Bookkeeping Lead

The business

Come and join the high-tech accounting business of the future with a group of like-minded people who genuinely love what they do. At Beany, we work remotely in close-knit, collaborative teams, combining human empathy with cutting-edge technology to make business easier for our clients.

We aren't interested in doing things the old way. We actively build the latest software, automations, and tools directly into our workflows so our team can focus on what actually matters: solving problems and helping business owners thrive. This is a fun, fast-paced environment offering complete flexibility - work where you like, when you like, and how you like from anywhere in New Zealand.

About the role

You will take complete ownership of Beany New Zealand's bookkeeping department with a clear, three-part focus: manage, automate, and grow. Acting as the human face of our bookkeeping service, you will own the onshore relationships with our Kiwi business owners while leading and scaling our offshore processing team. You will be the bridge between our clients, our internal support team, and our Chartered Accountants (CAs), ensuring that data flows seamlessly and accuracy is rock-solid.

Key responsibilities

• Own the onshore relationships with New Zealand clients as their primary point of contact, translating their financial data into plain English and proactively helping them improve their business lives
• Lead the modernisation of our bookkeeping engine by actively implementing and refining AI technologies including Gemini and other AI tools alongside Xero, MYOB, Dext, and Hubdoc to automate manual data entry and eliminate document review bottlenecks
• Manage, mentor, and direct our dedicated offshore processing team, building robust, standardised workflows so baseline processing happens quickly and accurately
• Work closely with our internal Chartered Accountants, providing vital support and answering high-level queries regarding management reporting and file accuracy
• Collaborate with our customer support team to resolve client Xero, accounting, and tax questions
• Play a key commercial role in expanding Beany's bookkeeping client base by building a scalable, automated service model to unlock capacity for new businesses
• Ensure all bookkeeping work strictly adheres to New Zealand legislation, managing GST reconciliations, PAYE, and IRD compliance requirements with precision

About you

• Several years of hands-on bookkeeping or intermediate accounting experience within New Zealand, preferably within an accounting practice
• A relevant tertiary qualification or certified bookkeeper status is a strong advantage
• Proven hands-on experience running New Zealand payrolls, including a strong working knowledge of the Holidays Act 2003, leave calculations, KiwiSaver, ESCT, and IRD Payday Filing requirements
• Proficiency in key NZ payroll platforms such as Xero Payroll, Smartly, wisely is required
• Rock-solid understanding of New Zealand tax legislation, IRD requirements, GST, PAYE, and general compliance
• Confident and highly capable across Xero, MYOB, Xero Practice Manager (XPM), Dext, and Hubdoc
• Genuinely excited by innovation and comfortable leveraging modern LLMs (like Gemini) and AI tools to solve operational bottlenecks
• Proven ability to manage, train, or mentor offshore or remote team members, with a sharp eye for process improvement and quality control
• High empathy and exceptional communication skills, both verbal and written
• Self-starter with strong time management skills who takes ownership of challenges and drives them to completion

Benefits

• 100% Remote Flexibility: Complete freedom over where and how you work across New Zealand
• Family-First Culture: Support for real work-life balance and strong social connections
• Modern Tech Stack: Work with the latest software, automations, and AI tools already built into our processes
• Supportive & Collaborative Team: Join a close-knit group of lovely, like-minded people who love their jobs and back each other up
• Professional Development: Ongoing on-the-job training and the opportunity to truly shape, lead, and grow a core department within a future-focused accounting business

About us

Beany is a future-focused accounting business operating in New Zealand.