Senior Risk Specialist

We have partnered with UniMed who have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Risk Specialist to shape smarter decisions and strengthen how UniMed manages risk.

This is a newly created role reporting to the Head of Risk and Compliance, and can be based in Christchurch (preferred) or Wellington, with some travel expected to support collaboration across both locations.

Christchurch offers the best of both worlds — a thriving professional market paired with an outstanding lifestyle. Known as New Zealand’s fastest‑growing city for innovation and business, Christchurch combines affordable living, short commutes, and modern infrastructure with easy access to the outdoors. Within minutes you can be enjoying beaches, world‑class cycling tracks, ski fields, wineries, or the Port Hills — all while living in a welcoming, family‑friendly city with an excellent food scene, great schools, and a strong sense of community. It’s an ideal place to build a meaningful career without compromising on lifestyle.

About UniMed - Mō Mātou

As New Zealand’s third largest health insurer, UniMed has been looking after Kiwi’s for over 45 years. Today, more than 140,000 members benefit from our workplace health insurance and wellbeing services.

About the Role - Mō te Tūranga Mahi

As our Senior Risk Specialist, you’ll work closely with leaders and teams across UniMed to strengthen and embed practical risk management that is consistent, proportionate, and genuinely useful.

From the outset, you’ll play a leading role in shaping greater consistency and structure in how operational risks are identified, understood, and managed. You’ll also lead the design and embedding of clear risk indicators and tolerances, helping leaders establish forward‑looking signals that support timely decisions, escalation, and effective risk oversight.

In this role, you will:

• Embed UniMed’s risk management framework into day-to-day operations (policies, processes, tools and controls).
• Design and embed clear KRIs and tolerances, working with leaders to agree thresholds, escalation points, and useful reporting
• Partner with leaders and teams to identify and manage business and operational risks—providing advice and constructive challenge aligned to risk appetite.
• Facilitate risk forums and key risk discussions, coordinating inputs and tracking actions through to completion.
• Maintain Incident Management processes and turn incidents into learning, spotting themes, understanding root causes, and supporting lasting improvements
• Lead a practical control testing approach,

• Drive improvements to risk systems and reporting, including operational and Board-level insights on key risks, mitigations and trends.

• Support resilience activities such as incident management uplift, BCP testing and reviews, and corporate insurance coordination.

About You - Mōu

• 3+ years’ experience in risk, compliance, or a related advisory role (financial services/insurance experience is desirable).
• Experience or interest in AI desirable
• Strong stakeholder engagement skills—able to build credibility, influence, and coach leaders and teams to adopt consistent risk practices.
• Confident critical thinker with strong attention to detail, able to analyse information, test assumptions, and support sound decision-making.
• Highly organised and able to juggle multiple deadlines, while producing thorough, accurate outputs.
• Clear, concise communicator with strong report-writing capability—able to turn risk information into practical insights and useful reporting.

Why Join UniMed - Ngā Hua Ki UniMed

UniMed, are on a mission to create the happiest, healthiest workplace in Aotearoa – and they would love for you to be part of that journey.

They offer modern workspaces in Christchurch and Wellington, along with a range of benefits designed to help you thrive, including:

• Comprehensive health insurance from day one.
• Flexible working options.
• An extra two days off per year for wellbeing / Hauroa.
• Access to a range of well being initiatives.

To apply click below and submit an online application with your resume and cover letter. For a confidential conversation contact johnny.gowland@robertwalters.co.nz 0273689333

Advertising closes May 26^th – we will review and progress suitable applicants before closing date.

Robert Walters endeavours to review all applications in a maximum of five working days. If you have not received correspondence in this timeframe please do not hesitate to contact Johnny Gowland on +64 4 471 9784.