Join Our Team at S&B Private – Colombo Office
About the Opportunity
Are you an experienced Australian public practice accountant ready to take greater ownership of your work and progress your career in Australian taxation?
S&B Private builds dedicated accounting teams in Sri Lanka for Australian accounting firms. In this role, you will work as a core member of an Australian accounting firm’s tax and business services team, with direct exposure to its accountants, managers and clients.
This is not a basic processing role. We are looking for a technically capable Senior Accountant who can manage tax and compliance engagements from start to finish, identify issues independently and produce accurate, well-documented work that is ready for manager review.
You will work across a diverse portfolio of Australian privately owned businesses, family groups and individual clients. This includes companies, trusts, partnerships and complex individual tax returns.
Why S&B Private
- Work directly as part of an Australian accounting firm’s tax and business services team.
- Gain genuine end-to-end exposure to Australian public practice engagements.
- Develop deeper technical expertise across Australian taxation and business structures.
- Participate in structured weekly technical training.
- Build your client communication, review and leadership capabilities.
- Contribute to technology, automation and process improvement projects.
- Join an organisation focused on long-term careers and professional development, not short-term processing work.
Requirements
Key Responsibilities and Expectations
At S&B Private, a Senior Accountant is expected to do more than complete a checklist or follow the prior-year file. You will understand each client’s circumstances, apply your Australian tax knowledge, identify issues and take ownership of engagements through to review-ready completion.
- Prepare annual financial statements and Australian income tax returns for companies, trusts, partnerships and individuals.
- Manage tax and accounting engagements from initial information gathering through to accurate, complete and review-ready completion.
- Prepare Business Activity Statements, Instalment Activity Statements, GST reconciliations, tax reconciliations, depreciation schedules and supporting calculations.
- Understand each client’s structure, activities and tax position rather than simply following the prior-year file.
- Review accounting records and identify missing information, unreconciled balances, unusual transactions and potential accounting or tax issues.
- Identify and investigate matters involving Division 7A loans, trust distributions, capital gains tax, GST, deductible expenses and other Australian tax issues.
- Assist with year-end tax planning by reviewing taxable income positions and highlighting matters requiring further consideration or a technical decision.
- Prepare complete, accurate and well-referenced workpapers that clearly explain the work performed, treatment adopted and basis for your conclusions.
- Review your own work carefully, resolve apparent issues and determine when a matter should be escalated before submitting the engagement for manager review.
- Prepare clear queries, follow up outstanding information and communicate confidently and professionally with the Australian accounting team and, where appropriate, its clients.
- Take responsibility for keeping jobs progressing, managing multiple deadlines and communicating early where information, timing or technical issues may affect completion.
- Review work prepared by junior accountants, provide practical feedback and support the development of their Australian tax knowledge.
- Contribute positively to internal training, workflow improvements, automation projects and more efficient ways of delivering Australian tax compliance work.
What We're Looking For
- Strong experience preparing Australian tax returns and financial statements within a public practice accounting environment.
- Practical experience with Australian companies, trusts, partnerships and individual clients.
- A sound working knowledge of Australian income tax, GST and financial reporting requirements.
- Experience with common Australian tax matters, including trust distributions, Division 7A, capital gains tax, depreciation and tax reconciliations.
- Strong reconciliation, analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Experience using Xero and Australian tax or practice management software.
- Excellent attention to detail and a strong commitment to producing review-ready work.
- The confidence to raise questions, explain issues and communicate directly with an Australian accounting team.
- A relevant accounting degree, with CA, CPA or ACCA studies completed or underway highly regarded.
Benefits
- Study support for CA Sri Lanka, ACCA, CIMA and CTA
- Weekly technical training sessions covering Australian tax and accounting standards
- Hands on involvement in technology and process improvement projects
- Mentorship from senior accountants and directors personally invested in your growth
- Structured, performance based career progression with a clear path forward
- Above market remuneration reviewed regularly based on performance
- Hybrid working - 3 days in office, 2 days from home
- Working hours: 7:00am - 3:30pm SLT, aligned to Australian business hours
- A professional, collaborative, and genuinely supportive team culture
- Medical insurance coverage for you and your immediate family
- Regular social events, celebrations, and activities that make coming to work something to look forward to