Business/Operations Manager – Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Coogee, Sydney

“May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be everywhere loved”

The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (MSC) is an international order of Brothers and Priests within the Catholic Church numbering about 1,900 working in over fifty-five countries, on six continents.

The initials MSC come from the Latin, Missionarii Sacratissimi Cordis, (Missionnaires du Sacre Coeur in French), the name of our Religious Congregation founded by Fr. Jules Chevalier at Issoudun, France in 1854.

The Australian Province has around 140 members and our ministries include:

• Parishes
• Retreat Centre
• Education (with four Colleges)
• International Missions
• Working with urban and traditional aborigines
• Chaplains to the prisons, universities and hospitals
• Aged care

Further Information

Additional information can be viewed by visiting the MSC Australian website located at: https://www.misacor.org.au/

Position Overview

Position Title: Business Manager

Reports to: Provincial of the Australian Province of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart

Position Purpose

The Business Manager is responsible for:

• The sound financial and commercial management, both strategic and day-to-day, of the temporal goods of the Congregation.
• Providing inspirational leadership, strategic planning and advice for the Congregation in finance, commercial management, investments, property, fundraising & stewardship.
• Promoting a positive organisational culture that fosters and supports the mission of the MSC.

Key Areas of Responsibility

The scope of the role requires you to be the principal advisor of the Province in the following dimensions, at both the strategic level and in day-to-day operations:

• Financial Planning and forecasting
• Financial reporting and budgeting
• Property
• Insurances
• Investments
• Systems and procedures
• Employment and Human Resources
• Payroll
• WHS
• MSC Communities [10] and Colleges [4] liaison
• Coordinating the inter province assistance program

Initial Priorities

• Development of a strategic 5-year financial plan to ensure long term sustainability and support for the MSC vision and mission
• Fresh look at systems and processes to ensure best practice
• Review of property portfolio and the Investment portfolio
• Expense review to ensure providers’ costs are at competitive market rates
• Supporting the work of the new mission in Vietnam.
• Supporting other projects arising from time to time at the direction of the Provincial

Key Relationships

This role reports to the Provincial and supports him and the Provincial Council. The role works collaboratively with the Business Managers who work within the four MSC Independent schools.

The Business Manager is involved in the following committees:

• Finance Committee
• Investment Advisory Board
• Education Finance Board (as Secretary)
• Province Care and Assisted Living
• Missions Office Board

 An organisation chart will be provided at a later stage of this project.

Other Information

• Annual revenue is circa $4m. Note: this is for the Provincial House income, not the gross income of the schools and the communities.
• Financial year end is 31st December.
• Auditor is BDO. The successful candidate will be required to prepare the annual audit file, inclusive of all required reconciliations.
• There are three MSC working at Coogee Provincial Office: Provincial; Deputy Provincial; and Director Formation. In addition to the MSC’s, there are four other staff members located in the Coogee Provincial Office. This includes the Director Professional Standards; Admin – Professional Standards; Provincial Executive Assistant; and Province Bookkeeper.
• Accounting software is MYOB.
• Normal office hours are 9am to 5pm.

Location and Travel

The role is based out of the Provincial Office located at 1A Waltham St., Coogee. The successful candidate will be required to travel between communities and interstate from time to time.

Conditions of Employment

• The remuneration package will be discussed as we move through this process.
• Four weeks annual leave.
• The initial appointment is for up to 3 years and able to be renewed for a further 5 years subject to a satisfactory performance review in the third year.
• A current Drivers Licence.
• Probation period is 6 months.
• Working With Children and Police Checks
• Office hours are 9am- 5pm, Monday to Friday. Given the seniority of this role, the expectation is the Business Manager will work the hours required of the position, which includes some out-of-hours meetings.

Selection Criteria

We invite expressions of interest from people who align with the following:

• A personal commitment to the  Gospel Values with the desire to develop an appreciation for the mission of the MSC congregation
• A career in finance with a minimum 5 years as a senior level finance and accounting practitioner, ideally with exposure to a mission-based organisation
• The capacity and preparedness to work independently at both the strategic and the day-to-day, hands-on levels
• Capable of balancing commercial decision-making with the mission of the organisation
• High level interpersonal skills to work effectively with a wide range of people
• Patience and listening skills, combined with a preparedness to support others, including as an adviser to non-financial people
• CA or CPA and commitment to ongoing professional formation and training.

Are You Interested in This Opportunity?

If you are interested in this role, simply complete the ‘Express Your Interest’ panel on this page; or email jobs@traksearch.com quoting ref number TS1477. Please provide a brief resume and contact (mobile) telephone number.

If you are NOT interested in this role but would like to be advised of future leadership positions, click here to register for our job alerts.

Questions can be directed to either (a) Director John Chesher (0417 068 220) or (b) email to jobs@traksearch.com.

The timeline and details for this project are outlined below. All emails and applications are acknowledged within 48 hours.

The Selection Process

Key dates as follows:

Trak Search has been instructed to provide a process that is welcoming for people interested in this role. Significant aspects include:

• Trak Search is available for confidential enquiries. They will also provide additional information to allow you to explore how this role aligns with your expectations and interests.
• Closing is 5.00pm on the date shown above. However, a late application could be accepted, providing it does not adversely impact other applications or the MSC schedule.
• We expect to contact one work-related referee prior to shortlisting, with additional references completed later in the process.
• The MSC’s will provide an option of a video interview in circumstances where a person is unable to attend for a face-to-face meeting.
• All information provided to Trak Search will be made available prior to shortlisting, in confidence, to the Provincial or his nominee unless you instruct Trak Search otherwise.
• To obtain a more comprehensive understanding of the Trak Search methodology, including our screening process, click here to access the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
• Only people with the unrestricted right to work in Australia may apply for this role.

Trak Search is committed to working with client organisations in the safeguarding of children and young people. Applicants should be aware that in addition to the Working with Children and National Police History Checks required by our client, Trak Search screening processes, interview questions and reference checking will also reflect this commitment.

 Trak Search strongly supports the principles of equal employment opportunities in the workplace. We support our clients in recruiting a diverse range of people and a diverse range of talents. We are committed to adapting our recruitment processes to accommodate neurodiverse candidates; or people with different physical abilities.

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