Lead Financial Advisor

• Inform local board decisions with trusted financial advice


• Move beyond number crunching into real customer engagement


• Permanent finance role with mana across council

He angitūtanga: The opportunity

This is a permanent opportunity for an experienced finance professional to step into one of the more sought-after roles in the finance world — one that brings the numbers to life through real conversations, meaningful advice, and direct engagement with customers and decision-makers.

As a Lead Financial Advisor, you will provide accurate, timely and commercially insightful financial governance advice to support local board planning, performance and decision-making. This role supports either four local boards, or three local boards alongside cross-council projects and processes, giving you the chance to influence outcomes across Tāmaki Makaurau while moving beyond traditional number crunching. 

You will still need strong financial expertise, and success in this role is just as much about building trust, translating complex information, and helping non-financial audiences make confident, well-informed decisions.

Local Board Financial Advisory Vision: To deliver clear financial insights and advice that give confidence to elected members to make the best decisions for their communities.

Day-to-day you could expect to work on:

• Delivering high-quality and easily understood financial advice to local boards


• Identifying savings, efficiencies, revenue and funding opportunities


• Presenting financial insights to local board members to give them confidence to make decisions


• Reviewing reports with financial implications for policy and advice quality


• Building strong relationships across finance, local boards and the wider council

Click here to view the Position Description. 

He kōrero mōu: About you

You will bring depth finance experience, strong commercial judgement and the confidence to provide independent advice in complex, high-profile environments. 

This role will suit someone who enjoys working closely with people, can communicate financial information clearly to non-finance audiences, and is comfortable presenting advice to elected members and senior stakeholders. 

Political nous, resilience and sound judgement will be important, along with the ability to balance detail with the bigger picture. A collaborative, solutions-focused approach will help you build trusted relationships, manage competing priorities and contribute to strong financial stewardship across local board activity.

Specifically, we are looking for:

• A tertiary qualification in finance, commerce or business management


• Professional registration with CAANZ or a similar body


• Senior commercial accounting or business advisory experience


• Strong planning, budgeting, forecasting and performance reporting skills


• Confidence presenting complex advice to senior and political audiences


• Experience working in large, complex and fast-moving organisations

Ngā āhuatanga kei a mātou: What we offer

At Auckland Council, you will join a dynamic, supportive environment where your mahi (work) will directly impact the lives of over 1.7 million Aucklanders.

We offer flexible working conditions, a focus on well-being, and a culture of continuous improvement. We are proud to be recognised for our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. We are accredited by GenderTick, a signatory of the Pride Pledge. These commitments reflect our ongoing efforts to create a workplace where all staff feel valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.

Together, we can create a Tāmaki Makaurau we can all be proud of.

As part of our organisation, please view a range of our: benefits

Tono Mai: Apply Now!    
Application close date: Friday 26th of June at 11:59pm
 

Auckland Council is an equal opportunity employer. We serve the diverse communities of Tāmaki Makaurau and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds - regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, educational background, or religious beliefs. We also welcome applications from our Rainbow communities as well as disabled and neurodivergent people. We are committed to making our hiring process accessible to everyone. If you require any support or adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know.