Xero Forensics & Cleanup Expert - Fix Messy Books

This is a hands-on Xero rescue role: you’ll walk into messy, behind-the-scenes accounting, diagnose what’s broken, and deliver clean, report-ready books quickly — with minimal hand-holding. This is for a calm expert who owns outcomes, not an entry-level data-entry role.

What this role will actually involve
- Triage messy Xero files and produce a prioritized remediation plan within the first week.
- Bring bank/credit card/loan accounts up to date — reconcile overdue periods and clear unexplained variances.
- Categorize and reclassify large volumes of uncoded or mis-coded transactions so P&L & balance sheet make sense.
- Locate and remove duplicates; recreate or correct missing entries with supporting documentation.
- Rationalize and clean the Chart of Accounts so reporting is meaningful and month-ends are reliable.
- Fix payroll liability, GST/VAT, and supplier/AP mismatches until accounts tie out.
- Stabilize files from incomplete handovers and document all assumptions, adjustments, and unresolved items.
- Produce concise remediation notes: what you found, exactly what you fixed, remaining risks, and what you need to finish.
- Implement practical controls or process changes to prevent reoccurrence (lightweight, actionable).
- Prepare books and supporting notes so an accountant can pick up clean, auditable months.

What I need from the right person
- Deep, practical Xero expertise (bank rules, repeating journals, reconciliation tools, tracking categories, manual journals).
- Proven track record of catch-up and cleanup work on messy historical books.
- Fast diagnostic ability: quickly form a prioritized plan and execute with minimal oversight.
- Ownership mentality: you deliver the outcome and clearly communicate status and blockers.
- Commercial judgement — you know which fixes matter for reporting and cash decisions.
- Clear, blunt, useful communication: say what’s broken, what you fixed, and what still needs attention.
- Comfortable making documented judgement calls when records are incomplete.
- Organized, rapid, and not fazed by chaos.

Examples of messy situations you’ll fix
- Bank unreconciled for 6+ months with missing bank statements.
- Hundreds of uncoded transactions after a payments-processor migration.
- Duplicated supplier payments and missing invoices.
- Bloated Chart of Accounts with legacy/duplicate codes.
- Payroll liabilities not matching reported balances.

Success in this role (30/60/90)
- 30 days: Triage complete, priority plan in place, high-risk reconciliations started.
- 60 days: Major accounts reconciled, COA rationalized, most catch-up months closed.
- 90 days: Recent months report-ready, cleanup documented, repeatable month-end routine established, and simple controls implemented.

Final note
Tell the truth quickly — I prefer blunt clarity over vague status updates. If you can own messy Xero files and deliver clean, usable books, apply.