General Manager Operational Risk

Bendigobank; Adelaide, Greater Bendigo, Melbourne, Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 280,000 - 420,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Staff banking privileges

Private health insurance discounts

Wellness programs

Job summary

Bendigo and Adelaide Bank is seeking a senior leader to helm Group Operational Risk as General Manager. You will drive governance, risk appetite, and enterprise resilience, partnering with the CRO, CEO and Board to safeguard the Bank’s strategic execution.

In this high-visibility role, you’ll oversee ORMF and BCM, sponsor risk modernisation (including ServiceNow), and lead a nationally distributed team to deliver proactive, data-driven risk management and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading Operational Risk Management Frameworks (ORMF) and Business Continuity.
• Executive gravitas with ability to engage with Board Committees and regulators.
• Proven capability delivering risk system transformations (e.g., ServiceNow).
• ACIA accreditation or equivalent is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mature the Group ORMF, policies, and standards with independent 2LoA challenge.
• Ensure compliance with APRA CPS 230 and other prudential standards.
• Direct BCM, disaster recovery programs, and Major Incident Plan for Board approval.
• Oversee enterprise risk systems modernisation and data-driven insights.
• Build and coach a high-performing, nationally distributed risk team.

Skills

Operational risk

Governance

Regulatory engagement

People leadership

Education

Tertiary qualifications in Business/Finance/Law/Risk

Tools

ServiceNow

Job description

Employment Type: Permanent

Employee Class: Full Time

Closing Date: 11/11/2026

For over 160 years, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank has stayed true to its purpose: feeding into the prosperity of our customers and communities, not off it. Now, we’re scaling our impact. We are united in our belief that in banking, better can be bigger - and Group Risk sits at the very heart of this journey.

We are a forward-looking, data-driven function dedicated to delivering robust risk management outcomes and fostering a proactive risk culture that safeguards the Bank’s enduring success.

About the Role

Reporting directly to the Chief Risk Officer as a senior member of the second-line (2LoA) Risk Leadership Team, the General Manager, Group Operational Risk leads an enterprise-wide centre of expertise. In this critical executive role, you will act as a trusted strategic partner and independent challenger, enabling the Bank's safe and sustainable execution of corporate strategy.

You will provide enterprise governance, strategic oversight, and capability uplift across the Operational Risk Management Framework (ORMF) and Business Continuity Management (BCM). Crucially, you will also sponsor major risk modernisation initiatives, including the enterprise rollout of our ServiceNow integrated risk management platform.

This position holds high governance visibility, regularly presenting to and advising the Board Risk Committee, Executive Risk Committee and Regulators.

What You’ll Do

• Strategic Risk Governance & Advisory: Lead and continuously mature the Group Operational Risk Management Framework (ORMF), policies, and standards. Deliver robust, independent 2LoA challenge and strategic advice to First Line executives, the CEO, and the Board.
• Regulatory Compliance & Accountability: Ensure comprehensive compliance with key prudential standards - notably APRA CPS 230 (Operational Risk Management).
• Enterprise Resilience & Incident Leadership: Direct the Group Business Continuity Management (BCM) framework, disaster recovery programs, and crisis response protocols, including preparing the Major Incident Plan (MIP) for Board approval.
• Risk Systems Modernisation: Serve as Business Systems Owner for the enterprise ServiceNow deployment, embedding modern risk analytics, automated controls standards, and data-driven insights across the Bank.
• People Leadership & Culture: Build, coach, and inspire a high-performing, nationally distributed operational risk team. Role-model our critical behaviours: act commercially, move fast, recognise impact, and actively challenge the status quo.

What You’ll Bring

• Technical Operational Risk Mastery: Extensive experience leading Operational Risk Management Frameworks (ORMF), Business Continuity, with deep command of APRA CPS 230, FAR, and non-financial risk drivers.
• Executive Gravitas & Strategic Influence: Proven success engaging, influencing, and earning the trust of Board Risk Committees, Executive Committees, and regulators (APRA/ASIC), balanced with the confidence to provide constructive 2LoA challenge.
• Values-Led People Leadership: A proven track record of uplifting specialist capability, coaching future leaders, and cultivating an inclusive, high-trust "Speak Up" environment.
• Complex Program Delivery: Demonstrated experience successfully delivering enterprise-wide risk systems transformations (such as ServiceNow or equivalent GRC/IRMs) and driving sustained change adoption.
• Qualifications & Accreditation: Tertiary qualifications in Business, Finance, Law, or Risk Management. Possession of (or ability to obtain) Australasian Compliance Institute (ACI) accreditation or equivalent.

Note: This role is designated under APRA Prudential Standard APS 520 (Fit and Proper) and is subject to standard background, probity, and fitness assessments.

• Meaningful Impact: Lead a pivotal function where your strategic stewardship directly protects millions of Australians and local communities.
• Genuine Flexibility: Hybrid working options designed to balance executive leadership with personal wellbeing.
• Ongoing Growth: Access to targeted executive leadership programs and enterprise continuous learning.
• Competitive Package: Comprehensive executive remuneration, staff banking privileges, private health insurance discounts, and wellness programs.
• Inclusive Culture: A diverse, values-driven workplace where authentic leadership is celebrated.

We offer flexible work options that put our people first, and a hybrid model of 40% of your week in the office. Internal candidates are required to notify their leader when applying for a new opportunity. Please ensure you apply via your Employee Profile in PeopleHub.

If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let our Talent Acquisition team know.

We believe a diverse workforce supported by an inclusive culture is central to our success and we actively encourage applications from those who bring diversity of thought to our business. We support candidate requests for adjustment to accommodate an illness, injury, or disability to equitably participate in the selection process.