Senior Dispute Resolution Specialist - Banking and Finance

At AFCA, we help people find fair outcomes to problems with their bank, insurer, super fund, or financial firm.

As a financial ombudsman scheme, we are a for-purpose organisation that provides a free service for consumers including individuals and small businesses. We listen to and work with consumers and their financial firms to find solutions to complaints which have gone unheard or unresolved. That's what AFCA does.

We’re seeking a Senior Dispute Resolution Specialist with a strong background in credit management or credit lending to join our Banking & Finance team. In this role, you will investigate and resolve complex complaints, applying your technical expertise and sound judgment to deliver fair outcomes.

You’ll work with financial firms and consumers to facilitate negotiations, conciliations, and, where necessary, provide merits-based decisions. This is an opportunity to make a real impact by ensuring fairness and integrity in the financial sector.

Working as part of a team, Senior Dispute Resolution Specialists review more complex complaints from consumers and small businesses that have not been able to be resolved directly with the financial firm, and impartially negotiate fair outcomes where possible.

Senior Dispute Resolution Specialists also prepare preliminary assessments and draft decisions on complaints that are not able to be resolved by agreement.

As a Senior Dispute Resolution Specialist, you will play a central role in how we consider and resolve complaints. You will: 

• Review complaints from consumers and small businesses that have not been resolved directly with the financial firm
• Work with customers to gather information and understand the core issues
• Apply a sound understanding of the AFCA complaint resolution criteria including relevant legal principles, applicable industry codes or guidance, good industry practice and previous AFCA decision to resolve financial complaints fairly and efficiently
• Utilise alternative dispute resolution methods to help parties resolves complaints by negotiation
• Investigate complaints that cannot be resolved by negotiation and produce preliminary assessments and draft decisions in Plain English.

Our Banking and Finance teams deal directly with consumers and financial firms to help resolve and investigate complaints involving issues such as:

• Disputed transactions including scams
• Responsible lending
• Credit reporting
• Misleading and unconscionable conduct
• Financial hardship
• Charges including interest and fees
• Privacy and confidentiality
• Disclosure and instructions

To be successful in this role, you will have:

• Experience in credit management, lending, or related financial services (banking, credit risk, hardship management).
• Demonstrated experience in the financial services industry, preferably within Banking & Finance or legal services
• Ability to investigate and identify complex complaints and the information we need to form a view
• Ability to understand, interpret and apply lending criteria and serviceability assessments to complaints
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to break down complex information and communicate it in Plain English to a variety of stakeholders
• Excellent organisational skills that enable you to work across multiple complaints and activities simultaneously ensuring matters are progressing
• Resilience and empathy to have difficult conversations with a focus on resolving complaints for consumers and financial firms in a timely manner
• A highly responsive approach to your work
• Ability to work autonomously and as part of a close and supporting team
• An opportunity to thrive in and help contribute to a culture that values fairness, efficiency, and accessibility. 

An opportunity to thrive in and help contribute to a culture that values fairness, efficiency, and accessibility.  

• BOSS Best Places to Work 2024 –credited for its culture, engagement and flexible working arrangements. 

• Employer of Choice Public Sector and NFP – Australian HR Awards 2023 

• Accredited as a Family Friendly Workplace 

• Hybrid working from home and our state-of-the-art office and facilities designed for collaboration, and wellbeing. We work flexibly at AFCA and encourage you to talk to us about how this role can be flexible for you. 

• Progressive and inclusive leave entitlements, including flexible public holiday leave, women’s health leave, 18 weeks paid parental leave, sorry business leave, early and advanced pregnancy loss leave, paid gender affirmation leave, extra personal leave and paid time off over Christmas. Plus, study leave to support your professional development. 

• Not For Profit salary packaging benefits. 

Life at AFCA

Our people are at the centre of everything we do. We live and breathe our cultural qualities, which shape how we behave and how we engage with our customers. At AFCA, you will truly feel the difference of working at an organisation which supports people of all backgrounds, experiences, and identities to thrive. Our consistently high employee engagement results reflect that AFCA is a truly great place to work and a place where people can contribute, belong and flourish! 

To apply

If you are passionate about how we drive fairness in the financial sector and are looking for an organisation that values the human in all of us, we encourage you to apply – even if you don’t meet every single criterion. 

We encourage applications from people of all ages, cultures, abilities, sexual orientation and gender identities. We strive to provide a recruitment experience that’s fair, inclusive and accessible. If you have any specific accessibility requirements, please reach out to the recruiter who is managing this process or email us at [email protected]. We also offer flexible working at AFCA and as such even if a role is advertised as full-time, we invite conversations around other working arrangements and would still encourage you to apply. 

AFCA is a 2024 Circle Back Initiative Employer - we are committed to responding to every applicant.  

Please note: Roles will be advertised internally for a minimum of 10 working days to give all employees a fair opportunity to submit their best possible application. After the 10 working days internal advertising period, applications will remain open until we have a suitable shortlist. Please reach out to your recruitment partner with any questions.