Risk & Operational Excellence Lead, Corporate Centre

At Latitude, we make it possible – for our customers, our communities, and our people. We believe in creating opportunities that truly matter, helping you thrive both professionally and personally. That’s why we offer benefits that make a real difference in your life.

We make it possible…

• to spend more time with your loved ones – with an extra week of paid leave each year through our Take 5 initiative.
• to balance work and life – with a hybrid working model, giving you the flexibility to work from home while connecting in the office just two days a week 
• to put your wellbeing first – with Sonder, a 24/7 support app for mental and physical wellness.
• to access great financial benefits – with discounts on Latitude products and services.

This role is critical to strengthening the operational risk environment across Corporate Centre functions (including People & Culture, Finance, Risk and Strategy) in line with regulatory expectations, obligations, and internal risk frameworks.

As the Risk & Operational Excellence Lead, you will partner with business leaders to identify and assess risks, enhance and test controls, manage incidents, and drive timely remediation, while safeguarding customer outcomes, compliance, and operational resilience.

The role acts as the primary liaison between the business and second-line risk teams, enabling effective risk-based decision-making and fostering a strong, proactive risk culture.

Let’s look at some key responsibilities:
 

• Facilitate continuous risk and control self-assessment activities, including maintaining business-level risk and control registers and ensuring risks and controls are complete, accurate, and aligned to risk appetite.
• Conduct detailed risk assessments and update frameworks where required for regulatory changes, process changes, outsourcing arrangements, and technology or business initiatives.
• Plan and execute control testing to assess design and operating effectiveness and support timely remediation of gaps.
• Lead the design and uplift of controls to meet regulatory requirements, prevent customer harm, and strengthen operational resilience.
• Lead proactive assessments to identify process improvement opportunities, including streamlining, automation, and the design or enhancement of controls to strengthen resilience and efficiency.
• Develop and deliver the Line 1 assurance plan, ensuring alignment with higher-risk areas and regulatory obligations.
• Establish and monitor Key Risk Indicators (KRIs); analyse trends and escalate breaches promptly.
• Provide high-quality risk reporting to business leadership and risk committees.
• Support incident management and escalation, including robust root cause analysis and tracking of actions and lessons learned.  
• Coordinate the management of issues arising from internal reviews, audits, compliance testing, regulator feedback, and business assessments.
• Partner with Compliance to ensure relevant obligations are understood and managed.
• Act as a trusted advisor to business leaders, providing risk insights and practical guidance that supports sound decision-making.
• Deliver training, coaching, and engagement activities to uplift risk capability and embed a strong risk culture.

We're looking for the following: 

• Bachelor's degree in business, Finance, Risk Management, or related discipline. 
• 5+ years’ experience in risk management, control advisory, assurance, internal audit, or compliance within financial services, preferably consumer finance.
• Demonstrated expertise in control design, testing, and uplift initiatives.
• Experience leading assurance reviews and thematic risk assessments to identify and address systemic issues.
• Strong understanding of regulatory frameworks and compliance obligations relevant to consumer finance / financial services across Australia and New Zealand. 
• Strong knowledge of the three lines of defense model, risk management frameworks, and operational risk principles.
• Proficiency in interpreting complex process maps, data flows, system controls, and operational workflows.
• Experience using risk management platforms (e.g., Protecht) and leveraging technology for insights.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and report writing skills, with an ability to translate technical issues into business-friendly language.
• High attention to detail and sound professional judgement.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and influencing capabilities, with the courage to constructively challenge and escalate concerns.
• Ability to work independently and manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• AI-native - regularly leverages AI tools to enhance decision-making, automate reporting, accelerate content creation, and drive greater efficiency across your team

Sometimes the best candidates don’t have 100% of what is listed above, but if you have most and are confident, you’d be a good fit, we’d love to hear from you!

Sound like you? That's a good sign! In return for your energy and ideas, we offer a flexible working environment and great compensation. We always support a safe, healthy, engaging, and productive working environment for all employees and workers, whether that be in your home and office, or a combination of both.

We're Latitude, partners in money Latitude may seem like the new kid on the block, but it's taken us almost a hundred years to become an overnight success. Digital payments, cards, loans are what we offer - but what we really are is a platform that helps people shop and live better. Always living and breathing our values. Take ownership, Win together, Pursue excellence, and Create tomorrow

Successful applicants will be required to complete a background check (including criminal history and bankruptcy check) prior to commencement of employment. Only open to Australian or New Zealand Permanent Residents or Citizens.