Full job description

The Local Project is Australia, New Zealand, and North America's fastest growing design publication, celebrating extraordinary local design to our global community. With a focus on uncovering and understanding the impact that design makes on everyday experiences, The Local Project celebrates honest and human-centred design through premium print, digital, editorial, video and social content, with over 100,000,000+ impressions per month across our owned, operated and third-party platforms. In 2024 we launched The Local Production, a full-service specialist agency focused on creating content to truly elevate brands.

Reporting to the Founder/CEO with a dotted line to our external Financial Advisors, the Bookkeeper is responsible for the day-to-day management of Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, bank reconciliations, payroll processing and month-end close, ensuring accurate and timely financial processing across the business, in Xero and in coordination with the external accounting provider.

Some of the things you’ll be working on...Accounts Payable

• Process supplier invoices approved by management and schedule payments in Xero.
• Maintain and update the AP cashflow forecast, ensuring it reflects all amounts actually due.
• Prepare and circulate weekly payment summaries for approval.
• Process payment runs (international and domestic), batching payments and monitoring account balances.
• Process supplier remittances following payment.

Accounts Receivable

• Process and issue client invoices in a timely manner.
• Monitor and reconcile incoming client payments across AU and US entities.
• Follow up on overdue invoices and maintain accurate records of collection activity.
• Liaise with the Sales team on invoice status, changes, and client queries.
• Maintain the void tracker and ensure any voided invoices are properly recorded.

Bank Reconciliations

• Perform daily reconciliation of business transaction accounts.
• Coordinate with the external accounting provider on reconciliation of card accounts (Stripe, PayPal, Amex).
• Follow up on missing receipts or unapproved transactions.

Payroll

• Coordinate fortnightly payroll processing, including leave data collection and validation against Xero.
• Prepare payroll for review and approval, ensuring superannuation and PAYG are processed correctly and on time.
• Issue payslips to employees following each pay run.

Month End

• Complete month-end reconciliations across bank and card accounts.
• Provide estimates and reporting to support BAS preparation.
• Manage the international GST journal.

Commissions

• Review sales commissions for accuracy prior to payment.

Working Pattern

This role follows a recurring weekly cycle (daily reconciliation and invoicing tasks, AP/AR processing, mid-week payment approvals, end of week payment processing and remittances/payslips), plus a fortnightly payroll cycle and monthly close process.

Experience you’ll need…

• Prior experience in an accounts payable, accounts receivable, or broader bookkeeping/accounts role, ideally in start up or Founder led business.
• Working knowledge of Xero (or willingness to learn) and general accounting software proficiency.
• High attention to detail and strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage recurring weekly and fortnightly deadlines.
• Clear written communication skills for liaising with management, external accountants, and internal teams.
• Comfortable working with multiple currencies/entities (AU and US).
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