Introduction:
About us.
A unique life requires a unique bank.
Defence Bank is a member‑owned bank with a proud history of serving the Australian Defence community for almost 50 years. Our purpose is to improve the financial wellbeing of our members, and we do this by putting people first — our members and our people.
We’re known for being collaborative, values‑led and genuinely flexible, with a strong focus on wellbeing, learning and doing work that matters. Our ultimate aim is to be the Bank that best understands and meets the needs of the Australian Defence community.
Winner of the Best Reward & Recognition program 2024 and a finalist for Employer of Choice 2024, it is not only our employees who think our bank is truly one of the best places to work.
Description:
About the Role
Join a purpose-led community bank where your work will directly contribute to keeping the organisation safe, resilient and aligned to regulatory expectations.
This is a high-impact, enterprise-wide role suited to a compliance professional looking to step into a visible, trusted advisory position with ownership of a number of critical regulatory frameworks, including the Bank’s AFSL and ACL obligations.
You will partner business units across the enterprise to provide pragmatic compliance advice, enhance current compliance capabilities and support the positive evolution of the Bank’s broader risk management & compliance frameworks.
This isn’t a BAU divisional compliance role — it’s an opportunity to step into a critical Line 2 Enterprise compliance role that utilises your prior experience to enhance the Bank’s Compliance capabilities; strengthen the Bank’s risk management and governance frameworks and supports the Bank’s strategic priorities.
Key Responsibilities
In this role, you will:
Lead coordination and continuous improvement of the Bank’s AFSL and ACL framework, including annual planning and regulatory alignment;
Provide trusted compliance advisory and challenge across both business operations and strategic initiatives;
Support the Regulatory Compliance Risk Management Framework (RCRMF) and broader Compliance Framework, ensuring it remains contemporary and effective;
Partner with the business on incident management, including root cause analysis, remediation and regulatory reporting where required;
Identify and assess emerging regulatory changes impacting the Bank and support implementation responses;
Coordinate the Compliance Assurance Program, including testing and reporting’
Prepare governance and Board-level reporting on compliance risk and framework effectiveness; and
Represent the Bank in industry forums and regulatory engagement activities where required.
Skills and Experiences:
About You
We’re looking for a commercially minded compliance professional who brings both technical depth and strong stakeholder management capability.
You will bring have:
Demonstrated experience in financial services compliance, ideally within banking or broader financial services regulated environment;
Strong working knowledge of AFSL and/or ACL obligations, with the ability to translate regulatory requirements into practical frameworks;
Experience in regulatory frameworks, incident management and compliance assurance;
The ability to provide constructive challenge while building trusted relationships with stakeholders across the enterprise, from branch staff to direct reports to the CEO;Strong judgement, demonstrated initiative and excellent analytical, problem-solving and communication skills; and
A proactive approach to identifying risks and driving continuous improvement i.e. an enquiring mind.
What this role offers
Enterprise-wide visibility and direct impact on regulatory strategy and execution.
Opportunity to own and shape the Bank’s AFSL/ACL framework — not just maintain it.
Collaborative, values-led environment with a strong focus on risk culture and psychological safety.
Direct exposure to the Bank’s senior leadership team and regulatory engagement opportunities.
We count on you. And you can count on us.
Why Defence Bank?
Make real impact
This is an opportunity to shape and embed contemporary compliance practices across critical business areas, with strong leadership support and visibility.
Purpose‑led banking
What you do here genuinely matters. You’ll contribute to protecting members, enabling responsible growth and supporting the Defence community.
Flexibility that’s genuinely lived
We support flexible and hybrid working and trust our people to work in ways that support both performance and wellbeing.
If you’re ready to take accountability, advocate for change, and build frameworks that keep our Bank safe and member-first—apply now and help us shape the future of Defence Bank.
Interested? We'd like to hear from you. Click to apply.
Defence Bank is committed to providing equal opportunities for employment and seek to have a team that reflects our diverse community. We encourage anyone interested in our role and a career at Defence Bank to apply.
All successful candidates will be required to complete employment checks prior to an offer of employment.
Whilst we value and appreciate the time and effort you made to apply for this position, only short-listed applicants with Australian Working Rights will be contacted to discuss their application.
Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and the position may close at any time once a suitable candidate is identified. We encourage interested applicants to submit their applications promptly.
