Job Description
Location: Hybrid Sydney CBD
About the Role
The Head of Risk & Compliance plays a critical leadership role in ensuring Doctor’s Health Fund (DHF) operates safely, effectively and in line with our regulatory and member service obligations. This role provides enterprise level visibility and assurance across DHF by leading a small team of specialists and strengthening the frameworks, tools, and practices that support Line 1 leaders in delivering high quality, compliant operations.
You will oversee DHF’s assurance activities across Risk, Compliance, and Quality, while also managing key governance responsibilities such as Board reporting, APRA engagement, and the communication of prudential and risk insights across the business. A core philosophy of the team is proactive assurance - “find it first” - to support Line 1 in delivering strong, sustainable outcomes.
Key Accountabilities
Leadership of Assurance Functions
Lead DHF’s assurance functions across Risk, Compliance, and Quality, including management of a small specialist team.
Contribute to the Senior Leadership Team by supporting strategic priorities and driving cross functional alignment.
Manage relationships with external panel firms, including quality reviewers and audit partners, ensuring engagements deliver value and meet assurance objectives.
Quality Framework Development & Delivery
Develop, maintain, and continuously improve a comprehensive Quality Framework for the private health insurance division.
Oversee reporting, analysis, trend identification, and insights that support operational excellence.
Conduct and coordinate independent risk, compliance, and quality reviews to drive continuous improvement and alignment with best practice.
Support for Line 2, Line 3, and External Reviews
Collaborate with Group Line 2 and Line 3 functions, ensuring effective coordination, information sharing, and alignment.
Support engagement with regulators and external reviewers (e.g., APRA) to ensure timely, accurate, and high quality assurance outcomes.
Governance & Reporting
Lead all Board, committee, and operational reporting related to assurance, risk, compliance, and quality.
Ensure reporting is accurate, timely, and provides meaningful insights to support governance and decision making.
Operational Risk & Compliance Frameworks
Contribute to the development, enhancement, and embedding of DHF’s operational risk management framework.
Support the creation and maintenance of policies, processes, and documentation that underpin effective risk and compliance management.
Oversee the design, implementation, and monitoring of the divisional Compliance Plan, ensuring alignment with enterprise requirements and regulatory obligations.
Develop and maintain a robust policy management framework with clear ownership, regular review cycles, and compliance with legislative and organisational standards.
Embedding Assurance into Business Practices
Partner with business units to embed a strong assurance culture across operations and projects.
Ensure assurance requirements are integrated into project design, process improvement initiatives, and business handover activities to strengthen long term operational resilience.
Key Capabilities
•
Tertiary qualifications in business, accounting, commerce, law, or a related discipline.
10+ years’ experience in senior risk and compliance leadership roles.
Strong commercial and financial acumen, with deep experience in risk, quality, compliance or internal audit.
Demonstrated capability in risk assessment, control design, monitoring and reporting.
Experience engaging with regulators such as APRA, ASIC, ACCC and the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman.
In depth understanding of private health insurance legislation and prudential standards, including:
Private Health Insurance Act
APRA Prudential Standards (HRS, CPS 220, CPS 510, CPS 520, CPS 234, etc.).
ACCC consumer law obligations.
Proven experience developing and maintaining risk and compliance frameworks, obligations registers, policy management systems, and quality assurance methodologies.
Experience conducting or overseeing independent assurance reviews.
Strong stakeholder engagement and leadership capability, with the ability to influence at executive levels and uplift risk culture.
High quality Board and Committee reporting experience.
Ability to analyse trends, identify systemic issues, determine root causes, and translate complex information into actionable insights.
Familiarity with GRC and incident management systems.
Understanding of cybersecurity risk and CPS 234 requirements.
Strong knowledge of quality assurance methodologies across PHI operations (Claims, Service Delivery, Transformation, Claims Integrity, Marketing & Growth, Sales & Retention, Underwriting).
Exceptional attention to detail, strong judgement and a results driven approach.
Preferred Capabilities
Experience within a private health insurer, health fund, or broader health ecosystem.
Understanding of PHI specific risk drivers, including product and pricing compliance, claims leakage, fraud and misuse, member experience, complaints, and regulatory reporting.
Prior positive engagement with APRA supervisory teams, including prudential reviews, CPS assessments, or thematic deep dives.
Experience in assurance environments within financial services or health, with strong process discipline and structured methodologies.
Experience embedding risk and compliance requirements into major projects, transformations, system changes, or product launches.
Strong judgement in balancing regulatory obligations with commercial outcomes.
Relevant certifications such as GRC Institute Accreditation, CRISC, CISM, CIA, CISA, AICD governance training, or postgraduate qualifications in risk, governance, or compliance.
About Avant
For over 130 years, Avant has stood by Australian medical professionals. As the nation's leading medical defence organisation, we represent 95,000 health practitioners and medical students, more than 52% of Australia's doctors.
Join an organisation with purpose, one that genuinely exists to support its members and improve healthcare in Australia. You'll work with committed, passionate colleagues in an environment that values both rigour and collaboration.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Avant supports doctors so they can serve Australia's diverse communities. Having diversity in our workforce brings valuable perspectives and strengthens our ability to support healthcare professionals.
We therefore welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, and those with caring responsibilities.
Our inclusive workplace is somewhere everyone can succeed.
Ready to join us? If you're passionate about supporting Australia's healthcare professionals, we'd love to hear from you. If you require any adjustments during the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to contact us at careers@avant.org.au
About the Role
The Head of Risk & Compliance plays a critical leadership role in ensuring Doctor’s Health Fund (DHF) operates safely, effectively and in line with our regulatory and member service obligations. This role provides enterprise level visibility and assurance across DHF by leading a small team of specialists and strengthening the frameworks, tools, and practices that support Line 1 leaders in delivering high quality, compliant operations.
You will oversee DHF’s assurance activities across Risk, Compliance, and Quality, while also managing key governance responsibilities such as Board reporting, APRA engagement, and the communication of prudential and risk insights across the business. A core philosophy of the team is proactive assurance - “find it first” - to support Line 1 in delivering strong, sustainable outcomes.
Key Accountabilities
Leadership of Assurance Functions
Lead DHF’s assurance functions across Risk, Compliance, and Quality, including management of a small specialist team.
Contribute to the Senior Leadership Team by supporting strategic priorities and driving cross functional alignment.
Manage relationships with external panel firms, including quality reviewers and audit partners, ensuring engagements deliver value and meet assurance objectives.
Quality Framework Development & Delivery
Develop, maintain, and continuously improve a comprehensive Quality Framework for the private health insurance division.
Oversee reporting, analysis, trend identification, and insights that support operational excellence.
Conduct and coordinate independent risk, compliance, and quality reviews to drive continuous improvement and alignment with best practice.
Support for Line 2, Line 3, and External Reviews
Collaborate with Group Line 2 and Line 3 functions, ensuring effective coordination, information sharing, and alignment.
Support engagement with regulators and external reviewers (e.g., APRA) to ensure timely, accurate, and high quality assurance outcomes.
Governance & Reporting
Lead all Board, committee, and operational reporting related to assurance, risk, compliance, and quality.
Ensure reporting is accurate, timely, and provides meaningful insights to support governance and decision making.
Operational Risk & Compliance Frameworks
Contribute to the development, enhancement, and embedding of DHF’s operational risk management framework.
Support the creation and maintenance of policies, processes, and documentation that underpin effective risk and compliance management.
Oversee the design, implementation, and monitoring of the divisional Compliance Plan, ensuring alignment with enterprise requirements and regulatory obligations.
Develop and maintain a robust policy management framework with clear ownership, regular review cycles, and compliance with legislative and organisational standards.
Embedding Assurance into Business Practices
Partner with business units to embed a strong assurance culture across operations and projects.
Ensure assurance requirements are integrated into project design, process improvement initiatives, and business handover activities to strengthen long term operational resilience.
Key Capabilities
•
Tertiary qualifications in business, accounting, commerce, law, or a related discipline.
10+ years’ experience in senior risk and compliance leadership roles.
Strong commercial and financial acumen, with deep experience in risk, quality, compliance or internal audit.
Demonstrated capability in risk assessment, control design, monitoring and reporting.
Experience engaging with regulators such as APRA, ASIC, ACCC and the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman.
In depth understanding of private health insurance legislation and prudential standards, including:
Private Health Insurance Act
APRA Prudential Standards (HRS, CPS 220, CPS 510, CPS 520, CPS 234, etc.).
ACCC consumer law obligations.
Proven experience developing and maintaining risk and compliance frameworks, obligations registers, policy management systems, and quality assurance methodologies.
Experience conducting or overseeing independent assurance reviews.
Strong stakeholder engagement and leadership capability, with the ability to influence at executive levels and uplift risk culture.
High quality Board and Committee reporting experience.
Ability to analyse trends, identify systemic issues, determine root causes, and translate complex information into actionable insights.
Familiarity with GRC and incident management systems.
Understanding of cybersecurity risk and CPS 234 requirements.
Strong knowledge of quality assurance methodologies across PHI operations (Claims, Service Delivery, Transformation, Claims Integrity, Marketing & Growth, Sales & Retention, Underwriting).
Exceptional attention to detail, strong judgement and a results driven approach.
Preferred Capabilities
Experience within a private health insurer, health fund, or broader health ecosystem.
Understanding of PHI specific risk drivers, including product and pricing compliance, claims leakage, fraud and misuse, member experience, complaints, and regulatory reporting.
Prior positive engagement with APRA supervisory teams, including prudential reviews, CPS assessments, or thematic deep dives.
Experience in assurance environments within financial services or health, with strong process discipline and structured methodologies.
Experience embedding risk and compliance requirements into major projects, transformations, system changes, or product launches.
Strong judgement in balancing regulatory obligations with commercial outcomes.
Relevant certifications such as GRC Institute Accreditation, CRISC, CISM, CIA, CISA, AICD governance training, or postgraduate qualifications in risk, governance, or compliance.
About Avant
For over 130 years, Avant has stood by Australian medical professionals. As the nation's leading medical defence organisation, we represent 95,000 health practitioners and medical students, more than 52% of Australia's doctors.
Join an organisation with purpose, one that genuinely exists to support its members and improve healthcare in Australia. You'll work with committed, passionate colleagues in an environment that values both rigour and collaboration.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Avant supports doctors so they can serve Australia's diverse communities. Having diversity in our workforce brings valuable perspectives and strengthens our ability to support healthcare professionals.
We therefore welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people from culturally diverse communities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, people with disabilities, and those with caring responsibilities.
Our inclusive workplace is somewhere everyone can succeed.
Ready to join us? If you're passionate about supporting Australia's healthcare professionals, we'd love to hear from you. If you require any adjustments during the recruitment process, please don't hesitate to contact us at careers@avant.org.au
💡 Quick Summary
Seeking a career-building opportunity? The Head of Risk & Compliance position is now open for candidates interested in the Finance sector. This role in Sydney offers a professional environment and growth potential.
Requirement Snapshot: Candidates should possess basic communication skills, a proactive attitude, and the ability to work in a team. Experience in Finance is a plus.