Senior Legal & Compliance Manager

Mars Recruitment; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Mars Recruitment is partnering with an Australian financial institution to strengthen its risk and compliance capability and appoint an experienced Legal & Compliance Manager to lead its internal legal advisory function and drive uplift across compliance, privacy, governance and regulatory change.

This is a senior, high‑visibility role with one direct report- ideal for someone who thrives in a values‑driven environment and wants to shape a modern, fit‑for‑purpose compliance culture and mentor

Qualifications

• LLB and eligibility to hold an Australian practising certificate.
• 8+ years' experience in legal, compliance or regulatory roles.
• Strong understanding of APRA prudential standards, ASIC obligations, Privacy Act, AML/CTF and industry codes.
• Demonstrated experience managing obligations registers, compliance frameworks and regulatory change programs.
• Experience overseeing legal, compliance, privacy or regulatory incidents and breach reporting.

Responsibilities

• Act as the organisation's senior internal legal advisor, providing guidance across corporate, regulatory, privacy, consumer and banking matters.
• Oversee legal risk management, including contract governance, legal reviews, dispute handling and coordination of external legal support.
• Maintain a strong compliance framework, ensuring obligations are well-interpreted and owned by Line 1.
• Lead compliance monitoring, assurance activities and attestation processes to strengthen regulatory alignment.
• Drive regulatory change by scanning for upcoming reforms, assessing impacts and coordinating implementation.
• Manage legal, compliance and privacy incidents, ensuring investigations are robust and regulator notifications are timely.
• Maintain breach and regulatory registers, reporting to ELT, Risk Committee and Board.
• Provide Line 2 challenge on control effectiveness and adherence to policies.
• Support uplift of policy governance and regulatory engagement.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Regulatory change

Contract drafting

Regulatory engagement

Risk management

Training uplift

Education

LLB

Job description

Mars Recruitment is partnering with an Australian financial institution to strengthen its risk and compliance capability and appoint an experienced Legal & Compliance Manager to lead its internal legal advisory function and drive uplift across compliance, privacy, governance and regulatory change.

This is a senior, high‑visibility role with one direct report- ideal for someone who thrives in a values‑driven environment and wants to shape a modern, fit‑for‑purpose compliance culture and mentor junior talent.

Mars Recruitment is partnering with an Australian financial institution to strengthen its risk and compliance capability and appoint an experienced Legal & Compliance Manager to lead its internal legal advisory function and drive uplift across compliance, privacy, governance and regulatory change.

This is a senior, high‑visibility role with one direct report- ideal for someone who thrives in a values‑driven environment and wants to shape a modern, fit‑for‑purpose compliance culture and mentor junior talent.

Key Responsibilities:

• Act as the organisation's senior internal legal advisor, providing clear, practical guidance across corporate, regulatory, privacy, consumer and banking matters.
• Oversee legal risk management, including contract governance, legal reviews, dispute handling and coordination of external legal support.
• Maintain a strong compliance framework, ensuring obligations are well‑interpreted, owned by Line 1 and supported by effective controls.
• Lead compliance monitoring, assurance activities, thematic reviews and attestation processes to strengthen regulatory alignment.
• Drive regulatory change by scanning for upcoming reforms, assessing impacts, coordinating implementation and briefing senior leaders.
• Manage legal, compliance and privacy incidents, ensuring investigations are robust, remediation is appropriate and regulator notifications are accurate and timely.
• Maintain breach and regulatory registers, ensuring reporting to ELT, Risk Committee, Audit Committee and Board is concise and insightful.
• Provide Line 2 challenge on control effectiveness, investigations, remediation plans and adherence to policies.
• Support uplift of policy governance, ensuring policies remain current, consistent and aligned to regulatory expectations.
• Coordinate regulatory engagement, including responses to notices, reviews, data requests and consultations.
• Deliver training and capability uplift across legal obligations, compliance risk, privacy and breach reporting.
• Build compliance culture through coaching, communication and reinforcing Line 1 accountability.
• Lead and develop direct reports while contributing to broader Risk & Compliance strategy and maturity uplift.
• Represent the organisation in industry forums, working groups and external stakeholder engagements.

Key Requirements:

• LLB and eligibility to hold an Australian practising certificate.
• 8+ years' experience in legal, compliance or regulatory roles within banking or a regulated environment.
• Strong understanding of APRA prudential standards, ASIC obligations, Privacy Act, AML/CTF and industry codes.
• Demonstrated experience managing obligations registers, compliance frameworks and regulatory change programs.
• Experience overseeing legal, compliance, privacy or regulatory incidents and breach reporting.
• Skilled in drafting, reviewing and negotiating commercial and financial services contracts.
• Confident engaging with regulators and preparing regulatory submissions or responses.
• Strong communication and influencing capability, including at ELT/Board level.
• Proven ability to uplift Line 1 maturity and embed compliance culture.
• Leadership experience managing or developing high‑performing teams.

This is a perfect for a qualified lawyer who's developed experienced compliance capability in smaller banking environments or ADIs and is ready to step into a senior role shaping legal, regulatory and governance strategy.