Lending Operations Manager (Assessment)

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Introduction:
About Us

A unique life requires a unique bank.

Defence Bank is a member‑owned bank that has proudly served the Defence Community for over 50 years. With 26 branches across Australia and an award‑winning digital offering, we’re there for our members — wherever and whenever they need us.

We provide financial products and services tailored to the Australian Defence Force and its unique community, reinvesting profits for the benefit of our members. As a leader in our sector, we offer a people‑led, technology‑enabled environment that celebrates individuality and supports our people to do their best work.

Recognised as an award‑winning employer and an employer‑of‑choice finalist, we’re proud to be a workplace where people thrive — and where careers are genuinely valued.

Winner of the Best Reward & Recognition program 2024 and a finalist for Employer of Choice 2024, it is not only our employees who think our bank is truly one of the best places to work.

Description:
The opportunity.

The Lending Operations Manager (Assessment) leads a team of Credit Assessors responsible for the accurate, timely and compliant assessment of lending applications. This fixed term role plays a critical part in ensuring strong credit outcomes, operational efficiency and high‑quality member experiences, while maintaining adherence to policy, regulatory obligations and risk frameworks.

This is a senior people‑leadership role with a strong balance of operational oversight, stakeholder engagement and continuous improvement, and includes accountability for team capability, performance and engagement.

Key responsibilities include:
Leading the consistent application of credit policy and underwriting principles across all lending decisions, ensuring alignment with regulatory and risk requirements.
Coaching, developing and inspiring a high‑performing assessment team, including delivery of performance reviews and ongoing capability uplift.
Overseeing day‑to‑day lending assessment operations, managing workflows and capacity to ensure timely, accurate and efficient outcomes.
Acting as a key contact for internal and external stakeholders, building strong relationships and fostering collaboration to achieve shared outcomes.
Partnering with Sales, Credit Risk, Product and Continuous Improvement teams to optimise credit processes and practices.
Ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, proactively identifying and managing risks, and leading quality assurance activities and corrective actions.
Preparing and delivering operational performance reporting, dashboards and insights to inform decision‑making.
Providing strategic support to the Head of Lending Operations, including contributing to policy, process, training and improvement initiatives.

Skills and Experiences:
About you

You’re a confident and experienced lending leader with strong credit judgement, a genuine passion for developing people, and the ability to balance risk, service and efficiency in a regulated environment.

You bring a collaborative mindset, a continuous‑improvement focus, and the credibility to influence across teams and stakeholders.

You will also bring:
Minimum 5 years’ experience in credit assessment or lending operations, ideally across home and personal lending.
Proven people‑leadership experience within a fast‑paced, regulated financial services environment.
Strong capability in interpreting and applying credit policy and regulatory requirements.
Experience managing operational performance, quality outcomes, escalations and stakeholder relationships.
A tertiary qualification in Business, Finance or Banking, or a Certificate IV in Financial Services or equivalent lending accreditation (preferred).

This role offers a genuine opportunity to influence lending outcomes at scale, shape assessment practices, and play a visible leadership role within a purpose‑driven, member‑owned bank.

We count on you. And you can count on us.

We offer a range of benefits to support your wellbeing and career, including:

Flexible working options to support how and where you work best.
Savings and discounts across our range of products and services.
A work‑life‑fit program supporting flexibility and additional leave options to help you balance work and life commitments
Access to our internal reward and recognition platform, offering vouchers, discounts, e‑cards and more.
Access to ongoing professional development.

Interested? We'd like to hear from you. Click to apply.

Defence Bank is committed to providing equal opportunities for employment and seek to have a team that reflects our diverse community. We encourage anyone interested in our role and a career at Defence Bank to apply.

All successful candidates will be required to complete employment checks prior to an offer of employment.

Only short-listed applicants with Australian Working Rights will be contacted to discuss their application.