Strategic Operations & Risk Senior Partner

Bring your authentic and passionate self to this exceptional role #careerswithimpact

HESTA’s Operations function (Investment Execution, Technology, Enterprise Data & AI, Financial Crime, Information Security, Critical Operations and Business Resilience) plays a pivotal role in protecting our members and enabling HESTA’s strategy. As Strategic Operations & Risk Senior Partner, you’ll partner directly with the Chief Operations Officer (COO) as a trusted strategic adviser and senior first-line risk leader.

This is a highly visible, enterprise-critical role sitting at the intersection of strategy, operational performance, governance, and risk. You’ll support the COO and Operations Leadership Team translate strategy into action, create an effective operating rhythm, anticipate emerging risks and provide the insights and challenge needed to support confident decision-making. 

This is an opportunity for an accomplished first-line risk leader, strategic business partner or Chief of Staff-style operator who can move seamlessly between strategic thinking, operational execution and risk leadership.

What You’ll Do

• Partner with the COO and Operations Leadership Team to shape strategy, priorities and the operating rhythm that drives performance and enterprise outcomes.
• Act as a trusted strategic adviser to the COO, providing commercially sound advice, constructive challenge and clear recommendations across strategic, operational and risk matters.
• Lead the Operations risk agenda together with embedded first line risk colleagues, ensuring risks are proactively identified, understood, managed within appetite and embedded into business decision-making.
• Partnering with embedded first line risk colleagues, strengthen risk maturity and culture across Operations, embedding HESTA’s risk framework, governance, accountability and effective controls.
• Bring data, insights and judgement to decision-making, translating complex information into clear messages and actionable recommendations for senior leaders, Executive and Board audiences.
• Lead risk reporting and governance, providing visibility of emerging risks, control effectiveness, incidents, regulatory obligations and business performance.
• Support the COO’s executive and regulatory responsibilities, including obligations under the FAR.
• Build strong relationships across Operations, Risk, Compliance and the broader organisation, influencing outcomes and creating a connected approach to risk and operational excellence.

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for an experienced senior leader who combines strategic influence with strong risk and operational acumen. You’ll ideally bring:

• Extensive experience in first-line risk, operational risk, strategic partnering, Chief of Staff or senior business leadership within superannuation or financial services.
• Strong expertise across enterprise risk management, governance, controls, risk appetite and risk culture.
• Demonstrated experience translating data, insights and complex risk information into clear recommendations for Executive and Board audiences.
• Experience leading through change, transformation, ambiguity and competing priorities.
• Strong commercial thinking, strategic judgement and the ability to quickly understand complex issues and identify what matters most.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and relationship management skills, with the credibility to operate effectively with Executives, Board members, regulators and senior leaders.
• Highly organised and structured, with the ability to create clarity, momentum and accountability in a complex environment.
• Relevant tertiary qualifications in Business, Finance, Risk Management or a related discipline.

Most importantly, you’ll be someone who can think strategically, ask the hard questions, connect the dots and turn insight into action.

Make your mark at the intersection of strategy, operations and risk – Apply Now

Benefits that matter and make a difference for our employees
 

• Leave for those moments that matter, an additional 6 days of leave at the end of year, up to 6 days paid volunteer leave, gender neutral paid parental leave of 20 weeks, Gender Affirmation leave, reproductive health and wellbeing leave, Cultural and Ceremonial leave. Access your LSL after 3 years, take AL at half pay, and purchase up to 2 weeks additional leave (just to name a few).
• Your professional development matters, up to $5,000 per year professional development and up to 8 days professional development leave, HESTA scholarships and free access to a range of premium learning tools.
• Your health and wellbeing matters, free annual flu shots and skin checks, incredible social events throughout the year and a comprehensive employee assistance program available 24/7.
• Your financial wellbeing matters, up to 15% super, financial planning support, end of year payment for all Enterprise Agreement-covered employees, incentivised Employee Referral Program and novated lease options.

We celebrate, value and include people of all backgrounds, genders, identities, cultures and abilities. We welcome and support applications from First Nations people, physically, neuro or culturally diverse, LGBTQI+, and people of any age. We are proud to be WGEA accredited as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equity.

We want all candidates to feel safe, included and provided with the best opportunity to thrive, if you require reasonable adjustments during your application or throughout the recruitment process, please reach out to a member of the Talent team careers@hesta.com.au and we’ll call you to discuss.
 

Please note: Applications via recruitment agencies will not be accepted for this position.