Blackbird is looking for a high-performing, detail-oriented Accounts Payable Officer with an eye for process improvement. 

About Blackbird

Blackbird is a venture capital firm whose mission is to supercharge Australia and New Zealand’s most ambitious founders. We do this by raising venture capital funds, investing into the best startup companies and helping them succeed. We have A$1.3 billion dollars of committed capital and a core portfolio of over 60 companies including some of the most successful Australian startups such as Canva, Zoox, Safety Culture and CultureAmp.

We are inspired by investment firms such as Berkshire Hathaway and Bridgewater Associates. Like the companies we back, we want to build a business that lasts for decades and produces excellent returns for our investors. Most of all, we want to support our region’s most talented founders build category-defining technology companies.

We’ve written a lot about what we love at Blackbird, so check out our blog on our website blackbird.vc if you wish to learn more about us.

About the Role

The AP Officer will be responsible for the day-to-day cash management of the Blackbird entities. The AP Officer will be supervised by the Financial Accountant, and report to the Financial Controller. 

This role is based in our Sydney office (when offices re-open), and open to candidates who wish to work full time or part time. 

We are delighted to offer a base salary of A$70,000 plus super, carried interest in the Blackbird 2020 Funds and management company profit share, for a full-time AP Officer. The base salary will be pro-rated by the number of working days per week, for the successful applicant who wishes to work part-time.  

Role Responsibilities

• Ownership over the entire accounts payable process - reviewing and inputting invoices, preparing payments and recording cash transactions. 

• Cash reconciliations across all the Blackbird Funds and management entities.

• Preparing distribution payments to investors, and following up on outstanding capital calls where necessary. 

• Ensuring staff are reimbursed for their work-related expenses in accordance with the company’s expense policy. Management of the Blackbird’s Receipt Bank accounts.

• With a growing number of staff in a relatively young company, there are plenty of opportunities for streamlining and automation of processes, like staff expense reimbursement. 

• Assisting the year-end audits by answering auditors’ queries and providing them with the supporting documentation.  

• Where required, assisting the Operations team with ad hoc tasks. 

Position Requirements

Ideally, you would have about two to three years experience in accounts payable, especially in running day-to-day finance operations such as cash reconciliations, bookkeeping and the expense pay run. Experience with Xero helps, though it is not essential.  

If you intend to start or are already studying for the CA or CPA qualification, Blackbird will support your pursuit of professional qualifications by giving time off work for study leave and exams, and reimbursing course fees upon passing the exams. 

Background is less important than the key skills, which include:

• Knowledge on and experience with accounts payable, with a working knowledge of GST, FBT and income tax

• Able to reconcile differences between the books and sources of truth, and taking action to resolve those differences in a timely manner

• Taking ownership of tasks, including self review of work

• Hospitality mindset - the whole Blackbird team has a focus on helping each other, and collectively has an obsession for customer service to our founders and investors

• Great at communicating both internally and externally

• Attention to detail

You must have the right to work in Australia.

Working at Blackbird

We believe that building a diverse and inclusive team is critical to Blackbird’s success. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, or marital, veteran, or disability status. We use Applied to ensure every applicant gets an equal chance of success.

We offer:

• Flexible working: Whether it’s working from home, or leaving early to pick up the kids from daycare or school.

• Generous parental leave: We know family comes first and we are proud to offer 16 weeks for primary carer and 6 weeks for a secondary carer, subject to a 12-month minimum tenure. This includes a continuation of super payments while on unpaid parental leave and a supportive return-to-work policy.

• Learning and development: Our team is hungry to continuously learn and you’ll receive a budget to spend on whatever you’d like to learn.

• Unplugged weekends: We work hard without letting work get in the way of life. We’ve implemented "no Slack or e-mails on weekends", so you can switch off.

• Sharing in Blackbird’s success: We think it is important to share successes with the whole team. All Blackbird employees receive carry in our funds and are owners in the management company.

Blackbird is a Pledge 1% member — we pledge 1% of our time, equity and profits to help not-for-profit causes in our community, with a focus on greater gender diversity in STEM education.