Portfolio Risk Lead

We’re seeking an experienced Portfolio Risk Lead to provide independent oversight and assurance of program and project risks across a complex delivery portfolio within the Networks division.

This role is accountable for strengthening risk visibility, improving controls and reducing delivery surprises. The Portfolio Risk Lead plays a key role in planning, enabling and leading risk management across significant, large‑scale transformation initiatives, ensuring risks are identified early, clearly articulated and effectively managed.

What You’ll do

• Lead risk management activities across the Network Delivery Office, ensuring common practices and standards are understood and applied.
• Run regular risk assessments across programs and projects to confirm key risks are identified and well managed.
• Review risk registers for quality, including clarity of risk descriptions, impacts, ownership, actions, due dates and supporting evidence.
• Conduct risk‑focused audits and assurance checks, documenting clear findings and practical recommendations.
• Escalate critical risks early through governance forums with clear articulation of impacts, urgency and options.
• Track risks and actions through to closure, following up where progress stalls.
• Support delivery teams to strengthen controls, remove risk drivers and embed proactive risk mitigation.
• Produce clear and concise portfolio‑level risk reporting, including trends, hotspots and emerging risks.
• Continuously monitor and improve risk management processes, frameworks, tooling and overall risk maturity.

About you

You are a confident and credible risk professional who can operate independently while building strong relationships across complex delivery environments. You have experience in risk management, assurance, audit, program controls or portfolio/project governance in complex delivery environments.

• Strong risk assessment capability, including identifying material risks and realistically assessing likelihood and impact.
• Audit and assurance skills, including planning reviews, gathering evidence and writing clear, actionable findings.
• The ability to translate complex risk information into simple insights and recommendations for senior stakeholders.
• Strong documentation discipline with attention to evidence, quality and traceability.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to influence without formal authority.

The good stuff….

• Competitive remuneration and employee discounts. Make life easier (and more affordable) with $80 monthly credit and 25% off Optus products and unique shopping discounts with our retail partners.
• Flexible working arrangements with opportunities to work three days in the office, two days remote or home.
• Vibrant and collaborative office campus that includes cafes, convenience store, chill out zones, GP, post office, gym and on-site childcare centre.
• Competitive leave policies, including additional 'Connected’ days to focus on culture, family, health, community, or whatever’s important to you.
• We support growing families with inclusive, carer-neutral paid Parental Leave of up to 16 weeks.
• Direct your own development and build future-ready skills with Optus U’s industry-focused micro-credentials, developed with La Trobe and Macquarie Universities.
• Build meaningful connections through employee-led networks and diversity initiatives including Culture Connect, Elevate Women, Disability Network and Express Yourself (LGBTQIA+).
• Put your wellbeing first with free access to counselling and support services, 24/7 — in-person, by phone, SMS, or video.
• Free Optus bus from Macquarie University Metro Station (every 6–8 minutes); morning and afternoon.

At Optus, we are strengthened by others and that means valuing diversity and saying ‘yes’ to embracing individual differences. We are committed to ensuring that our application process provides an equal employment opportunity to all job seekers, including individuals from diverse gender, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, individuals with a disability, individuals identifying as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, individuals who may have served in the armed forces or who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. We also want to do our best to make our recruitment process inclusive. If you require any adjustments or accessibility support to participate fairly and equitably in the recruitment process, please email AccessibleRecruitment@optus.com.au or call 1800 309 170.