Specialist - Operations Audit

First Abu Dhabi Bank; Al Ruways Industrial City; On-site; AED 245,520 - 390,600; Full time

Job summary

First Abu Dhabi Bank is seeking a Specialist - Operations Audit in Abu Dhabi, UAE to support internal audits across operations and governance processes. The ideal candidate will possess a Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field and experience in internal audit, with strong analytical skills and knowledge of banking operations.

This role offers a significant opportunity to enhance audit expertise and contribute to operational reliability within the bank, ensuring adherence to risk management and control standards.

Qualifications

• Experience in internal audit or banking audit.
• Good understanding of banking operations and internal controls.
• Strong analytical skills for assessing data reliability.

Responsibilities

• Assist in audits covering Group Operations and Support Functions.
• Conduct audit work in line with the annual audit plan.
• Review governance and control procedures for effectiveness.

Skills

Internal audit

Operations audit

Risk assessment

Audit planning

Control testing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Banking, Business Administration, Risk Management or related discipline

Tools

Audit management tools

Job description

Job Snapshot

• Role: Specialist - Operations Audit
• Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
• Industry: Banking
• Function: Accounting/Auditing
• Experience: Relevant internal audit experience
• Job Type: Full-time
• Gender: Any
• Candidate Nationality: Any

Overview

Specialist - Operations Audit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates is a banking role focused on supporting internal audits across operations, support functions, group subsidiaries, governance processes, risk management controls, and international network activities. This opportunity is suited for an audit professional with strong understanding of banking operations, internal controls, audit planning, risk assessment, process review, issue documentation, and management action follow‑up within a regulated financial institution.

Job Details

Salary: 22,000-35,000 AED (estimated range – confirm final offer with the employer)

Role Context

The Specialist - Operations Audit will assist in delivering audits for the bank’s Operations and Support Functions across the UAE, international network, and applicable group subsidiaries. The role supports assurance over governance, risk management, internal controls, process reliability, asset safeguarding, transaction processing, resource efficiency, and corrective action implementation. It requires disciplined audit execution, strong documentation standards, practical risk insight, and the ability to work with supervisors, unit management, and internal stakeholders to improve control effectiveness and operational resilience.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist in audits covering Group Operations, Support Functions, related activities, international branches, and relevant subsidiaries under operations governance.
• Conduct audit work in line with the annual audit plan, approved objectives, and agreed timelines.
• Inform the Head of Audit or supervisors of any potential delays, scope changes, or issues affecting planned audit completion.
• Execute audit assignments in accordance with established GIA policies, guidance notes, procedures, practice notes, and quality expectations.
• Support the review of operations and support function activities across applicable jurisdictions to help define and maintain the audit universe.
• Coordinate with other audit teams to support efficient coverage and avoid duplication across related audit areas.
• Assist supervisors in preparing and maintaining risk assessments for process streams within operations, support functions, and applicable subsidiaries.
• Support the creation, update, and maintenance of audit programs in the central audit management tool.
• Assess whether business units have properly identified, classified, and managed risks within their activities.
• Review governance, risk management, and control procedures to determine whether they are adequate, effective, efficient, and aligned with acceptable risk levels.
• Evaluate whether improvements are required in the governance framework, internal controls, process design, or operational risk management practices.
• Review data and transaction processing activities to assess reliability, integrity, availability, and compliance with expected standards.
• Check whether divisional or unit assets are properly safeguarded through appropriate controls, procedures, and oversight.
• Assess whether resources are being used efficiently and effectively within audited areas.
• Prepare audit worksheets, document observations, and support the drafting of audit issues.
• Assist supervisors in discussing and finalizing audit findings with unit management.
• Support negotiation and documentation of management action plans to address issues raised during audits.
• Follow up on pending audit issues with unit management and verify that corrective actions are fully and properly implemented.
• Assist in investigations, special reviews, and targeted assignments requested by the Head of Audit or GCAO.
• Provide governance, risk management, and control‑related advice to unit management under supervisor guidance.
• Maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders while upholding strong business ethics.
• Support continuous improvement by identifying process enhancements based on global standards, regulatory expectations, and changing business conditions.
• Assist in monitoring financial performance of assigned audit activities against approved budgets and report variances where required.
• Promote knowledge sharing within the audit team to support efficient task completion and consistent application of procedures.
• Demonstrate organizational values and ethics in audit work and support a value‑driven culture within the bank.
• Prepare functional reports accurately and on time in line with group requirements, internal policies, and quality standards.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Banking, Business Administration, Risk Management, or a related discipline.
• Experience in internal audit, operations audit, banking audit, risk review, governance assurance, or control testing.
• Good understanding of banking operations, support functions, internal controls, risk management, process governance, and audit methodology.
• Ability to review operational processes, identify control gaps, document audit findings, and support practical management action plans.
• Familiarity with audit universe maintenance, audit programs, risk assessments, working papers, and central audit management tools.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to assess data reliability, transaction processing standards, process efficiency, and control effectiveness.
• Good written communication skills with the ability to prepare clear audit worksheets, issue summaries, and functional reports.
• Ability to work with supervisors, unit management, internal audit teams, and business stakeholders in a professional and constructive manner.
• Strong attention to detail, documentation discipline, confidentiality, and commitment to audit quality.
• Awareness of regulatory expectations, banking governance standards, internal policies, and professional audit practices.
• Ability to support special reviews, investigations, audit follow‑ups, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Professional conduct with strong ethics, sound judgment, and respect for stakeholder relationships.

Skills Set

• Internal audit, operations audit, support functions audit, banking audit
• Audit planning, audit universe review, risk assessment, control testing, governance review, risk management review, internal control assessment
• Audit working papers, audit issue drafting, management action plans, audit follow‑up, process review, transaction processing review, data integrity review, asset safeguarding review, resource efficiency assessment
• Audit management tools, GIA policy compliance, regulatory expectations, audit reporting, stakeholder coordination, business ethics, continuous improvement, special reviews, investigation support, budget monitoring, quality assurance

Why Join Us

This role offers a strong opportunity to develop deeper audit expertise within Abu Dhabi’s banking sector while supporting assurance across operations, support functions, subsidiaries, and international activities. The position provides exposure to governance, control testing, audit planning, risk assessment, stakeholder engagement, and corrective action tracking. It is well suited for an audit professional who wants to contribute to stronger control discipline, operational reliability, and governance quality within a major financial institution.