Finance and Operations Lead

About the role

The Finance and Operations Lead keeps AMARU running end to end - owning customer success, HR and payroll, finance and accounts, vendor and licence management, compliance, and the office - so specialists can stay focused on delivering CREST-certified security work.

Role overview

The Finance and Operations Lead is the operational and financial backbone of AMARU, a CREST-certified cybersecurity firm based at Level 4, 99 Queen Street, Auckland, serving clients across New Zealand and Australia. The role owns the day-to-day running of the business so the technical team can concentrate on penetration testing, compliance and managed security delivery.

It is a broad, hands-on generalist role spanning customer success, people and payroll, finance, vendor and licence management, compliance, inter-company management billing, and office administration. The person in it is trusted with sensitive commercial, employee and client data, and is expected to work with discretion and a high standard of accuracy.

• Reports to: CEO/CISO
• Location: Auckland CBD office, with hybrid flexibility [confirm]
• Employment type: Full-time - Office
• Qualification: CPA or CA (CA ANZ or equivalent) required - this is a qualified-accountant role
• Key relationships: consultants and delivery team, clients and subscription customers, third-party suppliers and partners, the company accountant, and the building manager

Key responsibilities

Accounts

• Raise invoices and follow up on late payments
• Issue quotes
• Manage cashflow
• Prepare and file GST returns for AMARU and Swise
• Pay employee expenses
• Provide information to accountants for tax returns
• Reconcile all company spending in Xero

Customer success

• Own and run the customer survey programme, gathering feedback during and after each project completes

• Catch up regularly with subscription clients to check in on satisfaction and surface issues early

• Send welcome emails to new clients as they come on board

Human resources

• Verify that all employees hold the correct working rights
• Apply for and maintain the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme as required
• Prepare and manage employment contracts
• Process annual leave and unpaid leave requests
• Ensure compliance with HR regulations, including KiwiSaver obligations
• Help maintain a company culture that celebrates staff and builds a strong team environment
• Run new-starter inductions

Payroll

• Approve leave requests
• Enrol all employees into PayHero
• Run monthly payroll for all employees

Vendor management

• Maintain relationships with third-party suppliers
• Manage non-technical business enquiries and understand billing terms

Licence renewals

• Manage licensing for clients, including renewals and change orders
• Liaise with clients and partners on all third-party licence renewals

Penetration testing schedule management

• Manage the penetration testing schedule
• Communicate with clients to ensure ongoing customer satisfaction

Compliance

• Maintain AMARU's CREST certification
• Ensure compliance with Health and Safety, Fire regulations and related obligations

Office management

• Purchase office items - food, cleaning supplies and IT equipment
• Manage facilities - reporting issues to the building manager, ordering swipe cards and similar

General business

• Complete client due-diligence questionnaires
• Keep company databases current with client information (Notion, HubSpot, ClickUp)
• Monitor hours spent by consultants against clients' SLA hours
• Answer non-technical client and prospect enquiries

Skills, experience & attributes

Experience

• CPA or CA qualification (CA ANZ or equivalent) is required.
• Proven experience in a finance and operations, office management or business support role, ideally in professional services, IT or cybersecurity
• Hands-on payroll and accounts experience - invoicing, cashflow, reconciliation and GST
• Exposure to HR administration and NZ employment obligations

Technical skills

• Confident with PayHero (or similar payroll), Xero, and Swise for GST
• Comfortable maintaining CRM and workspace tools - HubSpot, Notion, ClickUp
• Familiarity with Microsoft licensing and vendor/partner management is an advantage

Knowledge

• Working knowledge of NZ employment law, KiwiSaver, and immigration/AEWV requirements
• Understanding of Health & Safety and Fire compliance obligations for a small office
• Awareness of CREST certification requirements is a strong plus

Attributes

• Highly organised, with excellent attention to detail and follow-through
• Trustworthy and discreet when handling sensitive client, financial and employee data
• Strong written and verbal communication, comfortable being a first point of contact for clients
• Able to juggle competing priorities across finance, people and client-facing work
• Warm, people-first approach that helps build and protect team culture