About the National Film and Sound Archive

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA) is Australia’s audiovisual archive, telling the national story by collecting, preserving and sharing audiovisual media, the cultural experience platforms of our time. The collection itself dates back to 1935, making it one of the world’s oldest audiovisual collections. It is also one of the country’s most used cultural collections, with around 125 million views of collection content each year. The NFSA is in a period of significant change. Following increased Government investment, the institution is in a process of digital transformation, establishing the NFSA as Australia’s most dynamic and valued cultural organisation. We are rebuilding our curatorial workforce and developing the NFSA’s capacity to digitise our collection at scale – to preserve it for the future, to make sure it can be discovered, and to share it with all Australians.

We continue to work on developing a stable, secure and future-proof workforce across our four physical sites based in Canberra and Mitchell in the ACT as well as in Sydney and Melbourne.

We are also undergoing a program of business improvement for many of our corporate systems to improve efficiency and reduce manual handling.

We are an ambitious organisation, and we aim to be an employer of choice within the Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums (GLAM) sector, providing exciting and challenging work, as well as favourable employment conditions and unique development opportunities for our staff.

Cultural Values

We are an equal opportunity employer, embracing a diverse range of applicants such as veterans, and people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, LGBTQIA community members, individuals with disabilities and/or health conditions, as well as those from varied faith and cultural backgrounds. At the NFSA we prioritise the development of a safe, inclusive, and high-performance culture through shared actions and behaviours that align with our strategy and direction. This empowers our employees to effectively contribute to our goals.

The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia is committed to ensuring a child-safe and child-friendly environment. All employees are expected to demonstrate a commitment to, and support for these principles in theory and practice.

About the Team

The Finance section and Procurement &Legal section both sit within the NFSA Corporate Branch, overseen by the Deputy CEO. The Finance section manages the day-to-day financial operations of the NFSA, budgeting, forecasting and financial reporting, taxation obligations and valuation of assets.  The Procurement & Legal section provides end-to-end support for all procurements, contractual activity and legal matters, as well as oversight of the NFSA’s Risk Management Framework. 

The Opportunity

The NFSA is recruiting a Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to lead NFSA’s financial strategy. As a member of the NFSA’s dynamic Senior Executive Team, the CFO plays a critical role in shaping the organisation’s long-term sustainability and strategic direction. 

Working closely with the CEO and Deputy CEO, the CFO leads enterprise-wide financial planning, resource allocation, and performance management, ensuring the NFSA delivers on its cultural mission while remaining financially resilient and future-focused.  The role is instrumental in building financial and business capability across the organisation – fostering a culture of accountability, strategic thinking and evidence-based decision-making, and equipping leaders at all levels with the insights and tools needed to maximise the impact of the NFSA’s resources and investments. In this context, the institution is actively pursuing new opportunities for non-Government revenues. The CFO also acts as the NFSA’s Chief Risk Officer (CRO) and is responsible for ensuring that the NFSA’s risk appetite is appropriately calibrated and that risks are identified and mitigated.

The position reports directly to the Deputy CEO, with the Finance section and the Procurement & Legal section reporting to the role. 

Key Responsibilities/Duties

Under broad direction, this position is responsible for delivering the following functions:

• Working with the CEO and Senior Executive to develop and implement the NFSA's strategic financial direction, including long-term sustainability strategies that maximise organisational resources, support multi-year planning and explore commercial opportunities.
• Providing strategic and financial advice to the CEO, Senior Executive, NFSA Board and committees on financial management, organisational performance, business sustainability, investment priorities and risk matters. 
• Partnering with leaders across the organisation to strengthen strategic planning, investment evaluation and decision-making capability, ensuring resources are directed to organisational priorities and measurable outcomes.
• Leading enterprise-wide financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting, delivering high quality analysis and insights that support evidence-based decision making and organisational accountability. 
• Maintaining effective financial governance frameworks and ensuring compliance with the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act), Australian Accounting Standards, government policy and legislative requirements.
• Driving the continuous improvement of financial, corporate and business systems to strengthen efficiency, innovation, organisational performance and service delivery.
• Acting as the NFSA's CRO, leading enterprise risk management, business resilience and assurance activities, while fostering a culture of informed risk management and accountability.
• Providing strategic oversight of procurement governance and assurance frameworks to ensure value for money, effective risk management and compliance with Australian Government requirements.
• Building financial capability across the organisation and supporting a culture of accountability, strategic planning and informed decision-making through the effective use of data, insights and performance information.
• Developing and maintaining productive relationships with key stakeholders, including Board members, auditors, government agencies, central agencies and business partners, to strengthen governance and support organisational objectives.
• Leading a high-performing team by fostering an inclusive and respectful workplace, developing leadership and professional capability, and modelling APS Values and behaviours to achieve strategic and operational outcomes.

Selection Criteria

The successful candidate will demonstrate their capacity against the following:

1. Demonstrated experience leading the financial strategy, governance and long-term sustainability of a complex organisation, including strategic financial planning, resource allocation, investment prioritisation, organisational performance, compliance, assurance, performance reporting, accountability frameworks and enterprise-wide decision-making.
2. Demonstrated ability to influence senior decision-making through the provision of trusted strategic advice to Boards, Chief Executives and senior executives, exercising sound judgement, emotional intelligence and the ability to build productive relationships. 
3. Demonstrated commercial acumen and strategic curiosity, including experience evaluating emerging opportunities, investments and business initiatives to optimise organisational value, sustainability and performance, and adapting strategies in response to changing priorities. 
4. Demonstrated experience leading enterprise risk, governance and assurance frameworks, including engagement with Audit and Risk Committees and external assurance providers, and the ability to navigate complexity, ambiguity and change while maintaining effective governance and accountability. 
5. Proven ability to build organisational capability and lead high-performing teams by fostering a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement, inclusion and psychological safety, while demonstrating adaptability, developing leadership capability and empowering others to achieve high quality outcomes.

Desired Skills and Experience

Mandatory:

• Relevant tertiary qualification in accounting, finance, economics, commerce or a related discipline. 
• Experience in whole-of-organisation financial planning and strategy. 
• Experience in procurement or compliance-related activities at an organisational level. 

Desirable:

• Professional accounting qualification (CA, CPA or equivalent).

How to Apply

When applying via our online e-recruitment system, please provide a written application addressing each Selection Criteria. Your current resume is also to be included in your application.

In addition to an application and your resume, the assessment process for this position may also include an interview and referee reports.

We welcome and encourage applications from people with disability, the LGBTIQ communities, from Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Eligibility

To be eligible for this position you must:

• Be an Australian Citizen.
• Satisfactorily complete an Australian Federal Police National Police Check.
• Obtain and maintain an Australian Government Baseline Security Clearance.

What we offer you

We provide a diverse, inclusive, and supportive work environment with access to:

• Great training and development opportunities.
• Generous leave and flexible working arrangements.
• Our Employee Assistance Program (EAP – a free counselling service for you and your family).
• A competitive salary, plus 15.4% superannuation.
• Rewards and recognition initiatives.

RecuitAbility

RecruitAbility applies to this vacancy. Under the RecruitAbility scheme you will be invited to participate in further assessment activity for the vacancy if you choose to apply under the scheme; declare you have a disability; and meet the minimum requirements for the job. For more information see: RecruitAbility | Australian Public Service Commission (https://apsc.gov.au)

Contact Officer

Keir Winesmith | a/g Deputy Chief Executive Officer

E: Keir.Winesmith@nfsa.gov.au

 

Ph: +61 262482212