# Senior Accountant - Australian Tax > S&B Private · Colombo, Sri Lanka (Hybrid) · Full-time · Posted 2026-09-02 **Workplace:** hybrid **Department:** Accounting ## Description **Join Our Team at S&B Private – Colombo Office** **About the Opportunity** Are you an experienced Australian public practice accountant ready to take greater ownership of your work and progress your career in Australian taxation? S&B Private builds dedicated accounting teams in Sri Lanka for Australian accounting firms. In this role, you will work as a core member of an Australian accounting firm’s tax and business services team, with direct exposure to its accountants, managers and clients. This is not a basic processing role. We are looking for a technically capable Senior Accountant who can manage tax and compliance engagements from start to finish, identify issues independently and produce accurate, well-documented work that is ready for manager review. You will work across a diverse portfolio of Australian privately owned businesses, family groups and individual clients. This includes companies, trusts, partnerships and complex individual tax returns. **Why S&B Private** - Work directly as part of an Australian accounting firm’s tax and business services team. - Gain genuine end-to-end exposure to Australian public practice engagements. - Develop deeper technical expertise across Australian taxation and business structures. - Participate in structured weekly technical training. - Build your client communication, review and leadership capabilities. - Contribute to technology, automation and process improvement projects. - Join an organisation focused on long-term careers and professional development, not short-term processing work. ## Requirements **Key Responsibilities and Expectations** At S&B Private, a Senior Accountant is expected to do more than complete a checklist or follow the prior-year file. You will understand each client’s circumstances, apply your Australian tax knowledge, identify issues and take ownership of engagements through to review-ready completion. - Prepare annual financial statements and Australian income tax returns for companies, trusts, partnerships and individuals. - Manage tax and accounting engagements from initial information gathering through to accurate, complete and review-ready completion. - Prepare Business Activity Statements, Instalment Activity Statements, GST reconciliations, tax reconciliations, depreciation schedules and supporting calculations. - Understand each client’s structure, activities and tax position rather than simply following the prior-year file. - Review accounting records and identify missing information, unreconciled balances, unusual transactions and potential accounting or tax issues. - Identify and investigate matters involving Division 7A loans, trust distributions, capital gains tax, GST, deductible expenses and other Australian tax issues. - Assist with year-end tax planning by reviewing taxable income positions and highlighting matters requiring further consideration or a technical decision. - Prepare complete, accurate and well-referenced workpapers that clearly explain the work performed, treatment adopted and basis for your conclusions. - Review your own work carefully, resolve apparent issues and determine when a matter should be escalated before submitting the engagement for manager review. - Prepare clear queries, follow up outstanding information and communicate confidently and professionally with the Australian accounting team and, where appropriate, its clients. - Take responsibility for keeping jobs progressing, managing multiple deadlines and communicating early where information, timing or technical issues may affect completion. - Review work prepared by junior accountants, provide practical feedback and support the development of their Australian tax knowledge. - Contribute positively to internal training, workflow improvements, automation projects and more efficient ways of delivering Australian tax compliance work. **What We're Looking For** - Strong experience preparing Australian tax returns and financial statements within a public practice accounting environment. - Practical experience with Australian companies, trusts, partnerships and individual clients. - A sound working knowledge of Australian income tax, GST and financial reporting requirements. - Experience with common Australian tax matters, including trust distributions, Division 7A, capital gains tax, depreciation and tax reconciliations. - Strong reconciliation, analytical and problem-solving skills. - Experience using Xero and Australian tax or practice management software. - Excellent attention to detail and a strong commitment to producing review-ready work. - The confidence to raise questions, explain issues and communicate directly with an Australian accounting team. - A relevant accounting degree, with CA, CPA or ACCA studies completed or underway highly regarded. ## Benefits - Study support for CA Sri Lanka, ACCA, CIMA and CTA - Weekly technical training sessions covering Australian tax and accounting standards - Hands on involvement in technology and process improvement projects - Mentorship from senior accountants and directors personally invested in your growth - Structured, performance based career progression with a clear path forward - Above market remuneration reviewed regularly based on performance - Hybrid working - 3 days in office, 2 days from home - Working hours: 7:00am - 3:30pm SLT, aligned to Australian business hours - A professional, collaborative, and genuinely supportive team culture - Medical insurance coverage for you and your immediate family - Regular social events, celebrations, and activities that make coming to work something to look forward to ## Apply [Apply at S&B Private](https://apply.workable.com/sbprivate/j/2C1F74256A/apply) --- Powered by [Workable](https://www.workable.com)