Sessional Ombudsman, Banking and Finance

Overview

This role involves serving as a Sessional Ombudsman, Banking & Finance within the decision-making team on a per-engagement basis.

You will be appointed to a board-appointed, 3 year term and can be performed fully remotely. The appointment is designed for experienced legal and banking/finance professionals who want to stay intellectually engaged while helping resolve disputes that have a genuine impact on consumers, small businesses, and the financial services sector.

Responsibilities

• Assist with complex and significant disputes within banking and finance.
• Apply the dispute resolution framework to help deliver independent, fair, and balanced decisions.
• Work collaboratively with experienced Ombudsmen, lawyers, and industry experts.
• Use specialist resources and research capability to analyze issues and support sound decision-making.

Requirements

• Accomplished senior lawyer and/or banking and finance professional with substantial senior-level experience in banking and finance, a tribunal, regulator, external dispute resolution scheme, or a related environment.
• Legal qualifications.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex legal and commercial issues with credibility, pragmatism, and fairness.
• Experience in areas such as:
  • banking regulation
  • Banking Codes of Practice
  • contract law
  • insolvency
  • securities
  • lending
  • dispute resolution
• Strong judgement, integrity, and impartiality.
• Ability to operate in a flexible, per-engagement environment, including communicating with influence and empathy.
• Commitment to delivering fair, objective outcomes while balancing independence with collaboration.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in leadership or senior external-facing legal roles, such as former Partners, barristers, executive legal leaders, or similar.
• Track record of achievement in banking and finance and/or dispute resolution.

Compensation & Benefits

• Per-engagement appointment (specific compensation details not provided in the source text).

Additional and inclusive benefits mentioned include:

• Flexible public holidays.
• Gender affirmation leave.
• Women’s health leave.
• Bonus paid time off over the end of year holiday period.

Accreditation and recognition mentioned:

• Gold AWEI Accreditation 2025 – Recognised for LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion.
• Accredited Family Friendly Workplace – Supporting work-life balance and inclusivity.

Location

• Fully remote.

(Additional information in the source text also references hybrid working with two days a week in modern offices for collaboration and wellbeing, but this role is stated as fully remote.)

Additional Information

• The appointment is board appointed.
• The organization does not use AI or automated tools to screen candidates.
• Accessibility support is available during the recruitment process upon request.
• Applications are welcome from people of all backgrounds, cultures, abilities, sexual orientations, and gender identities.

About the Organization

• Established in 2018 as a private not-for-profit ombudsman service providing free, fair, and independent help with financial disputes.
• Original team grown to over 1600 dedicated professionals.
• Since 2018, has received more than 634,000 complaints and helped secure $2.1 billion in compensation for consumers.