Head of Internal Audit

Clutch Canada; Dubai; On-site; AED 400,000 - 550,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading fintech firm in Dubai is seeking a Head of Internal Audit. This role focuses on developing the annual audit plan and providing independent assurance on controls across operations and finance. The ideal candidate has 8+ years of experience in internal audit within fintech or financial services. Join our mission to empower immigrants by leading robust audit functions and promoting a culture of accountability and impact.

Qualifications

• 8+ years’ internal audit experience within fintech, payments, or financial services.
• Strong knowledge of CBUAE governance, internal audit, and regulatory expectations.
• Ability to independently manage full audit cycles.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the annual risk-based internal audit plan.
• Provide independent assurance on controls across various departments.
• Oversee the full audit cycle: planning, fieldwork, reporting, and follow-up.
• Identify key risks and recommend practical improvements.

Skills

Strong judgement

Clear communication

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Job description

Location

Dubai

Employment Type

Full time

Department

Legal

Our Mission
Reduce inequity by helping immigrants move money home, and become the leading cross‑border fintech for emerging markets.

The Team
- Founders by Harvard grads / 3rd‑time founders --- also founded Segovia (successful exit) and GiveDirectly (>300M revenue, fastest‑growing NGO).
- Top performers from top and varied organizations (e.g., Bain, Bolt, Google, McKinsey, SafeBoda, Uber, Zipline) --- we like moving fast, and we hire people that do as well.
- Driven by mission, guided by values (see below) – in deed, not just word.
- Team as global as the mission, >30 languages from 25 countries (i.e., if you’re interested in learning to make Chicken Moambe, we’re the place).

About Us
Taptap Send is backed by top VCs (Spark, Canaan, Reid Hoffman, Breyer Capital, etc.), rapidly growing and a great place for those looking for both impact and a fast‑paced tech startup environment. Read more about the journey in Reid Hoffman’s words or TechCrunch article
Launched in 2019, Taptap is tapping into a transformative shift in global finance: from banks to phones. While this has affected wealthier countries as well, it has been nothing short of a revolution for the emerging markets where the overwhelming majority of population had been unable to access digital finance previously. Taptap Send allows immigrants to send money home instantly and with no fee*, saving money in the process. With a formal market size of >700B alone, we’ve got a lot more saving to do for our users. Our mission is to reduce inequity by helping immigrants move money home, and become the leading cross‑border fintech for emerging markets. And that’s just the beginning...

*We charge fees for transfers on fixed exchange rate corridors (e.g., XOF, XAF).

Our Investors
Spark Capital, Canaan, Reid Hoffman, Breyer Capital (Jim Breyer), Unbound (Shravin Mittal), Wamda (Fadi Ghandour), Firstminute Capital, Slow Ventures (Sam Lessin), Helios Partners (Souleymane Ba), Crossbeam Ventures (Ali Hamed), Nikesh Arora, Samih Toukan, and many other context‑specific angels

Role

• You’ll join Taptap Send as the Head of Internal Audit for the UAE, a regulated and independent role under CBUAE. You will lead the internal audit function, set the annual risk‑based audit plan, and provide clear, objective assurance over controls across operations, finance, compliance, technology, and information security.
• You will report independently to senior management and the Board Audit & Risk Committee, overseeing the full audit cycle – planning, fieldwork, reporting, and follow‑up. You’ll ensure key risks are identified and addressed, and that governance and control standards meet regulatory expectations.
• You’ll work closely with teams across the business, coordinate with regulators and external auditors when needed, and strengthen Taptap Send’s overall control environment as we continue to grow. The role requires independence, strong judgement, and the ability to challenge constructively.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute the annual risk‑based internal audit plan.
• Provide independent assurance on controls across operations, finance, compliance, technology, and information security.
• Oversee the full audit cycle: planning, fieldwork, reporting, and follow‑up.
• Identify key risks, assess control effectiveness, and recommend practical improvements.
• Report audit findings to senior management and the Board Audit & Risk Committee.
• Monitor remediation of audit issues and track timely closure of action plans.
• Coordinate with CBUAE and external auditors on audit‑related matters.
• Conduct special reviews, investigations, or advisory work where independence allows.
• Maintain internal audit methodologies aligned with regulatory and professional standards.
• Strengthen governance and promote a culture of accountability and control.

Requirements

• 8+ years’ internal audit experience within fintech, payments, or financial services. Strong knowledge of CBUAE governance, internal audit, and regulatory expectations.
• Proven ability to lead risk‑based audits and manage full audit cycles independently.
• Clear communicator with strong judgement, analytical skills, and stakeholder management experience.

A good fit for this role is

• Independent and objective, with strong professional scepticism.
• Structured and detail‑oriented, able to manage multiple audits effectively.
• Calm under pressure and confident challenging senior stakeholders.
• Clear communicator who builds trust while maintaining independence.

Taptap Values

Impact first

Team next

Accept reality

Propose solutions

Win with grit

Be proactively candid, with yourself and others

Love the particular

Own it

Create positive energy

Maybe, even have fun

Taptap Send is an equal opportunity employer dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workforce. All employment decisions are decided on the basis of qualifications, experience and business need. We strongly encourage applications who are members of underrepresented communities to apply.

If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process, please do not hesitate to let us know. Any information you provide us in this respect will only be used to accommodate your requirements.

Note: we recognize imposter syndrome is real - any candidate that does not perfectly fit every characteristic of this role is still strongly encouraged to apply.