Senior Manager, Compliance and Governance

Kaizen Recruitment; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaizen Recruitment is seeking a Senior Manager, Compliance and Governance in Melbourne to lead the organisation's compliance, governance, complaints and legal operations. You will act as a trusted adviser to Executives and the Board while promoting a culture of accountability and regulatory discipline.

Reporting to the Chief Risk Officer, the role requires strategic oversight across APRA/ASIC frameworks, breach management and governance reporting, with senior stakeholder engagement and a proven

Qualifications

• Significant experience in compliance, governance or legal leadership roles within highly regulated industries.
• Strong knowledge of APRA/ASIC frameworks and Australian financial services regulation.
• Experience overseeing compliance frameworks, monitoring programs and breach management.
• Board governance experience, including governance reporting and delegation oversight.
• Experience leading complaints management or customer remediation functions.
• Ability to oversee internal and external legal advisers and operations.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement with regulators, Boards and executives.
• Proven people leadership across multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, with ability to simplify complex matters.
• High integrity, judgement and independence with constructive challenge.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in law, governance or related disciplines.
• Legal qualifications or governance certifications are highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop Compliance, Governance and Legal teams to a high standard.
• Drive enhancement of compliance, governance and legal frameworks across the organisation.
• Provide strategic compliance, governance and legal advice to executives and the Board.
• Oversee monitoring, assurance and regulatory obligations management.
• Lead breach and incident assessment, reporting and remediation processes.
• Oversee regulatory change management including horizon scanning and implementation.
• Manage relationships with regulators including APRA, ASIC and AFCA.
• Lead complaints and dispute resolution functions for fair outcomes.
• Oversee internal legal functions, contracts and governance support.
• Maintain and enhance corporate governance frameworks and Board processes.
• Coordinate governance and compliance reporting to executives and Board Committees.
• Partner with Risk and Internal Audit for integrated assurance.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Board governance

Regulatory risk

Compliance programs

Incident management

Regulatory change

Legal operations

Strategic advisory

Regulators engagement

Education

Law degree

Governance qualification

Commerce degree

Job description

Senior Manager, Compliance and Governance

About the Role

Reporting to the Chief Risk Officer, the Senior Manager, Compliance and Governance is responsible for leading the organisation's compliance, governance, complaints and legal functions. This is a highly visible leadership role that provides strategic oversight across regulatory compliance, compliance monitoring and assurance, breach and incident management, regulatory change, trustee governance, internal dispute resolution and legal operations. The successful candidate will serve as a trusted adviser to Executives and the Board, while fostering a strong culture of accountability, regulatory awareness and good governance across the organisation. The role will suit an experienced compliance and governance leader who can balance commercial pragmatism with strong regulatory discipline, while confidently engaging with regulators, senior stakeholders and Board Committees.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Compliance, Governance and Legal teams, fostering a high-performing and collaborative culture.
• Drive the ongoing enhancement of compliance, governance, complaints and legal frameworks across the organisation.
• Provide strategic compliance, governance and legal advice to Executive leadership and Board stakeholders.
• Oversee compliance monitoring and assurance activities to ensure ongoing regulatory obligations are effectively managed.
• Lead breach and incident assessment, reporting, escalation and remediation processes.
• Oversee regulatory change management, including horizon scanning, impact assessments and implementation oversight.
• Manage relationships with regulators including APRA, ASIC and AFCA.
• Lead the complaints and dispute resolution function, ensuring fair, timely and member-focused outcomes.
• Oversee the internal legal function, including legal risk, contract management, external counsel engagement and governance support.
• Maintain and enhance corporate governance frameworks, delegations, policies, registers and Board governance processes.
• Coordinate governance and compliance reporting to Executive leadership, Board Committees and the Board.
• Partner closely with Risk and Internal Audit functions to support an integrated assurance approach.

Key Requirements

• Significant experience in compliance, governance or legal leadership roles within superannuation, financial services or another highly regulated industry.
• Strong understanding of APRA, ASIC and broader Australian financial services regulatory frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing compliance frameworks, monitoring programs, regulatory obligations and breach management processes.
• Strong corporate governance experience, including Board and Committee governance, policies, delegations and governance reporting.
• Experience leading complaints management, dispute resolution or customer remediation functions.
• Ability to oversee legal operations and effectively manage internal and external legal advisers.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement skills with experience interacting with regulators, Boards and Executive leadership teams.
• Proven people leadership capability across multidisciplinary teams.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to simplify complex regulatory and legal matters.
• High levels of integrity, judgement and independence, coupled with the confidence to provide constructive challenge when required.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in law, commerce, finance, governance, business or a related discipline.
• Legal qualifications or governance-related professional certifications will be highly regarded.