Head of Operational Compliance and Assurance

About us

Established in 1840, we are Australia’s first wellbeing company, delivering health, wealth and care services for our members and the community.

As a social enterprise, we’re motivated by our purpose to positively impact the wellbeing of millions. We reinvest profits to deliver products and services sustainably that matter most to our members, customers and the Australian community.

For us, Real Wellbeing encompasses the whole experience of life. It’s about feeling supported in your health, connected with your community and empowered to live life on your terms.

Your New Role Looks Like This:

We are seeking an experienced and dynamic professional for the position of Head of Operational Compliance and Assurance within the Wealth & Capital Markets platform. This role is a pivotal first-line leadership position, responsible for driving the implementation and integration of compliance and non-financial risk frameworks to align with business objectives. The successful candidate will ensure operational resilience and provide comprehensive compliance assurance by managing relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders, reviewing processes, assessing controls, investigating incidents, delivering targeted training, and offering expert guidance on risk management and operational resilience. Additionally, this role will oversee the management of operational compliance obligations and the operations of the Financial Crime team.

Key Responsibilities:

• Collaborate with business leadership and second-line Risk & Compliance teams to ensure the effective embedding of risk and compliance frameworks.
• Facilitate and support risk and control workshops to foster a culture of proactive risk management and drive control and process improvements.
• Lead the identification, documentation, and prioritization of key processes, people, technology, vendors, and data critical to business services, while mapping operational dependencies.
• Develop and implement operational resilience plans and communication strategies to enhance organizational resilience.
• Conduct scenario analysis to identify risks, potential control weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement, ensuring continuous enhancement of risk management capabilities.
• Partner with stakeholders to plan and execute crisis or business continuity exercises to validate preparedness.
• Partner with Risk and Compliance and Internal Audit teams to provide three layers of defence.
• Manage incidents to resolution, adhering to policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
• Assist with Breach investigation and reporting, including performing root cause analysis.
• Collaborate with the WCM Legal, Governance, and Regulatory Assurance teams to assess the impact of changes in the regulatory environment and ensure appropriate responses are incorporated into business strategies.
• Continuously monitor the policy and legislative landscape to identify potential changes that could affect the business, and incorporate these into risk profiles, tolerance levels, and decision-making processes.
• Promote a culture of proactive risk management and continuous improvement, educating and supporting the business in these efforts.
• Support leadership in taking ownership of risks, controls, incidents, and action plans.
• Oversee the identification, design, and development of key controls and critical processes to ensure comprehensive risk management.
• Establish and maintain WCM's control self-assessment schedule, driving risk maturity and providing assurance to senior leadership, enabling informed risk-taking within the approved appetite.
• Lead and support the Financial Crime team through their accountabilities of implementing controls necessary for compliance with AML/CTF legislation specifically; Know Your Client check, Politically Exposed Persons checks and Transaction monitoring.

This role offers a unique opportunity to make a significant impact by enhancing the operational resilience and risk management capabilities of the Wealth & Capital Markets platform, contributing to the broader business strategy.

About You:

• Relevant tertiary qualifications with a minimum of 6 years of experience in operational risk, compliance, operational excellence or audit related discipline is required.
• Industry experience in financial services sectors is essential
• A strong working knowledge of the legal and regulatory framework surrounding the WCM business including (e.g., APRA standards, ASIC Regulations, AML/CTF, NCCP Act, Privacy laws and relevant industry Codes of Conduct)
• Experience of leading and influencing through change and working agilely in complex environments.
• Exceptional stakeholder management, communication and problem-solving skills
• Demonstrated ability to influence others and gain support for relevant initiatives
• Experience with control design and effectiveness testing, process reviews, change risk reviews, implementing regulatory change and assessing or managing third parties

What’s on Offer:

You will enjoy a range of great employee benefits and rewards including:

• Competitive salary + bonus program
• Enjoy additional yearly Well-Being and Community leave days
• 14-week paid parental leave, with equal benefit for both parents PLUS our Bump to Baby
• Employee Referral Program
• Employee Assistance Program – support and assistance for you and your partner at those times in life when you need it most
• Maxxia Rewards - a great range of discounts and benefits at selected retail outlets, department stores, attractions, travel, cinemas, restaurants.
• Discounts across the Australian Unity business including Private Health Insurance, General Insurance + more!
• Available access to LinkedIn Learning courses through our great Learning platform

For further benefits visit: https://www.australianunity.com.au/careers/culture

Australian Unity is an Equal Opportunity employer and we encourage applications from all members of the community, including people of Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander descent, culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and, mature aged people.