A great place to work. With great work to do.

Ours is a meaningful and impactful role, as a kaitiaki (caretakers) of the financial services in Aotearoa. We oversee a market that does right by everyone, ensuring better outcomes for all New Zealanders. Our role as a kaitiaki is brought to life by our values; Look to the Horizon, Help the Team Work, Make the Calls and Open Hearts, Open Minds.

Te Tūranga | The Role

We are seeking a Principal Adviser to join our Operational Resilience team, a high-impact function shaping how resilience and cyber risk are understood and managed across New Zealand’s financial sector.

This is a unique opportunity to operate at a system level, influencing how financial institutions - including banks, fund managers, and financial advice providers - prepare for and respond to disruption.

As a Principal Adviser, you will:

• Lead assurance and testing approaches for operational resilience and operational risk frameworks across regulated entities.
• Provide expert advice on technology and cyber risk management, including control design and effectiveness.
• Contribute to the development of regulatory guidance, standards, and supervisory approaches.
• Analyse emerging risks and assess their potential impact on financial stability and customer outcomes.
• Engage with industry to influence improvements in resilience capability at scale, not just within individual organisations.
• Support FMA’s approach to incident response, crisis management, and system-wide resilience.

This role offers the chance to move beyond organisational boundaries and shape resilience outcomes across the entire financial sector.

He kōrero mōu | About you

You are a seasoned risk professional with deep expertise in technology and cyber risk, ideally gained within complex financial services environments such as banking.

You bring:

• Demonstrated experience conducting assurance testing of operational risk / resilience frameworks, including control design and effectiveness assessment.
• Strong understanding of technology and cyber risk management, including real-world impacts such as outages and service disruption.
• Experience working within financial services, ideally in banking or similarly complex environments.
• Familiarity with regulatory frameworks, supervisory approaches, and relevant legislation.
• Knowledge of operational resilience, ICT resilience, and incident management frameworks (domestic and/or international).
• The ability to think systemically, apply sound judgement, and work through complex, evolving problems.

You are also:

• A trusted adviser with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and shaping emerging areas of regulation.
• Curious, analytical, and motivated by improving outcomes for consumers and markets.

You’re not expected to meet 100% of the criteria. At the FMA, a growth mindset is at the heart of our culture. If you have most of what we’re looking for and are excited by the opportunity, we’d love to hear from you.

Ngā painga | What we offer

We offer a comprehensive range of benefits, including:

• 4% KiwiSaver employer contribution
• Health and life insurance cover
• Paid leave over the Christmas period
• The ability to swap public holidays for days that hold personal significance
• Exceptional learning and development opportunities, including technical training and leadership programmes

At the FMA, we’re committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. We also offer a range of wellness and social activities to support both personal and professional wellbeing and help our people genuinely connect with one another.

Me pēhea te tuku tono | How to apply

If this sounds like your next opportunity, please apply today. For more information, refer to the position description attached. Applications close at 10pm on Sunday 7 June 2026.

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