Who are we?

With more than 20 years in mortgage and insurance distribution, NZ Financial Services Group brings together the widest range of support services in the market. We are home to more than 1000 members that offer home loan, insurance, and other financial services across New Zealand.

NZ Financial Services Group was formed in 2013 when two of New Zealand’s leading financial services groups, Allied Kiwi and Loan Market, merged to create one of the largest financial services companies in the country. We are proudly a family owned, privately held business built on strong family values.

About the role -

The Head of Compliance leads NZFSG’s compliance and risk function and is responsible for day-to-day oversight of the organisation’s Financial Advice Provider (FAP) licence and other compliance obligations.

This is a hands-on leadership role with a strong focus on adviser monitoring and supervision within a distributed external adviser model.

The role ensures NZFSG meets the requirements and intent of:

• The Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 (FMCA)
• FAP licence conditions
• The Code of Professional Conduct for Financial Advice Services
• Evolving conduct expectations, including regulatory developments impacting distribution models

The Head of Compliance supports and advises the named Senior Managers on the FAP licence and provides clear, commercially pragmatic compliance leadership to the Executive and Board.

Key responsibilities -

1. Compliance Oversight:

• Lead day-to-day compliance with NZFSG’s FAP licence conditions.
• Oversee compliance with the FMCA and the Code of Professional Conduct.
• Ensure regulatory obligations are embedded into adviser processes and operational practices.
• Monitor regulatory change and assess implications for NZFSG and its adviser network.
• Support the named Senior Manager in fulfilling licence responsibilities and regulatory attestations.
• Provide structured, insight-led reporting to Executive and Board.

2. Adviser Monitoring & Supervision (Core Accountability):

• Lead and continuously improve NZFSG’s Adviser Supervision Framework.
• Lead risk-based monitoring of external advisers, including file reviews and thematic reviews.
• Analyse advice quality trends and emerging conduct risks across the adviser network.
• Translate monitoring findings into practical improvements, including coaching and control enhancements.
• Exercise sound judgement in complex adviser conduct matters.

This role is actively involved in supervision, breach assessment and significant adviser conduct decisions — not solely oversight of a team.

3. Breach, Incident & Complaints Oversight:

• Ownership of breach and compliance registers
• Formal materiality assessment framework
• Oversight of Section 412 FMCA reporting obligations
• Timeliness controls (statutory timeframes)
• Lead breach identification, investigation and materiality assessments.
• Recommend regulator notification decisions to the named Senior Manager where required.
• Oversee complaints and conduct governance and use complaint themes as key conduct risk indicators.
• Ensure root cause analysis and sustainable remediation.
• Track and report material issues to Executive and Board.

4. Compliance Assurance Framework:

• Own and maintain a fit-for-purpose Compliance Assurance Programme aligned to NZFSG’s risk profile.
• Ensure controls are proportionate, scalable and practical for a distributed adviser model.
• Provide independent insight and challenge to operational and adviser-facing teams.
• Avoid unnecessary process burden while maintaining regulatory integrity.

5. Regulatory Engagement:

• Support engagement with the Financial Markets Authority (FMA).
• Prepare NZFSG for monitoring visits, thematic reviews and regulatory enquiries.
• Maintain constructive and transparent regulator relationships.

6. Commercial & Operational Partnership:

• Partner closely with adviser-facing and operational teams to embed compliance expectations into day-to-day business activity.
• Provide pragmatic advice balancing customer outcomes, regulatory requirements and commercial sustainability.
• Challenge constructively where conduct standards are at risk.
• Support scalable growth through proportionate compliance frameworks.

7. Leadership & Governance:

• Lead and develop the Compliance team.
• Set clear priorities focused on areas of greatest regulatory and conduct risk.
• Maintain effective governance and escalation pathways.
• Provide clear, concise reporting to the COO, Executive and Board.

8. Group Risk & Compliance Alignment:

• Maintain a constructive and collaborative relationship with Group Risk & Compliance.
• Ensure alignment with Group frameworks, policies and minimum standards where applicable.
• Represent NZ-specific regulatory and operational requirements within Group discussions.
• Adapt Group frameworks to ensure they are practical and proportionate for the NZ FAP environment.

Perform such additional duties as reasonably required, provided these do not conflict with the role’s responsibility for independent oversight of NZFSG’s Financial Advice Provider licence obligations and regulatory compliance.

Skills and Experience Required -

Required:

• Experience within a commercial or operational team (preferred).
• 6 - 8 years experience in compliance within a regulated financial services environment.
• Direct experience with FAP licence compliance and external adviser supervision.
• Demonstrated ownership or leadership of a Compliance Assurance Programme.
• Experience assessing breaches and leading remediation activity.
• Experience within adviser distribution or aggregation models.

Skills & Attributes:

• Strong regulatory judgement and understanding of regulatory intent.
• Deep working knowledge of FMCA, FAP licence conditions and the Code of Professional Conduct.
• Awareness of conduct regulation trends impacting financial advice distribution.
• Commercially pragmatic and outcome-focused.
• Confident decision-maker in complex conduct matters.
• Clear communicator at Executive and Board level.

Measures of Success:

• Compliance that is easy to understand and is part of our business operation
• Effective oversight of NZFSG’s FAP licence obligations.
• Robust adviser supervision with measurable improvements in advice quality.
• Timely and well-judged breach and remediation management.
• Compliance frameworks that are practical, proportionate and embedded.