Head of Control Assurance

Export Finance Australia; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 290,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous leave provisions

18 weeks of paid parental leave

Fitness Passport

Gender affirmation leave

Income protection insurance

Community volunteering

Job summary

Export Finance Australia is seeking a senior leader to head enterprise control assurance. You will set the strategy, lead the Line 2 control assurance function, and provide independent advice to the GM Risk & Compliance and governance bodies.

The role requires deep risk experience, stakeholder engagement and a hands-on approach to testing and process reviews. You will build capability across Line 1 teams, drive improvements across controls and reporting, and ensure alignment with Australia’s

Qualifications

• 10+ years in risk or internal audit in government or financial services.
• Experience leading a control assurance strategy.
• Ability to translate findings into enterprise insights.
• Experience advising executives and governance committees.
• Independent judgment with evidence-based challenge.
• Hands-on approach to control testing and reviews.
• Strong understanding of enterprise risk.
• Excellent communication and collaboration.
• Australian citizenship and Baseline security clearance (if applicable).

Responsibilities

• Set and lead the control assurance strategy aligned with strategy, risk profile and assurance needs.
• Lead the Line 2 control assurance function including methodology, planning, scoping, testing, quality review and reporting.
• Engage with Internal Audit on Plan, scopes and findings to ensure efficiency.
• Identify systemic themes and cross-functional dependencies to strengthen the control environment.
• Provide trusted, independent advisory to the General Manager, Risk & Compliance and governance committees.
• Report to the Executive Committee and BARC on assurance outcomes and maturity.
• Lead and enhance the 6 monthly attestations process.
• Develop understanding of multiple business areas to enhance insights.
• Develop guidance and minimum standards for Line 1 testing and assurance reporting.
• Develop reporting of Integrated Assurance Plan in Protecht ERM.
• Undertake front-to-back process reviews where risks are identified.
• Identify improvements and drive remediation.
• Lead and develop the Control Assurance team and foster risk-aware culture.

Skills

Risk management

Internal audit

Strategy leadership

Executive advisory

Stakeholder engagement

Decision making

Education

Degree in governance or risk

Job description

4d ago , from Export Finance Australia (EFA)

• Join an organisation that has been proudly recognised certified as a 2025 Great Place to Work for five consecutive years.
• Hybrid work environment.
• Join us at an exciting time of growth in supporting Australian businesses

Export Finance Australia (EFA) is Australia’s export credit agency.

For almost 70 years, Export Finance Australia has helped Australian businesses grow and succeed internationally with finance to secure opportunities, expand into new markets and diversify their presence. We support critical minerals and defence sectors, finance projects that strengthen economic resilience and advance net zero, and back Australian investment in sustainable infrastructure.

Working with banks, other Government agencies and international partners, we back Australia’s exporters, supply chain businesses and industries, contributing to a more stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific while advancing Australia’s trade, investment and economic security objectives.

The Head of Control Assurance leads EFA’s enterprise control assurance function and is accountable for setting the strategy, framework and delivery approach for EFA’s control assurance program. The role provides independent, evidence-based insights into the design and effectiveness of key controls and drives improvements in control ownership, risk management and business processes across EFA.

As EFA’s senior specialist leader for control assurance, the role provides trusted advice to the General Manager, Risk & Compliance, the Executive and relevant governance committees. The role leads a specialist team, develops control assurance capability across EFA and works closely with business leaders and Risk & Compliance colleagues to support an efficient, coordinated and risk-based assurance approach

Your new role

Location: Sydney
Role Type: Full-time, Permanent

About you

• Set and lead the strategy, framework and delivery approach for EFA’s enterprise control assurance function, ensuring it remains aligned with EFA’s strategic priorities, risk profile and assurance needs.
• Lead EFA’s Line 2 control assurance function, with accountability for assurance methodology, planning, scoping, testing, quality review, reporting and communication of findings.
• Lead engagement with our internal auditors regarding their Internal Audit Plan control coverage and review scopes and findings to ensure efficiency of approach.
• Apply an enterprise-wide perspective to control assurance, identifying systemic themes, cross functional control dependencies and opportunities to strengthen EFA’s control environment.
• Provide trusted, independent and strategic advice to the General Manager, Risk & Compliance, the Executive and relevant governance committees on control effectiveness, assurance outcomes, systemic control issues and required remediation.
• Provide clear and timely reporting to the Executive Committee and BARC on assurance outcomes, material control weaknesses, systemic themes, remediation progress and the overall maturity of EFA’s control environment.
• Lead and enhance the efficiency of the 6 monthly attestations process.
• Develop deep understanding of multiple business areas and complex transaction types to enhance control assurance insights.
• Build control assurance capability across Line 1 teams by developing guidance, tools and minimum standards, and by providing constructive review and challenge of business-led control testing and assurance reporting.
• Develop appropriate reporting of Integrated Assurance Plan and control assurance testing results within our Protecht enterprise risk management system.
• Undertake front to back business process and system reviews where areas of potential risk are identified (eg via repeated incidents).
• Identify innovative and achievable review recommendations and process improvements.
• Lead, develop and motivate the Control Assurance team, setting clear standards and priorities, building specialist capability and fostering a constructive, high performing and risk aware culture. Coach and contribute to capability development across the broader Risk & Compliance function.

Qualifications & Skills

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in risk or internal audit in a government or financial services environment.
• Demonstrated experience setting and leading a control assurance strategy, framework or methodology.
• Demonstrated ability to translate assurance findings into clear enterprise insights and practical business improvements.
• Experience advising senior executives and governance committees on material control matters.
• Demonstrated ability to exercise independent judgment and provide respectful, evidence-based challenge to senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver a Control Assurance Plan with a willingness to take a hands-on approach to control testing and process reviews.
• Strong understanding of all areas of enterprise risk including operational risk and reputational risk.
• Strong critical thinking and sound decision-making skills.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively and develop efficient and proactive working relationships.
• Strong understanding of the regulatory landscape and its impact on Export Finance Australia.
• Excellent business partnering together with an ability to respectfully challenge senior stakeholders.
• Deminstratable leadership skills, with the ability to coach, engage and motivate team members in a high-performance environment.
• Strong time management and organisation skills, able to prioritise multiple competing demands and meet deadlines.
• Degree qualified in a relevant discipline of governance or risk (eg Risk Management Institute of Australia or Chartered Accountants Australia & New Zealand).

Even if you haven’t ticked every box but this role resonates with you, don't rule yourself out just yet, we'd love to hear from you!

Our benefits and culture

We are small enough to have an impact, BIG enough to make a world of difference and it starts with our people.

We support flexible working and pride ourselves in fostering a culture that is inclusive, diverse and collaborative. We are proud to be certified as a 2025 Great Place to Work for a fifth consecutive year, recognised on the 2023 AFR BOSS Best Places to Work list and listed as one of Australia’s Best Workplaces for Women in 2025.

In line with our commitment to our people, we have a comprehensive array of benefits available to our employees:

• Generous leave provisions (e.g. Annual Wellbeing day) and leave purchase opportunities
• 18 weeks of paid parental leave for primary caregivers
• Thorough induction onboarding program
• Fitness Passport along with other Health & Wellbeing initiatives
• Gender affirmation leave
• Income Protection Insurance
• Community volunteering
• and many more!

Our headquarters is based in Sydney CBD, and we have a national presence across Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Australian Citizenship - To be eligible to apply for this position, applicants must hold Australian Citizenship at the time of application.

Security Clearance - To be eligible to apply for this position, applicants must be able to obtain and maintain a Baseline security clearance.

We invite and welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people from diverse cultural backgrounds, people with disability and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.

If you are a candidate with a disability, let us know how we can provide you with additional support.

About us

Export Finance Australia is Australia’s export credit agency.

The reason our people join us, stay with us and grow with us is because they wholeheartedly believe in our purpose. They can see the impact we create for our customers.

We are a highly purpose-driven organisation. We seek to create an inclusive culture that values our customers and employees. Our people are expected to champion this and play a key role in achieving those outcomes. In working towards our strategy, our people display our IMPACT leadership behaviours of Frank & Fearless, Dexterous & Agile and Careful & Diligent

For more information about us, please refer to ourwebsite.