Risk & Compliance Officer

About us:

At Colin Biggers & Paisley, we're here to make a difference. We are a unique legal practice and we believe in what we do. This applies to the solutions we create for our clients, the contribution we make to our communities and the careers we build for our people.

We are lawyers of choice in the construction, property and insurance industries and maintain a strong presence in the areas of employment and safety, banking and finance, corporate and commercial and litigation and dispute resolution.

Our values of balance, respect, loyalty and integrity underpin everything we do. Our culture focuses on excellence without losing sight of work-life balance. We are committed to supporting the health, safety and wellbeing of our people.

We continually invest in our people, including learning and development opportunities and offer a formal mentoring program. We also offer other benefits such as health and fitness perks, rewards and recognition, complimentary massages and professional memberships.

We don't just recognise our role as a corporate citizen, we put words into actions. The Colin Biggers & Paisley Foundation brings together our entire community offering and is comprised of three streams - pro bono legal services, volunteering and charitable contributions. To ensure maximum impact, the core strategy of our Foundation is to promote and protect the rights of women and children and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

About the role:

We are seeking a Risk & Compliance Officer with experience in the legal industry or a compliance background. This role is ideal for candidates who enjoy working in a small team, have strong analytical skills, and can interpret legislation and policies. The successful candidate will play a key role in maintaining compliance frameworks and supporting risk management functions, including administrative responsibilities.

Key Accountabilities: Maintaining the quality management and internal audit functions for the Risk & Compliance team.  This includes:

• Maintain the practice's Quality Management System (QMS) certification under ISO 9001:2015.
• Maintain the practice's policies and procedures in consultation with the relevant Shared Services teams and Practice Groups.
• Observe internal processes and procedures, evaluate their effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Manage all non-conformities.
• Carry out internal audits (excluding financial auditing).

Assist the R&C Manager with:

• Working with the business to review compliance obligations and identify and remediate control gaps.
• Assisting the business to identify risks, including identification of risk causes, controls and development of action plans to address control gaps.
• Validation of risk and compliance incidents.
• The practice's response to business resilience.
• The practice's modern slavery response.

Essential Competencies: 

• Strong ability to read, interpret and extract key information from legislation and policies.
• Experience in compliance, legal or risk management.
• Experience in conducting internal audits (policy and procedural compliance, not financial audits).
• Understanding of risk management principles.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and meet deadlines.
• Prior experience in a legal environment or with ISO 9001:2015 certification is preferred but not essential.

Join the team:

Our culture focuses on excellence without losing sight of work-life balance. We work hard for our clients but we also make sure we put our people first. Whether it's taking advantage of our discounted gym memberships across Australia, joining one of our all-star sports teams or enjoying a complimentary massage, Colin Biggers & Paisley offers a suite of unique employee benefits.

Our people are given every opportunity for both career progression and personal growth. We continually invest in our people and support and encourage them as they grow within the practice.

Inclusion and Diversity is a priority for us. "Diversity" to us means diversity in gender, age, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and ability, and "inclusion" for us means inclusion for all. We are committed to fostering a truly diverse workforce that is inclusive of everyone. Our aim is to be recognised as a leading provider of inclusion and diversity in the legal profession.

We welcome applications from all backgrounds regardless of gender identity, age, sexual orientation, disability or ethnicity.

We look forward to receiving your application.