Head of Transformation

Australian Ethical; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work arrangements

Employee share plan

Wellbeing program with extra leave

Birthday Leave

Volunteer days

20 days annual leave + 3 days around x

Competitive remuneration

Job summary

Australian Ethical is seeking a Head of Transformation to lead our enterprise transformation agenda, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer. You will build and evolve the Transformation Office, establishing governance and delivery disciplines for strategic programs and high‑impact projects.

You will work with senior leaders across technology, risk, compliance and business units to prioritise and govern change initiatives, ensuring alignment to our purpose and values while delivering measurable

Qualifications

• Senior transformation leader with deep governance, delivery discipline and cross-functional influence.
• Extensive experience managing complex, regulated transformation programs in financial services or similar industries.
• Proven ability to design and stand up transformation offices and enterprise change functions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute transformation strategy aligned to organisational objectives.
• Build and evolve the Transformation Office with governance frameworks and delivery standards.
• Oversee end-to-end delivery of transformation programs including planning, execution and risk management.
• Lead a portfolio of digital and governance transformation initiatives to strengthen operating platform and enable growth.
• Drive technology adoption, data analytics improvements and enhanced customer/employee experiences.
• Engage senior stakeholders to communicate priorities, secure alignment and sustain momentum.
• Manage budgets, vendor performance and reporting to ensure delivery within parameters.

Skills

Senior leadership

Transformation leader

Stakeholder management

Program management

Change management

Strategic thinking

Education

Tertiary qualifications in business/finance/IT

Job description

Are you a highly experienced, dynamic transformation leader ready to shape how a purpose-led, growing ASX-listed organisation delivers enterprise-wide change?

About Us

Australian Ethical is one of Australia’s fastest-growing super fund and ethical investment managers. We are ASX-listed with over $14 billion in funds under management and offer a selection of award-winning managed funds and superannuation products.

Our purpose is to invest for a better world, and we have been pioneers in this space for almost 40 years. For us, investing has two aims – generating solid financial returns and a positive impact for people, planet, and animals. At Australian Ethical, we prove that money can be a force for good. We do this by staying true to our purpose, which is embedded throughout our organisation and drives our everyday activities as a business, investor, brand, employer, and corporate citizen. We’re a registered B Corp and fully committed to an inclusive, equitable and forward-thinking workplace culture.

Your New Role

Reporting to the COO, the Head of Transformation will lead Australian Ethical’s enterprise transformation agenda, building and evolving the Transformation Office while driving the successful delivery of digital, governance and strategic change initiatives that strengthen our operating platform to enable future growth and value creation.

You’ll work closely with senior leaders, Boards, technology, data, superannuation, asset management, risk, compliance, legal and external delivery partners to ensure transformation initiatives are well governed, effectively prioritised, commercially disciplined and aligned to business strategy.

Key Responsibilities Include:

• Developing and implementing the transformation strategy, with a focus on creating value for stakeholders and aligning transformation activity to Australian Ethical’s strategic objectives, purpose and values
• Building and evolving the Transformation Office, including governance frameworks, operating standards, ways of working, policies and delivery disciplines for strategic programs and material projects
• Overseeing the end-to-end delivery of transformation programs, including scoping, planning, execution, monitoring, dependency management, issue resolution and delivery against agreed success criteria
• Leading the delivery of a portfolio that includes digital transformation, governance transformation and other strategic initiatives designed to strengthen Australian Ethical’s operating platform and enable future growth
• Driving the adoption of technology and digital solutions to streamline processes, improve data analytics and enhance customer and employee experiences
• Identifying inefficiencies, bottlenecks and opportunities to improve the way change is planned, prioritised, governed and delivered across the organisation
• Assessing and mitigating risks associated with transformation initiatives, while ensuring appropriate compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards
• Leading and overseeing multi-disciplinary delivery teams, including permanent employees, contractors, program resources and external service providers
• Engaging senior stakeholders across the business to communicate transformation priorities, build alignment, support adoption and maintain momentum
• Managing transformation portfolio budgets, vendor performance, commercial discipline and reporting to ensure initiatives are delivered within agreed parameters

What we’re looking for

You’re a senior transformation leader with a strong track record designing, standing up and leading transformation offices, programs or enterprise change functions in complex, highly regulated environments. You are equally comfortable setting strategic direction, building governance and operating disciplines, and rolling up your sleeves to create momentum across multiple workstreams.

You bring strong commercial judgement, deep stakeholder management capability and the ability to influence across executive, Board and cross-functional environments. You are collegiate, collaborative and pragmatic, with a reputation for bringing structure, clarity and momentum to complex transformation agendas.

If you have all or most of the following, we’d love to hear from you:

• 10+ years’ experience leading transformational initiatives that deliver value creation within the financial services industry
• Demonstrated experience leading digital transformation outcomes through a transformation office, enterprise program or similar strategic delivery function
• Experience designing, establishing or evolving a transformation office, including governance, delivery frameworks, policies, standards and ways of working
• Strong program portfolio and program management capability, with a track record delivering complex transformation initiatives on time, within budget and against agreed success criteria
• Deep experience managing dependencies, vendors, commercial arrangements, project sequencing and delivery risks across complex transformation portfolios
• Strong understanding of change management methodologies, process optimisation, technology integration and digital enablement
• Proven ability to engage, influence and build trust with senior executives, Boards, business leaders, technical teams, risk and compliance stakeholders and external partners
• Ability to balance opportunity and risk, bringing both commercial ambition and disciplined governance to decision-making
• A strategic, curious and humble leadership style, with strong alignment to Australian Ethical’s values of authenticity, action, connection, curiosity and empathy
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in business, finance, information technology or a related field

What’s in it for you

• A competitive salary, including short-term and long-term incentives, including access to an Employee Share Plan
• Hybrid work arrangements
• Wellbeing program that includes additional leave above statutory requirements
• Birthday Leave
• Purpose-aligned volunteer days
• 20 days paid annual leave with an additional 3 paid days of annual leave between Christmas and New Year.
• The opportunity to play a highly visible leadership role in shaping how a purpose-led organisation delivers strategic, enterprise-wide transformation.

Want to know more about what it’s like to work at Australian Ethical? Check out our LinkedIn Life Page here: Australian Ethical LinkedIn Life Page or our Careers and Culture page here: Australian Ethical Work With Us.

At Australian Ethical we embrace diversity in our people and thinking. We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer and never discriminate on the basis of race, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital or disability status.

Please note:

Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. Applications or approaches via recruitment agencies will not be accepted for this position. Background checks will be conducted for the successful candidate, as per our regulatory requirements as a financial services organisation.