Position Description

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Purpose                                     

• To administer and maintain robust compliance processes, systems, and frameworks that ensure that the Retail Team within the Pacific Hydro group of companies (“Pacific Hydro Group”) meets its regulatory obligations.
• To ensure that the Pacific Hydro Retail Team stays informed of regulatory and industry changes, driving necessary adaptations within the business to maintain compliance in a rapidly changing regulatory environment, and influence the positioning of the business.
• Act as an effective and trusted advisor to the Retail Team with matters relating to regulation and compliance in a heavily regulated and highly dynamic external environment.
• To manage and respond to regulatory inquiries and submissions with a focus on accuracy, timeliness, and professionalism.
• To identify, assess, and mitigate compliance risks while designing and implementing effective controls and solutions.
• Assisting Head of Legal and Compliance, Retail in developing the compliance management frameworks for Pacific Hydro Group’s retail business.
• Promote a good compliance culture across the retail business of Pacific Hydro Group by educating, advising, and supporting internal stakeholders.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Monitoring and implementing an effective compliance program and framework, and playing a key role in driving improvements to the maturity and development of the regulatory compliance framework and program as needed, including but not limited to managing the ongoing updates, certification, maintenance, and assignment of accountabilities for the compliance and obligation registers.
• Coordinating, implementing, and developing processes and systems for breach and incident management, including the timely reporting of potential breaches to internal stakeholders, and the drafting of detailed and accurate responses to regulators.
• Providing commercially focused compliance advice and education to the business on the proactive management of compliance risks, and advice to the business in relation to both operational activities and strategic activities (e.g. regulatory change, entrance into new markets), effectively utilising legal resources where necessary.
• Coordinating, implementing, developing and maintaining processes and systems for regular compliance monitoring and reporting, including reporting to external authorities (including but not limited to performance indicator reporting, environmental schemes).
• Advising and educating internal stakeholders within the Retail business unit on compliance obligations and acceptable levels of risk and conducting training sessions to promote compliance awareness, highlight gaps, and support the implementation of compliance solutions.
• Conducting compliance assessments and collaborating with business units to design and implement controls to address identified gaps effectively and annual testing of controls to ensure their effectiveness and efficiency.
• Working with compliance obligation owners to effectively manage compliance risks to an acceptable level, including advising the business on the development, design and implementation of controls to effectively mitigate risks identified.
• Supporting and coordinating internal and external reviews, audits and other compliance assurance and monitoring activities to ensure that the business complies with its obligations.
• Working with the Head of Legal and Compliance, Retail to build an understanding of risk across the business, with a focus on compliance risks.
• Keeping track of changes in energy and other related regulations, informing and driving regulatory changes within the business where required with a strategic and commercial focus.
• Acting as a point of contact with regulatory agencies, Government bodies, and other external stakeholders such as industry bodies.
• Providing written submissions and attending industry forums where required.
• Providing support for Board reporting and enterprise risk management where needed.

Challenges

• Managing stakeholder expectations
• Prioritising competing demands
• Building close working relationships without compromising on objectivity or Pacific Hydro Group’s values 
• Managing complex regulatory compliance issues

Judgments

• Exercise judgement as to the potential impact and urgency of an issue and determine its priority for action.
• Determine the nature and style of communications having regard to the target audience and the purpose of the message.
• Build relationships.
• Promote a strong compliance culture by engaging and educating stakeholders, building compliance capability across the business, and driving continuous improvement of compliance and regulatory frameworks.

Knowledge, experience (including qualification) and skill

Knowledge and experience:   

• Mide-level experience in a regulatory or compliance advisory role within the energy retail sector.
• Demonstrated experience applying compliance frameworks and risk management principles to support effective governance and practical business decision-making.
• Relevant professional/tertiary qualification are desired.
• Experience in working as a trusted adviser to a diverse range of stakeholders, including senior management.
• Experience in building and maintaining stakeholder relationships.

Skills:              

• Sound judgement and resilience and the ability to operate autonomously in uncertain or rapidly changing circumstances, making appropriate decisions and escalating matters where necessary.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to provide pragmatic, strategic compliance advice on energy retail initiatives, balancing compliance risk, customer experience and commercial priorities.
• Advanced analytical, written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distil complex regulatory requirements into clear, workable actions and controls.
• Strong leadership skills, with the ability to take ownership and lead compliance initiatives across functions.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, including the ability to present effectively to senior internal and external stakeholders, navigate conflicting priorities and drive uplifts to business practices.
• Advanced ability to interpret regulatory legislation, policy and associated documents, assess operational and strategic impacts and risks, and translate these into practical recommendations.. 
• Computer literate and proficient in Microsoft Office suite.
• Hands on experience with Compliance Management System CMS highly desirable.