Senior Ombudsman - Financial Difficulty

at  Afca

Company Description
As a financial ombudsman, we are a for-purpose organisation that provides a free service for individuals and small businesses. We listen to and work with our customers and their financial firms to find solutions to complaints which have gone unheard or unresolved. This is your opportunity to make a difference.
Job Description
The Senior Ombudsman - Financial Difficulty is a high-profile role within AFCA and externally, leading our approach on areas such as hardship (consumer and small business) and credit reporting - growing areas of complaint. The role includes decision making as well as lending your expertise and voice to drive consistency in AFCA’s financial difficulty complaints work more broadly. Importantly, it also includes high engagement with member firms, consumer advocates and stakeholders to lift practice in the area. The role includes travel to relevant conferences, media opportunities and events to deliver key Financial Difficulty messages.
You will use your experience in financial difficulty to educate and inspire the Banking and Finance Ombudsman and Adjudicators, the wider decision making team and a large case management cohort. This will include providing technical advice and professional coaching to ensure independent, fair and consistent decisions for financial difficulty complaints. This position reports to the Lead Ombudsman of Banking & Finance – Natalie Cameron.

Typically, in this role you will:

• Demonstrate a passion for those affected by financial difficulty, and an ability to help our members develop practical strategies to improve performance in the area to reduce complaints.
• Travel to events and meetings across Australia to deliver learnings from AFCA’s Financial Difficulty data and seek to education, influence and improve performance in this area.
• Own and constantly update the Financial Difficulty Strategy, and contribute to shaping the overall B&F business plan as part of the DCO business plan and overall AFCA strategy.
• Contribute to shaping and implement new ways of working in the Financial Difficulty stream that promote accountability, performance, engagement and collaboration to deliver fair and consistent decisions and sustain business performance. This includes considering the experience of Financial Difficulty complainants, many of whom may face access and equity challenges while they make their way through AFCA’s process.
• Manage an effective and sustainable pipeline and workflow to the Financial Difficulty decision maker queue by working closely with the Financial Difficulty Senior Manager or Team Manager. A close and collegiate relationship with intersecting areas across AFCA is critical. In addition to Case Management, this includes the COMET team (community engagement team), Case Support and COEBRA (communications and media team).
• Actively coach, guide and develop direct reports to deliver performance and personal growth including conducting Financial Difficulty complaints QA.
• Manage personal monthly Financial Difficulty decision allocations and support with difficult or contentious escalated cases. This will include direct, senior conversations with our members to help resolve escalated complaints.
• Regular attendance and presentations at events and seminars to engage with and influence members, industry associations and consumer groups to improve industry standards.
• Contribute to the continual improvement of policy, procedural documentation, investigation and decision support resources.

Qualifications

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• Relevant legal qualifications and significant Banking and Finance experience are essential.
• Experience in financial difficulty and the issues faced by those affected by it. For example, this may include work at a financial counselling service, in disputes resolution or in a financial difficulty focused role in industry. Knowledge of and a passion for this area are key requirements.
• Sound knowledge of financial difficulty related financial services law, practice and/or other regulation.
• Demonstrated experience operating in an independent capacity and with individual accountability for outcomes.
• Demonstrated leadership experience or proven success in leading and coaching senior professionals to build capability and drive change.
• Demonstrated level of analytical skill, coupled with the ability to draft documents which explain complex legal concepts in a manner which can be readily understood.
• Demonstrated high level communication, consultative and interpersonal skills in dealing with a broad cross section of the community.
• Energy and a capacity to manage several competing priorities within tight timeframes.
• Results driven and demonstrated commitment to meeting personal and team goals and targets.
• Excellent influencing skills with the ability to effectively develop and navigate all stakeholder relationships, including significant public speaking experience. Media training would also be well regarded.

TO APPLY:

If you are passionate about how we drive fairness in the financial sector and are looking for an organisation that values the human in all of us, we encourage you to apply – even if you don’t meet every single criterion.
We encourage applications from people of all ages, cultures, abilities, sexual orientation and gender identities. We strive to provide a recruitment experience that’s fair, inclusive and accessible. If you have any specific accessibility requirements, please reach out to the recruiter who is managing this process or email us at Careers@afca.org.au. We also offer flexible working at AFCA and as such even if a role is advertised as full-time, we invite conversations around other working arrangements and would still encourage you to apply.
AFCA is a 2024 Circle Back Initiative Employer - we are committed to responding to every applicant

Typically, in this role you will:

• Demonstrate a passion for those affected by financial difficulty, and an ability to help our members develop practical strategies to improve performance in the area to reduce complaints.
• Travel to events and meetings across Australia to deliver learnings from AFCA’s Financial Difficulty data and seek to education, influence and improve performance in this area.
• Own and constantly update the Financial Difficulty Strategy, and contribute to shaping the overall B&F business plan as part of the DCO business plan and overall AFCA strategy.
• Contribute to shaping and implement new ways of working in the Financial Difficulty stream that promote accountability, performance, engagement and collaboration to deliver fair and consistent decisions and sustain business performance. This includes considering the experience of Financial Difficulty complainants, many of whom may face access and equity challenges while they make their way through AFCA’s process.
• Manage an effective and sustainable pipeline and workflow to the Financial Difficulty decision maker queue by working closely with the Financial Difficulty Senior Manager or Team Manager. A close and collegiate relationship with intersecting areas across AFCA is critical. In addition to Case Management, this includes the COMET team (community engagement team), Case Support and COEBRA (communications and media team).
• Actively coach, guide and develop direct reports to deliver performance and personal growth including conducting Financial Difficulty complaints QA.
• Manage personal monthly Financial Difficulty decision allocations and support with difficult or contentious escalated cases. This will include direct, senior conversations with our members to help resolve escalated complaints.
• Regular attendance and presentations at events and seminars to engage with and influence members, industry associations and consumer groups to improve industry standards.
• Contribute to the continual improvement of policy, procedural documentation, investigation and decision support resources

To be successful in this role, you will need:

• Relevant legal qualifications and significant Banking and Finance experience are essential.
• Experience in financial difficulty and the issues faced by those affected by it. For example, this may include work at a financial counselling service, in disputes resolution or in a financial difficulty focused role in industry. Knowledge of and a passion for this area are key requirements.
• Sound knowledge of financial difficulty related financial services law, practice and/or other regulation.
• Demonstrated experience operating in an independent capacity and with individual accountability for outcomes.
• Demonstrated leadership experience or proven success in leading and coaching senior professionals to build capability and drive change.
• Demonstrated level of analytical skill, coupled with the ability to draft documents which explain complex legal concepts in a manner which can be readily understood.
• Demonstrated high level communication, consultative and interpersonal skills in dealing with a broad cross section of the community.
• Energy and a capacity to manage several competing priorities within tight timeframes.
• Results driven and demonstrated commitment to meeting personal and team goals and targets.
• Excellent influencing skills with the ability to effectively develop and navigate all stakeholder relationships, including significant public speaking experience. Media training would also be well regarded