Senior Compliance Lead

Lotus People; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Lotus People is seeking an experienced Compliance Lead to establish the Australian compliance function from the ground up. You will design frameworks and controls to meet AFSL obligations and work with Tax, Customer Operations and Strategy teams in Sydney.

You will lead second-line oversight of payments, privacy and regulatory reporting, tracking AUSTRAC changes and engaging regulators where needed. A strong, regulatory-minded communicator with 7+ years in risk and compliance will thrive in this

Qualifications

• 7+ years in risk and compliance within financial services, including second line oversight experience.
• Proven track record building compliance processes, frameworks or controls.
• Solid understanding of AFSL obligations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Confident in making risk-based decisions independently with practical solutions.
• Strong communication skills across stakeholders.
• Relevant degree in Law, Commerce, Finance, Risk or Compliance.
• Payments or fintech experience is highly regarded.
• Direct engagement with regulators such as ASIC or AUSTRAC is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Build the Australian compliance framework from scratch across Australia, NZ and UK.
• Own the business’s AFSL compliance and ensure obligations are understood and monitored.
• Provide second line oversight across payments, data privacy, regulatory reporting and AML/CTF.
• Make risk-based decisions and determine escalation needs.
• Resolve issues and breaches by root-cause analysis and process improvements.
• Review controls and automations to ensure effective flagging and trend detection.
• Track regulatory changes and translate them into practical action.
• Support preparation, review and lodgement of regulatory reports and disclosures.
• Deliver clear reporting to Head of Legal & Compliance and key stakeholders.
• Maintain audit-ready policies, procedures and documentation.

Skills

risk and compliance

building compliance

AFSL obligations

risk-based decisions

communication skills

payments/fintech experience

regulator engagement (ASIC/AUSTRAC)

Education

Law, Commerce, Finance, Risk or Compliance degree

Job description

• WFH: No WFH, this is a fully office-based role in the CBD

• Location: Sydney, NSW
• Employment type: Permanent, full-time
• WFH: No WFH, this is a fully office-based role in the CBD

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Lotus People are working with a fast-growing fintech who is on a mission to make life easier for self-employed professionals across Australia, New Zealand and the UK, handling the tax and compliance load so their customers can focus on their own work.

About The Role

As the first dedicated Compliance Lead in Australia, you'll build the local compliance function from the ground up. Reporting into the Head of Legal & Compliance, you'll design the frameworks, processes and controls that keep the business meeting its AFSL obligations as it scales. You'll work closely with the Tax Manager, Customer Operations and Strategy teams in Sydney.

DUTIES

• Build the Australian compliance framework from scratch, designing new processes, policies and controls as the business scales across Australia, New Zealand and the UK
• Own the business’s AFSL compliance, making sure obligations are understood, embedded and monitored across the organisation
• Provide second line oversight across payments, AFSL obligations, data privacy, regulatory reporting and AML/CTF
• Make risk-based judgement calls and put decisions into practice, deciding what can be signed off and what needs to be go up the chain
• Resolve issues and breaches by finding the root cause and improving processes so problems don’t recur
• Review existing controls and automations, testing whether current flagging tools are earning their keep and catching trends nobody has noticed yet
• Track regulatory change, including Australia’s evolving AUSTRAC obligations, and turn it into practical action for the business
• Support the preparation, review and lodgement of regulatory reports and disclosures, including engagement with regulators where needed
• Deliver clear, structured reporting to the Head of Legal & Compliance and key stakeholders
• Maintain accurate, audit-ready policies, procedures and documentation

SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• 7+ years in risk and compliance within financial services, including direct experience in a second line oversight role
• A proven track record of building compliance processes, frameworks or controls, either from scratch or through a significant uplift
• A solid understanding of AFSL obligations and experience making sure an entity meets them
• Confidence making risk-based decisions independently, with a practical, solutions-focused approach to risk
• Strong communication skills
• A relevant degree in Law, Commerce, Finance, Risk or Compliance
• Payments or fintech experience is highly regarded.
• Direct engagement with regulators such as ASIC or AUSTRAC is desirable

OUR RECRUITMENT PROCESS

At Lotus People, we are committed to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds to apply and will ensure a fair and equitable recruitment process.

Every application we receive is reviewed by a real person, never by AI. If your experience aligns with the requirements of the role, a consultant will be in touch within 2-3 business days for an initial phone screen. Shortlisted candidates will then proceed to a virtual interview with the consultant managing the role.

Due to the volume of applications and the specific nature of our briefs, we are unable to take phone enquiries about roles before an application is submitted. We ask that all interested candidates please apply online and wait to hear from us. Rest assured, we respond to every applicant, regardless of the outcome, so you will not be left wondering.

Lotus People are proud to have been awarded Best Agency for Candidate Experience for five consecutive years. We look forward to providing you with a positive and respectful experience.