ABOUT US
Norship is a Northern Australian, privately owned and operated company with a long and successful history in Ship Repair, Heavy Industry, Engineering, Repair & Maintenance, and In-Service Support. With operations in Cairns and Darwin, we are proud to have supported the maritime and heavy industries — and the broader Far Northern community — for over 40 years.
Norship is part of the Varley Group, one of Australia's oldest and most diverse engineering and manufacturing companies. The Varley Group has delivered trusted engineering and industrial solutions across Defence, Rail, Marine, Energy, and Specialised Vehicles for over 130 years, and is renowned for quality, innovation, and reliability.
We have established a trusted reputation for delivering reliable, high-quality, and specialist marine repair, engineering, and maintenance solutions across Northern Australia.
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ABOUT THE ROLE
Due to continued growth, we are seeking a skilled and motivated Business Support Team Leader to join our team in Cairns. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced administrative professional with leadership capabilities to step into a key coordination role supporting our operations, logistics, and finance functions.
As the Business Support Team Leader, you will oversee a small team of administration professionals, ensuring day-to-day operations supporting procurement projects & finance. You'll be a key driver of process improvement, team performance, and internal coordination — ensuring administration support runs smoothly while sustaining a high-performance service culture.
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KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
* Lead and support the Business Support team, overseeing daily administration, logistics, and finance support;
* Coordinate administrative processes;
* Manage document control and ensure accurate records management across all projects
* Oversee & support job costing and monitor financial data accuracy
* Oversee progress tracking for approved work tasks and support internal reporting
* Serve as a key liaison between internal teams and client representatives, ensuring timely and professional communication
* Identify and implement process improvements to enhance operational efficiency
* Provide hands-on support as needed across customer service, finance admin, and project coordination
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ABOUT YOU
You're an experienced administrator with strong leadership skills and a proactive, solutions-focused mindset. You thrive in fast-paced environments and bring a combination of operational knowledge, team coordination, and stakeholder engagement expertise.
Ideally, you'll have:
* Proven experience in administration or business support roles, with leadership or team coordination responsibilities
* A background in project support within an industrial or trade-based environment (highly desirable)
* Sound finance administration experience (e.g. purchase orders, invoicing, reconciliations, job costing)
* Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, both internally and externally;
* Strong attention to detail, the ability to prioritise, and a calm approach to juggling multiple tasks
* Experience financial/job costing systems
The essentials:
* You must be based in Cairns and have full Australian work rights to apply
* A pre-employment medical (including drug & alcohol screening) is required and must be maintained throughout employment
* Previous applicants need not apply
We understand that the ideal candidate may not meet every listed requirement. If you bring a strong foundation in administration and leadership, combined with a positive attitude and a willingness to grow, we are committed to supporting your development in this role.
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READY TO APPLY?
If you are ready to lead a high-performing team in a fast-paced, industrial environment — and play an integral role in supporting Northern Australia's maritime and engineering sectors — we encourage you to apply today.