How to become a financial risk specialist
Official title: Financial risk specialist
Also called: Risk specialist, Risk analyst, Credit risk manager, Property risk manager, Financial risk manager, Risk administration manager, Risk management consultant
Financial risk specialists analyse an organisation's financial risk. They research markets and identify threats to the assets and finances of a business, then design plans to limit risk.
Main tasks
- Analyse financial risks for businesses
- Create plans to lower financial risks
- Analyse financial risks in market trends
- Give advice on managing business risks
- Use computer models to predict risks
- Write reports on risk findings
- Review and update risk plans regularly
- Meet with clients to discuss risk plans
How to become one
You usually need experience and a qualification to become a financial risk specialist. You usually need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a bachelor's degree in banking and finance, management and business, law or similar area; to be a member of Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand.
Ways in
- University: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
- University: Law & Justice degrees, Offered by 5 universities in New Zealand
Pay · Past change
- Most common pay: $83,000 to $150,000 a year (median $111,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $64,000 a year · Upper: $207,000 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
Who does this work
- About 740 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
Related jobs
- Payroll manager
- Payroll consultant
- Accountant and auditor
- Finance analyst
- Credit analyst
- Investment analyst
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Questions people ask
How do I become a financial risk specialist?
You usually need experience and a qualification to become a financial risk specialist. You usually need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Other requirements: experience in similar work; a bachelor's degree in banking and finance, management and business, law or similar area; to be a member of Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand.
How much does a financial risk specialist earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $111,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $83,000 to $150,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a financial risk specialist grown in New Zealand?
It has grown: TEC records an increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026