Assistant Finance Manager

Assistant Finance Manager is the first role where you are accountable for work you did not personally perform. Sign-off, not preparation, is the defining feature — and it is a genuinely different skill from everything the previous six years rewarded.

Scope varies more at this level than at any other. In an SME the title often means running the entire finance function under a Finance Director. In a regional group it can mean owning one reporting stream across several markets. Both are valid; they develop different capabilities and lead to different Finance Manager roles.

The recurring failure mode is a manager who still does the work. Employers watch for delegation, review discipline and the ability to hold a deadline through other people. Those behaviours, more than technical depth, decide who is given a team of four rather than a team of one.

Where this sits: candidates typically arrive from Senior Finance Executive or from a senior Accountant role, and progress to Finance Manager. Alternative routes include FP&A leadership or a controllership track towards Financial Controller.

• Review and approve journals, reconciliations and reporting packs prepared by the finance team.
• Own the month-end and year-end close for the entity or reporting stream, including issue resolution.
• Manage two to five finance staff, covering workload allocation, coaching and performance feedback.
• Own the statutory audit relationship, timetable and resolution of audit findings.
• Review GST returns, tax computations and statutory filings before submission.
• Prepare and challenge budgets, forecasts and cash flow projections with business owners.
• Maintain internal controls, approval matrices and finance policy documentation.
• Deputise for the Finance Manager in business reviews and stakeholder meetings.
• Lead finance process and systems improvement projects within the function.

• A Degree in Accountancy or Finance is expected, and a professional qualification is the norm rather than the exception.
• Qualified ACCA, Chartered Accountant of Singapore or CPA Australia is required by most mid-sized and larger employers at this level.
• Six to ten years of experience with demonstrable review and supervisory responsibility.
• At least one full audit cycle owned as the primary finance contact rather than as a preparer.
• Experience managing people, even informally, must be evidenced with specific examples in interviews.

• Talk about your team, not your tasks. Headcount, what you delegated, and how you developed someone.
• Describe a sign-off you refused. A moment you sent work back and what you changed to prevent a repeat shows genuine review discipline.
• Own an audit story end to end. Timetable, contentious point, resolution, and how you protected the deadline.
• Bring a number the business acted on. Management credibility is demonstrated by influence, not by pack thickness.
• Establish the real scope. Ask about headcount, sign-off limits and whether the Finance Manager seat above you is filled.