Director, Business Services

BDO in Australia, part of a global professional services network connected to local markets, is looking for a Director, Business Services to join its Melbourne team. The role sits in a practice that focuses on large family businesses, high wealth families and family offices, with responsibilities spanning tax consulting, tax compliance, family governance and estate planning advisory services. The position is onsite in Melbourne, and it would suit a senior tax adviser who enjoys guiding complex engagements and building lasting client relationships. BDO’s open, collaborative culture supports partners and leaders as they expand services beyond everyday accounting and compliance.

As a senior leader within the practice, you will partner with Partners to drive sustainable growth across the client portfolio and help shape the future of the team. You’ll play a central part in business development, people leadership and strategic initiatives, while delivering high-quality advisory work that adds value for clients. The firm emphasises ongoing development across technical expertise, commercial acumen and governance, with a clear pathway toward future leadership opportunities within the firm.

BDO’s Australia practice blends a national footprint with local delivery, so you’ll have access to diverse client engagements across industries, while staying connected to mentors and senior leaders who can support your growth.

Steering family focused services from Melbourne

In this role you’ll lead a portfolio of significant clients and act as a trusted adviser to business owners, family groups and family offices. You’ll deepen client relationships, identifying opportunities to broaden services and bring added value. You’ll run strategic family and business discussions with clients, delivering commercially focused advice and solutions, with complex advisory engagements spanning family governance, succession planning, business structuring, estate planning and tax matters. You’ll work closely with Partners and other leaders to push growth initiatives and strengthen the firm’s standing in the market, while taking charge of business development activities such as networking, building referral relationships and generating thought leadership. You’ll also be accountable for the team’s operational effectiveness, financial performance and sustainable growth, and you’ll coach and develop future leaders to maintain a high-performing, inclusive culture. You’ll oversee the delivery of complex financial statements, tax returns and advisory engagements for large and sophisticated client groups, review significant client deliverables and provide technical guidance on complex tax and commercial matters. Collaboration across service lines will be encouraged to deliver integrated client outcomes, while managing engagement economics including budgets, WIP, pricing discussions and overall profitability.

What you need and what helps

Must-have qualifications and experience

• Experience in a public practice accounting or professional services environment
• CA or CPA qualification
• Proven track record leading complex tax advisory and compliance engagements for privately owned businesses, family groups and high wealth clients
• Ability to build trusted relationships with clients and act as a strategic adviser to business owners and senior decision-makers
• Strong technical tax capability across a broad range of private client and business advisory matters
• History of business development, including identifying, converting and growing client opportunities
• Established professional network and market presence, with the ability to build new relationships and referral channels
• Proven leadership experience with a focus on coaching, mentoring and developing high-performing teams
• Highly effective communication skills, with the ability to influence, challenge and engage a wide range of stakeholders
• Strong commercial acumen, including experience managing budgets, profitability, WIP and team performance
• Ability to think strategically while maintaining visibility across multiple client engagements and competing priorities
• Strong digital capability and working knowledge of cloud-based accounting platforms, business technologies and Microsoft Office applications
• A growth mindset, commercial curiosity and willingness to bring new ideas to the table

Nice-to-have add-ons

• Experience working with large family businesses, family offices or high wealth clients
• Ability to collaborate across service lines to deliver integrated solutions
• Established track record in building cross-referral networks and market presence in Melbourne or wider Australia
• Knowledge of family governance, estate planning and succession matters and related advisory work
• Familiarity with complex tax issues such as divisions like Division 7A, CGT, trusts, restructuring and property matters

Pay, benefits and the practical side

On the ground, the role is based onsite in Melbourne, with all the usual opportunities that come from working within a national, market-leading firm. BDO provides a broad range of health and wellbeing, social, financial and professional development benefits designed to support you at every stage of your career. The firm runs a BWell program with fitness challenges and exclusive discounts for corporate health insurance, gym memberships and wellness facilities. You can also access travel perks, retail discounts, employee referral rewards, study and professional development support.

Leave options are flexible to meet different needs, including enhanced family support, cultural and religious leave, and the option to purchase additional leave. The BCaring program offers opportunities to give back to the community through volunteering. BDO places a strong emphasis on learning, with on-the-job training and formal development programs to help you build your skills and advance. The culture is underpinned by core values: One, Bold, Human, Heart and Strive. The firm is recognised as an Inclusive Employer for 2025-2026 by the Diversity Council of Australia and as a Workplace Gender Equality Agency Employer of Choice for 2024-2025. If you require any reasonable adjustments to support your application or interview process, you can contact the Talent Acquisition team at [email protected].

Advice for applicants

Lead with the right kind of experience on your resume. Start with a summary that highlights your background in public practice or professional services, your leadership of tax advisory and compliance work for privately owned businesses, family groups and high wealth clients, and your track record of guiding such engagements to successful outcomes.

Show you can prove the must-have skills in practice. Share concrete examples of how you’ve built trusted relationships with owners and senior decision-makers and how you’ve advised on substantial tax and private client matters, while driving growth and managing budgets, WIP and profitability.

Be ready to walk through complex engagements in interviews. Prepare to discuss family governance, succession planning, estate planning and cross-service-line collaboration, including how you’ve delivered integrated solutions for sophisticated clients and how you’ve contributed to growth initiatives.

Have a thoughtful question prepared. You could ask how the director would shape the practice’s growth in family office services, what kind of leadership opportunities exist within the firm, and how the team plans to expand services for high net worth clients over the next few years.