Group Accountant

at  Westland Milk Products

Westland Milk Products is a well-known New Zealand end-to-end dairy manufacturer based in the beautiful South Island with offices and production facilities based in both Christchurch and Hokitika. Owned by the Global Top 5 dairy company Yili Group, Westland Milk Products and its related companies in New Zealand, Oceania Dairy (Glenavy), Pure Nutrition Ltd (Rolleston), Canary Foods (Hamilton) and EasiYo Ltd (Auckland) form a group that we refer to as the Yili Oceania Business Division (YOBD). The combined business produces over 170,000mt of finished goods which are then exported to over 40 countries, driving annual revenue well in excess of $1.3B - and growing.

Reporting to our Group Finance Manager and based in Christchurch (Hornby), due to a recent internal promotion we have a rare opportunity to join Westland Milk Products as our Group Accountant, working at a YOBD group level. It’s a great role to develop your career further, liaising with a wide range of stakeholders, working across a successful group of companies in the NZ Dairy industry and also interfacing internationally with Yili HQ in China.
The Group Accountant will be responsible for ensuring timely and accurate monthly Group consolidation and reporting is completed and delivered to Yili HQ to a high standard. The role will also be responsible for annual statutory accounts preparation, maintaining Group accounting policies, effective and efficient liaison with our external auditors and ensuring tax compliance for all Group entities. Driving effective treasury processes, compliance and reporting across all YOBD companies will also be key.
Due to the level of communication required with Yili business units and Yili HQ in China, the ability to build relationships and establish and maintain clear lines of communication and influence is essential. As such, ideally the Group Accountant will be proficient in both written and spoken Mandarin and English. Also note that Group accounting periods always start on the 1st of each month, hence there will be a requirement for reimbursed weekend / public holiday working as required in this role to complete month end close and reporting requirements.