The Perkins is seeking a talented Financial Planning and Analysis Partner to deliver high-quality financial insights and strategic advice across the institute. This position is offered on a full time permanent basis, located at our state-of the-art medical research facilities in Nedlands.
About this role
Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), this is a pivotal role in which you will support world-class medical research by driving informed decision-making, optimising resources, and enabling long-term sustainability. You will collaborate with leaders across the organisation to provide clear, actionable insights that shape strategy, enhance efficiency, and strengthen the financial foundations that support our research. This is a unique opportunity to combine your technical expertise with purpose-driven work that makes a real difference to people’s lives.
Key responsibilities include:
- Develop comprehensive annual budgets and rolling forecasts, including multi-year and long-range financial plans.
- Monitor financial performance, highlighting trends and risks. Investigate and explain variances between budgets, actual results, forecasts and prior periods, and recommend corrective actions.
- Create and maintain robust financial models to analyse operational performance and assess future outcomes.
- Evaluate cost structures, funding sources and resource allocations to optimise efficiency and sustainability.
- Assess and optimise funding outlooks in relation to research and grant income streams.
- Prepare accurate and timely financial reports, dashboards and presentations for internal and external stakeholders.
- Lead the development, maintenance and enhancement of the financial reporting suite to provide transparent, actionable insights.
- Contribute to the development and execution of long-term strategic plans through insightful financial analysis and recommendations. This includes preparing scenario modelling to evaluate alternative outcomes.
- Support business case development for new projects, investments and funding proposals.
- Engage with stakeholders to understand operational drivers and translate them into financial impacts.
- Maintain and enhance financial systems, reporting tools and processes to improve accuracy, efficiency and accessibility of information.
- Identify and implement opportunities for process improvements and automation in financial planning and reporting activities.
- Complete other duties as requested by supervisor and/or manager.
This role would suit someone with strong analytical skills and a passion for turning complex data financial data into insights that drive strategy and impact.
To be successful in this role, you’ll have:
- Tertiary qualification in Finance or Accounting (or similar) with professional membership as a Chartered Accountant or Certified Practicing Accountant.
- Experience in a similar position demonstrating strong technical accounting knowledge.
- Proven experience in preparing and analysing statutory and management reports, ensuring compliance with accounting standards, legislative requirements and organisational policies.
- Strong ability to interpret complex financial data, identify trends, investigate variances and recommend practical, data-driven solutions.
- Demonstrated understanding of organisational drivers, funding models and market dynamics with the ability to provide strategic financial insights that support decision-making.
- Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex financial concepts to non-financial stakeholders and build strong working relationships across all levels.
- Advanced Excel skills, with demonstrated experience using ERP systems, budgeting, forecasting and financial modelling tools to drive accuracy and efficiency.
- Experience developing and maintaining business intelligence dashboards (e.g. Power BI)
- Previous experience in medical research, healthcare or higher education sectors, with familiarity in grant funding models, philanthropic funding and research project cost structures (desirable).
- Experience developing and maintaining business intelligence dashboards tailored to research or project-based organisations (desirable).
- Demonstrated ability to lead or support financial systems upgrades, process automation or reporting enhancements in complex organisational settings (desirable).
- Experience collaborating with academics and researchers to align financial planning with research priorities (desirable).
- Satisfactory National Police Certificate.
If this sounds like the right fit, we can offer you:
- Flexible working options
- A supportive and passionate team
- The opportunity to make a positive impact in a community-focused organisation with global reach
- The ability to salary package up to $18,550 annually, meaning you can legitimately pay less tax and increase your tax-home pay
- Generous leave benefits, including: 3 days paid extra leave at the end of the year; up to 16 weeks paid parental leave; 2 days of paid cultural and community engagement leave.
Are you ready to make a difference?
To apply, please submit your cover letter (addressing the selection criteria) and your resume. Only applications submitted via Seek will be considered.
Applications close on 26 September 2025; however we’ll begin interviewing as soon as we hear from the right people – so don’t wait to apply!
Enquiries can be directed to Olivia Swales, Talent Advisor, on (08) 6151 09***or email ******@perkins.org.au.
About the Perkins
The Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, affectionately known as ‘the Perkins’, is Western Australia’s leading medical research facility, investigating the diseases that most impact our families including the hardest to treat cancers, heart disease, diabetes and rare genetic diseases. At the Perkins, we support WA’s best medical researchers to beat the world’s toughest diseases to give you and your loved ones the best chance to live longer, healthier and better lives.
So many of us have been touched by the diseases we’re investigating, which adds a deeply personal element to our work. We are proudly Western Australian and are collaborative in our approach to discovering medical breakthroughs that have a global impact.
To find out more about the Perkins, please visit https://www.perkins.org.au.
At the Perkins, we value, embrace, and celebrate the strength of our diverse experiences, thoughts, and beliefs. We are committed to a safe, equitable and inclusive culture where every person can innovate and thrive. This enables us to deliver pioneering research that improves global health outcomes.
📌 Financial Planning and Analysis Partner
🏢 Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research
📍 Perth