Senior Manager - Financial Difficulty Specialists

Fairness feels good

Make a real impact at AFCA. Where fairness drives every decision. Help us deliver world-class, independent complaints resolution for Australians. As a not-for-profit and progressive financial ombudsman, we’re championing positive change. Achieving our purpose takes progressive thinking, accountability and resilience. At AFCA, our inclusive leadership values every voice. We offer our people flexible work options, thoughtful benefits and opportunities to deepen expertise. Flourish in a diverse, caring culture. Feel the difference of belonging to an organisation intentionally designed to put people first.

We’re seeking an experienced and values‑driven leader to step into the role of Senior Manager, Financial Difficulty Specialists, where you’ll lead how we support complainants experiencing financial difficulty and vulnerability, and shape how AFCA delivers fair, empathetic and effective outcomes.

Reporting to Senior Ombudsman Matthew Martin, this is a rare opportunity to influence strategy, lead deeply meaningful work, and champion equity of access across AFCA’s end‑to‑end financial difficulty complaints process.

This is an initial 12-month contract. 

About the Role

As a senior leader you will:

• Lead the implementation of AFCA’s Financial Difficulty Strategy and related Equity of Access initiatives.
• Act as a conduit between decision‑makers and caseworkers, ensuring holistic, end‑to‑end alignment across Financial Difficulty complaints.
• Proactively identify and remove barriers to access, quality and efficiency, challenging the status quo and embedding continuous improvement.
• Foster a culture where people feel supported, capable, and proud of their contribution, including trauma‑informed practice, reflective practice and group debriefing.
• Oversee partnerships and specialist supports (e.g. counsellors, social workers, psychologists or support services), including professional supervision where required.
• Lead workforce and budget planning, contributing to service delivery excellence and financial sustainability.
• Manage complex escalated complaints and play a key role in shaping AFCA’s operational delivery priorities.
• Engage and influence internal and external stakeholders, including industry, consumer representatives and support organisations.
• Actively promote a strong risk and compliance culture, ensuring sound decision‑making and mitigation of emerging risks.

About You

You are a senior, credible leader who combines operational excellence with deep empathy. You are energised by complexity, thrive in change, and care deeply about fairness and access to justice.

You will bring:

• Significant experience (typically 10+ years) supporting people experiencing financial difficulty and/or vulnerability, ideally within counselling, psychology, social work or similar disciplines.
• Experience working in, and leading within trauma‑informed environments, including supervision, reflective practice and debriefing.
• Strong people leadership capability, including coaching, performance management and developing high‑performing teams.
• Sound understanding of financial services, legal, regulatory and/or EDR environments.
• Proven ability to influence, collaborate and drive outcomes across complex organisations.
• High levels of resilience, emotional intelligence and self‑awareness.
• A commitment to AFCA’s values of being fair, independent, honest, respectful, transparent, accountable, proactive and customer‑focused.

• BOSS Best Places to Work 2024 –credited for its culture, engagement and flexible working arrangements.
• Most Inclusive Workplace 2024 – Australian HR Institute (AHRI) Awards.
• Employer of Choice Public Sector and NFP – Australian HR Awards 2023
• Bronze AWEI Accreditation 2024 – Recognised for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.
• Accredited Family Friendly Workplace – Supporting work-life balance and inclusivity.
• Hybrid working – Flexible arrangements with state-of-the-art offices designed for collaboration and wellbeing.
• Inclusive leave options – Flexible public holidays, 20 weeks paid parental leave, gender affirmation leave, women’s health leave, and paid time off over Christmas.
• Financial benefits – Not-for-profit salary packaging to boost take-home pay.
• Locations – A team of over 1,200 dedicated professionals based in modern Melbourne and Sydney CBD offices.

To apply

If you’re passionate about fairness and believe your skills align with this role, we encourage you to apply—even if you don’t meet every single criterion. 

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, cultures, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities. If you require any accessibility support during the recruitment process, please reach out to our team at [email protected]. 

AFCA is a 2025 Circle Back Initiative Employer - we are committed to responding to every applicant.