Company:

Mercer

Description:

We are seeking a talented individual to join our Mercer Financial Advice Compliance team at Mercer. This role will be based in Melbourne or Sydney. This is a hybrid role that has a requirement of working at least three days a week in the office.

Advice Quality and Improvement Specialist

The Advice & Quality Specialist enables a consistent, efficient and compliant advice delivery model by optimising end-to-end advice processes, supporting advisers to adopt improved ways of working, and embedding strong documentation and record-keeping practices. The role contributes to the governance framework through monitoring, control and assurance activities (including supervision, audit support and remediation), tracking performance outcomes, and ensuring change initiatives and enabling technology enhancements meet regulatory and business requirements.

We will count on you to:

• Provide day-to-day consultative support to advisers on applying the advice framework, navigating exceptions and reducing rework.
• Run feedback loops (forums, workshops, check-ins) to capture friction points and translate them into actionable improvements.
• Design and deliver role-based training and refreshers for new or improved processes and tools; assess training effectiveness and adoption.
• Reinforce client-first outcomes and consistent client experience standards through clear guidance, coaching and practical “what this means for you” materials.
• Act as an escalation point for process issues, coordinating with operations, risk/compliance and technology to remove blockers.
• Own induction and ongoing training programs
• Ensure all process changes align to regulatory obligations, internal policies, licensee requirements (where applicable) and industry better practice.
• Conduct/coordinate compliance impact assessments for process changes; identify control gaps and residual risks and define mitigations and acceptance criteria.
• Maintain audit trails evidencing obligations, decisions, approvals, control design and testing outcomes.
• Stay current with regulatory guidance and translate changes into practical process requirements, updated documentation and adviser guidance.
• Conduct call listening/interaction monitoring, record outcomes, provide constructive feedback, and identify systemic themes and training needs
• Execute control testing (design/operating effectiveness), collate evidence packs, and maintain an audit-ready evidence repository.
• Support internal/external audits via walkthroughs, evidence provision and responses; track remediation actions to closure and validate completion evidence.
• Maintain registers for findings, incidents/breaches (as applicable) and remediation actions; escalate material issues in line with governance thresholds.

What you need to have:

• Practical experience with advice platforms (e.g., Xplan, IRESS) and CRM; strong Excel skills required; familiarity with Power BI or similar reporting tools advantageous.
• 3–7 years’ experience in advice operations, advice governance/quality, compliance monitoring, operational risk or assurance.
• Demonstrated capability in root-cause analysis and process redesign within a regulated environment.
• Experience with quality assurance/monitoring (file reviews, call monitoring, thematic analysis, issue logging).
• Experience executing control testing/evidence collation and supporting audits and remediation programs.
• Strong written skills producing SOPs, playbooks, templates, checklists with version control and audit defensibility.
• Ability to define and manage operational KPIs and produce decision-oriented reporting.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, including coaching/training and change enablement.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills. Must be able to deliver education and information at an appropriate level for the audience to benefit from.
• Strong attention to detail and structured analytical skills.
• Good understanding of financial advice process, documentation requirements and Australian regulatory obligations.
• Clear written and verbal communication; able to produce concise audit findings and remediation guidance.
• Stakeholder focus and ability to work collaboratively with advisers, practice managers and compliance teams.
• Problem solving mindset and continuous improvement orientation
• Analytical and report-writing skills; ability to translate findings into the implementation of pragmatic management actions.
• Proactive and solutions/outcome focussed individual with commercial lens
• Certified in Training and Assessment (desired)

Why join our team:

• We help you be your best through professional development opportunities, interesting work, and supportive leaders.
• We foster a vibrant and inclusive culture where you can work with talented colleagues to create new solutions and have impact for colleagues, clients, and communities.
• Our scale enables us to provide a range of career opportunities, as well as benefits and rewards to enhance your well-being.

Mercer is a business of Marsh (NYSE: MRSH), a global leader in risk, reinsurance and capital, people and investments, and management consulting, advising clients in 130 countries. With annual revenue of over $27 billion and more than 95,000 colleagues, Marsh helps build the confidence to thrive through the power of perspective. For more information about Mercer, visit mercer.com, or follow us on LinkedIn and X.

Marsh is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and flexible work environment. We aim to attract and retain the best people and embrace diversity of age, background, disability, ethnic origin, family duties, gender orientation or expression, marital status, nationality, parental status, personal or social status, political affiliation, race, religion and beliefs, sex/gender, sexual orientation or expression, skin color, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. Applications will only be considered from candidates who have the appropriate approval to work in Australia. Successful applicants will be required to complete a Criminal & Bankruptcy check prior to commencing of employment.

Marsh is committed to hybrid work, which includes the flexibility of working remotely and the collaboration, connections and professional development benefits of working together in the office. All Marsh colleagues are expected to be in their local office or working onsite with clients at least three days per week. Office-based teams will identify at least one “anchor day” per week on which their full team will be together in person.