Chief Financial Officer

Chief Financial Officer

Penrith Performing & Visual Arts | Part-Time, 22.5 hours per week
LGA Level 11 Reports to the CEO and Artistic Director

We’re the organisation behind The Joan Sutherland Performing Arts Centre, Q Theatre, Lewers: Penrith Regional Gallery and the Penrith Conservatorium: four entities, one small, ambitious team, based in the suburb that most of Sydney underestimates. That changes every time we open our doors.

We’re a Council-controlled entity, which means our finances carry weight beyond our own balance sheet. Every budget submission, every acquittal, every dollar we account for is part of the case we make to Penrith City Council, Create NSW and Creative Australia for why Western Sydney deserves

serious cultural investment. We’re looking for a CFO who understands that the numbers aren’t just compliance. They’re advocacy.

What you’ll own

• Financial operations across all four entities: budgeting, forecasting, reporting and cash flow, with the discipline to keep a small organisation genuinely liquid

• Monthly, quarterly and annual reporting to the CEO, the Board and the Audit and Risk Committee, delivered on time and built to be understood

• The annual budget process, run in partnership with the CEO and department heads

• Grant acquittals and funding body reporting, accurate and on time, every time

• Governance and compliance as a Council-controlled entity, including company secretarial functions, Board and ARC papers, insurance, procurement and contract administration

• Government relations: representing PP&VA’s financial interests with Council, Create NSW and Creative Australia, and providing the evidence base behind our advocacy

• Multi-year financial projections and scenario planning that support real Board decision-making, not just a spreadsheet exercise

• A small Finance team, led with the same standard you hold for the numbers

What you bring

• A tertiary qualification in accounting, finance or a related discipline, with CPA or CA membership (or working towards it)

• Senior finance experience, ideally in arts, culture, government or the not-for-profit sector

• A track record reporting to boards and audit committees, in language non-finance people can actually follow

• Real grant and acquittal experience: you know what funding bodies look for, and you don’t let deadlines slip

• The judgment to lead a small team and the confidence to sit at a leadership table and be heard

What you’ll get

A genuine leadership role with real scope, inside an organisation that chooses the harder thing over the easy shortcut. You’ll be the financial backbone of a Council-controlled entity at a moment when Western Sydney’s cultural ambition is only growing, and you’ll have the influence to shape where that growth goes.

Sound like you? We’d love to hear from you.

How to apply  

Applicants should submit a two-page cover letter addressing the key result areas, along with their most recent CV. 

Applications can be submitted to ppvarecruitment@ppandva.com.au. For a confidential conversation about the role, contact Lauren O’Neill lauren.oneill@ppandva.com.au . 

POSITION DESCRIPTION

Applications close Friday 2 October, 5pm.