AFCA works directly with consumers, small businesses, and industry to provide fair, free and independent dispute resolution services for financial complaints. AFCA’s services are offered as an alternative forum to tribunals and courts. Our vision is to be a world-class ombudsman service raising standards, minimising disputes, meeting diverse community needs, and to be trusted by all.

The opportunity

We are recruiting a Lead Ombudsman Banking & Finance. This key national role leads our approach to complaints handling and decision making in consumer credit and financial difficulty, which represent approximately 40% of all complaints considered by AFCA. 

This role involves high level stakeholder engagement with regulators, industry leaders, peak bodies and consumer organisations, reflecting AFCA’s important role in the financial services sector and ability to influence change through our complaint resolution experience.

The successful candidate will be a senior lawyer with significant experience of consumer finance and lending laws, sophisticated analytical and decision-making skills and the ability to successfully communicate to all. 

Reporting to the Deputy Chief Ombudsman and leading a team of decision makers, this role will provide deep technical expertise and inspirational leadership to ensure independent, fair and consistent approach to the resolution of complaints between consumers and Financial Firms in these areas.

As Lead Ombudsman – B&F, you will:

• Lead AFCA’s approach to consumer finance and financial difficulty disputes.
• Engage with external stakeholders across the financial services industry and various consumer groups to champion effective dispute resolution practices and explain AFCA’s Approach to its Fairness jurisdiction. 
• Work closely with the B&F industry to improve practice in dispute resolution, remediation and systemic issues.
• Determine difficult or contentious escalated cases, individually or as part of a panel and escalate issues with broader implications for AFCA to the senior leadership group.
• Review and determine possible systemic issues as part of AFCA’s systemic issues investigation function.
• Actively build a team culture where people flourish and find meaning in their work.
• Be a member of AFCA’s senior leadership team with the opportunity to influence the operational and strategic direction of AFCA. 

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• Relevant legal qualifications and significant technical expertise and experience in financial services, particularly in consumer finance and financial difficulty.
• Expert knowledge of consumer finance and lending laws.
• Extensive experience in a senior executive or legal position within a legal firm, regulator or industry.
• Proven success leading and coaching high performing teams to improve industry standards and business performance.
• Demonstrated level of analytical skills, coupled with experience in independent decision making and the ability to draft documents which explain complex legal concepts in a manner with can be readily understood.
• Exceptional communication skills, empathy and resilience, to deal with conflict and difficult interactions.
• The ability to work with a broad cross section of the community.
• The ability to remain independent and impartial.

Life at AFCA!

• We support hybrid working which means you can work from both home and our conveniently located CBD offices, with state-of-the-art technology and facilities designed for flexibility, collaboration, and wellbeing.
• A range of free wellness initiatives support our people to be their best. From yoga and mindfulness classes, to annual skin checks and flu vaccinations, we are always striving to support our people to be happy and healthy.
• Our people work hard, so we like to reward them with extra days of paid leave each year over our Christmas shutdown period. So, if you would have usually worked over Christmas, enjoy a short break on us! We also offer the option to purchase up to 4 weeks additional annual leave per year.
• As a not-for-profit organisation, we offer both salary packaging and novated leasing arrangements.
• Our social club provides an annual calendar of amazing events including movie screenings, karaoke, morning teas and more!
• We pride ourselves on providing training and professional development for our people, to develop their skills and further their career.

To apply

AFCA has always been committed to building an inclusive culture where diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and identities are celebrated. It is important to us that everyone feels a strong sense of belonging. We know we perform at our best when we are empowered to be ourselves, and that this, in turn, enables our future success as an organisation. Joining AFCA means joining an organisation of passionate, intelligent people who are interested in financial fairness and driving positive change in the financial sector.

Apply now by clicking Apply Now and submitting your resume and cover letter. To learn more about who we are and the work we do, please visit: www.afca.org.au 

AFCA is a 2022 Circle Back Initiative Employer – we commit to respond to every applicant.