Financial Controls & Risk Assurance Lead

BAE Systems.; Barrow-in-Furness; On-site; GBP 35,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading defense technology company in Barrow-in-Furness seeks a Governance Assurance Advisory Lead to lead internal audits and improve financial control environments. Candidates must be fully qualified accountants with a strong understanding of financial risks and compliance. The position offers a competitive salary and flexible benefits, contributing to critical defense needs in a dynamic team environment.

Benefits

Competitive pension scheme

Employee share plans

Flexible discounted health benefits

Private health plans

Shopping discounts

Qualifications

• Proven ability to evaluate financial control environments.
• Experience analyzing data for insights.
• Ability to communicate findings clearly to stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead internal audit assurance reviews.
• Analyze and interpret data to improve controls.
• Communicate audit findings to senior leaders.
• Identify and address control weaknesses.
• Monitor management's actions on recommendations.
• Assess financial risks for assurance activities.

Skills

Fully qualified accountant (CIMA, ICAEW, ICCA, or CIA)

Demonstrated knowledge of financial accounting

Experience in assurance and compliance activities

Strong understanding of financial risk

Working knowledge of financial systems

Understanding of regulatory and compliance changes

Commitment to continuous professional development

Education

Fully qualified accountant

Job description

Job Title: Governance Assurance Advisory Lead
Location: Barrow‑In‑Furness
Salary: £34,160 + dependent on skills and experience (Part Time)

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead and deliver internal audit assurance reviews to evaluate and report the effectiveness of the financial control environment
• Analyse and interpret data from multiple sources using analytics and visualisation to highlight trends, anomalies and provide valuable insight into control performance
• Communicate findings from assurance activity confidently to senior leaders and stakeholders providing clear and well‑supported recommendations
• Identify control weaknesses causes and root causes, agreeing practical actions with management to strengthen performance
• Monitor management’s response to actions and recommendations to improve financial control performance and efficiency
• Independently assess financial risks and use these insights to shape and guide assurance activity

Your skills and experiences:

Essential

• Fully qualified accountant (CIMA, ICAEW, ICCA, or CIA. AAT not acceptable)
• Demonstrated knowledge of financial accounting, financial controls, assurance and risk management
• Experience in assurance and compliance activities, ensuring recognised auditing standards are met
• Strong understanding of financial risk and the design and operation of effective mitigation controls
• Working knowledge of financial systems, processes and organisational structures
• Understanding of external factors influencing financial functions, including regulatory and compliance changes
• Commitment to maintaining up‑to‑date technical knowledge and skills and continuous professional development

Benefits:

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Weapon Systems UK team:

You’ll be part of Weapon Systems UK within the Platforms and Services sector of BAE Systems. The team designs, develops, manufactures and supports artillery systems and naval guns, while also providing specialist engineering capability across the wider business. With a strong global presence, the team supports critical defence needs across air, land and sea, driven by innovation, commitment and a shared mission to deliver trusted, high‑quality weapons solutions for our customers.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity of thought, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.

Closing Date: 11th December 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.