Vulnerability & Partnership Strategy Leader

EnergyAustralia Pty; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

20 weeks' paid parental leave

Employee discounts on electricity and

Energise Program - flexible working

Performance recognition and incentive

Inclusive culture and supportive leads

Job summary

EnergyAustralia Pty is seeking a Vulnerability Strategy & Partnerships Lead to champion support for vulnerable customers, including hardship and FDV considerations. The role focuses on external relationships with community organisations and financial counsellors, while embedding FDV across programs.

The position requires strong governance, risk management, and senior-level advisory capabilities, with hybrid work from Docklands (2-3 days in the office per week).

Qualifications

• Experience working with vulnerable customers or hardship programs.
• Ability to influence design and outcomes at senior levels.
• Understanding of FDV regulatory obligations and best practices.
• Experience coordinating with Ombudsman teams and external bodies.

Responsibilities

• Serve as EnergyAustralia's primary external voice for vulnerable customer support.
• Lead governance, controls and compliance for FDV and hardship operations.
• Identify regulatory obligations and monitor risks with mitigation strategies.
• Provide guidance to Ombudsman teams on escalated FDV and hardship cases.
• Champion vulnerable customer considerations across programs during design and planning.

Skills

Vulnerable customer experience

Stakeholder relationship management

Regulatory and risk management

Ombudsman coordination

Education

Tertiary qualification in social work or related field

Job description

Globally, energy markets are in transition to a net zero future and the entities within these markets are transforming their underlying business models to ensure that they stay relevant, sustainable and profitable. As one of Australia's largest energy providers, we are proud of our purpose to lead and accelerate the clean energy transformation. Our ability to deliver on this purpose will be dependent on our people.

As the energy sector rapidly evolves with electrification, renewables, and sustainability at the forefront, we are delivering innovative centralised energy solutions to meet the needs of modern communities.

About the Role

The Vulnerability Strategy & Partnerships Lead exists to ensure EnergyAustralia is a recognised leader in the support of vulnerable customers - including those experiencing hardship and family and domestic violence (FDV).

This role serves as EnergyAustralia's primary external voice and relationship holder for community organisations, financial counsellors and government bodies, while also acting as the critical internal lens ensuring hardship and FDV considerations are embedded across all programs of work within Customer and Technology. The role leads the controls framework for FDV and hardship operations and provides expert support to Ombudsman teams on escalated complaints in these areas.

This role requires strong relationship management, regulatory and advisory capabilities to influence customer and business outcomes. Success in this role requires the ability to build trusted partnerships, manage risk, and champion vulnerable customer considerations across EnergyAustralia.

This is a newly created individual contributor position with significant cross-functional influence, based at Docklands with a hybrid working environment of 2-3 days in the office per week.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as EnergyAustralia's primary point of contact and relationship holder for financial counsellors, community service organisations and advocacy groups, building a trusted external network that strengthens EnergyAustralia's approach to vulnerability support.
• Represent EnergyAustralia at community events, industry forums and sector conferences relating to financial difficulty, hardship and FDV, strengthening the organisation's reputation as a leader in vulnerability support.
• Lead and maintain the governance, controls and compliance framework for FDV and hardship operations, including process governance and internal audits.
• Identify and monitor regulatory obligations and risks, develop mitigation strategies, and lead remediation where required, ensuring obligations under relevant energy retail codes and hardship frameworks are met and evidenced.
• Champion risk identification across FDV and hardship programs, maintaining a detailed Risk Register and supporting audit processes to achieve satisfactory or above outcomes.
• Act as subject matter expert and direct support for Ombudsman teams managing escalated FDV and hardship complaints, providing guidance on appropriate customer outcomes and identifying systemic issues.
• Serve as the key hardship and FDV lens across Customer and Technology programs of work, engaging at the design and planning stage to ensure vulnerable customer considerations are identified early and appropriately addressed.

About you

• Demonstrated experience in a senior role working with vulnerable customers, hardship programs or FDV frameworks - preferably in energy, utilities, financial services or telco.
• Proven ability to build and maintain productive relationships with external community organisations, financial counsellors and government or regulatory bodies.
• Experience providing strategic input into programs of work, influencing design and outcomes at a senior level.
• Sound understanding of energy retail hardship and FDV regulatory obligations and best practice frameworks.
• Experience in controls, compliance or risk management within a customer operations environment, including supporting or managing Ombudsman and escalated complaint processes.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex issues with clarity and conviction to senior audiences.
• Tertiary qualification in a relevant discipline (social work, community services, business, law or related field) preferred; relevant experience in lieu of formal qualifications will be considered.

Why Us?

EnergyAustralia is a place where all employees are genuinely valued, supported, and free to be themselves - because we believe that’s when we’re at our best.

We embrace diversity of background, experience, and perspective, and we encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people with disability, and those from the LGBTQ+ community.

Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Employee discounts on electricity and gas, plus savings on major brands and products
• 20 weeks' paid parental leave - completely gender-equal
• Energise Program - flexible working that’s team-centric, enabling teams to agree and succeed together
• Performance recognition and incentive programmes - tailored to different roles and teams to reward great work throughout the year
• Supportive leaders and a down-to-earth culture where you can be your authentic self