Senior Accountant - Australian Tax

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.

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.
• 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