Head of Integrity, Risk, Audit and Compliance

Position Summary

This senior executive role involves establishing and leading a newly created Integrity, Risk, Audit and Compliance Unit within an organization based in Melbourne, Australia. The successful candidate will set up the entire unit from the ground up, shaping its framework, staffing it, and embedding its culture and operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership across four integrated areas: integrity and investigations, risk management, internal audit, and compliance and training policy.
• Develop and implement the organization’s first comprehensive Risk Register, risk appetite statements, and continuous risk monitoring framework.
• Design and oversee the internal audit program, ensuring audits are conducted and any identified issues are addressed through to resolution.
• Lead investigations into serious misconduct, corruption, fraud, and organized crime infiltration, making findings and recommendations for appropriate action.
• Manage compliance activities including overseeing the compliance calendar, breach register, and mandatory training programs for a national workforce of approximately 350 employees and a broader network exceeding 1,000 individuals.
• Report monthly on unit activities, provide immediate escalation of serious issues, and produce an annual report detailing the unit’s work.
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with senior leadership, oversight bodies, regulatory agencies, and law enforcement authorities.

Candidate Requirements

• Proven leadership experience at a senior executive level within integrity, risk, internal audit, compliance, investigations, or similar regulatory or oversight roles in complex organizations.
• In-depth knowledge of risk management frameworks, internal audit methodologies, and compliance management practices.
• Experience managing investigations involving serious misconduct, fraud, corruption, or organized crime with adherence to rigorous evidence standards, confidentiality, and procedural fairness.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and implement integrity frameworks in organizations undergoing governance or cultural transformation, including recruiting and leading specialist teams in distributed environments.
• Capability to work independently while maintaining constructive engagement with senior management, oversight bodies, and external regulators.
• Outstanding personal integrity, professional independence, and the courage to make difficult decisions impartially and defend them on their merits.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, including preparing executive-level reports and delivering briefings; ability to provide evidence or submissions to formal inquiry bodies.
• Eligibility to hold a current Australian Federal Police National Police Check and acquire any other necessary security clearances.
• Highly desirable qualifications include professional credentials in law, accounting, internal audit (CIA), risk management, forensic accounting (CFE), or related fields.
• Preferred experience within law enforcement, anti-corruption agencies, or integrity bodies such as ICAC, IBAC, CCC, NACC, or federal/state police.
• Valued background in public service, regulatory, judicial, or similar institutions involving formal investigative and oversight procedures.

Compensation and Location

This full-time position is based in Melbourne and includes significant national travel. The remuneration package ranges from $250,000 to $300,000 annually, commensurate with the scope and seniority of the role, and is negotiable. Immediate commencement is expected.