defence partnerships, we manage critical infrastructure that keeps communities thriving.

Downer is a sovereign-owned, ASX-listed Australian company and proud recipient of the Estate & Infrastructure Business of the Year (2025) and Prime Contractor of the Year for two consecutive years (2024, 2025). With over 80 years of support to the Australian Defence Force (ADF), our Base and Estate Management team delivers innovative solutions and integrated services to both the ADF and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).

What It Means to Belong at Downer

We’re proud of our high-performance culture and commitment to diversity, offering:

Training and development to support and diversify your career.

With 30% of vacancies filled internally you’ll find real opportunities to advance your career.

Perks@Downer: healthcare discounts, great savings on retail purchases, car purchases and much more.

Employee Assistance Program: professional support for you and your family when you need it most.

You want your work to matter and so do we. With over 26,000 people across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, our team is made up of individuals with unique perspectives, backgrounds, and ideas.

We know that diversity makes us stronger and we actively celebrate it through our commitment to inclusion and belonging.

We’re committed to building a team that reflects the diverse communities we serve and we welcome people of all ages, genders, ****** orientations, cultures, abilities, and lived experiences. We especially encourage applications from those whose voices have traditionally been underrepresented in our industry, including women, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, Māori and Pasifika Peoples, veterans, people with disability, and neurodivergent individuals. Even if your experience doesn’t align perfectly with this role, we’d still like to hear from you. If it feels like the right fit, apply - potential counts, and so do you.

As a WORK180 Endorsed Employer, we support flexibility that works for your life, inclusive leadership that values your voice, and equitable access to opportunity so you can do your best work and bring your whole self to it.

If you need support or adjustments through the recruitment process, just let us know, we’re here to help you put your best foot forward.