Principal Auditor

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames; Greater London; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 61,000; Full time

Job summary

Southwest London Audit Partnership is seeking a Principal Auditor to lead internal audit across five London Boroughs, including Richmond upon Thames, Wandsworth, Kingston, Merton and Sutton. You will manage a small team, oversee end-to-end audits and ensure high quality reports.

The role requires public sector knowledge, CCAB/IIA/AAT qualification, and at least 5 years’ audit experience. Location is Wandsworth Town Hall with hybrid partner locations, 36 hours per week.

Qualifications

• Public sector auditing experience is essential.
• CCAB/IIA/AAT qualifications preferred.
• Minimum 5 years’ auditing in local government or public sector.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of internal auditors and oversee audits across multiple services.
• Ensure audits comply with Global Internal Audit Standards and budget constraints.
• Prepare clear, professional audit reports for Heads of Services and Directors.
• Identify root causes and provide governance, risk and control assurance.
• Build relationships with service leaders and auditees to enable access and collaboration.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Communication

Time management

Public sector knowledge

Education

CCAB or AAT

IIA qualification

Tools

SQL

Python

Power BI

Job description

Job Title: Principal Auditor

Salary Range: £47,730 - £61,176 per annum

Permanent - Full Time (36 hours)

Location: Wandsworth Town Hall or Partner Location

Other essential information: Working in the Office 3-5 days a week

Are you an experienced Auditor with Public Sector knowledge and experience? The audit team at Southwest London Audit Partnership is a shared service that provides internal audit to five London Boroughs (Richmond, Wandsworth, Kingston, Merton, and Sutton) delivering an effective and cost-efficient service whilst building positive relationships to improve and maintain the quality of services delivered to residents and service users.

Job Title: Principal Auditor

Salary Range: £47,730 - £61,176 per annum

Permanent - Full Time (36 hours)

Location: Wandsworth Town Hall or Partner Location

Other essential information: Working in the Office 3-5 days a week

Are you an experienced Auditor with Public Sector knowledge and experience? The audit team at Southwest London Audit Partnership is a shared service that provides internal audit to five London Boroughs (Richmond, Wandsworth, Kingston, Merton, and Sutton) delivering an effective and cost-efficient service whilst building positive relationships to improve and maintain the quality of services delivered to residents and service users.

As a Principal Auditor you will be managing internal auditors as well as initiating and completing audits across a wide a variety of financial and non-financial essential council services. You will be supporting and mentoring more junior members of the team, ensuring compliance with the Global Internal Audit Standards, and the delivery of high-quality work which is delivered on time and within budget.

You will escape non-compliance issues, recommend improvements, and provide assurance on governance, risk, and control. Your findings will be meaningful and address the root cause of issues you identify. You will compile professionally written, clear audit reports for Heads of Services and Directors to implement changes, improve controls and ensure compliance.

About The Role

• Leadership and Management:You will lead a team of two auditors or more, supporting and mentoring them in the delivery of their roles and leading them on technically challenging audits.
• Auditing: You must be able to demonstrate a thorough understanding of end-to-end internal auditing in a local government, or similar setting across a range of audit areas relevant to a public sector organisation.
• Communication: You will have extensive experience of communicating both verbally and in writing at all levels to a high standard.
• Building relationships:You will need to be able to build strong professional relationships with service leaders and those being audited to build trust and credibility and to gain access to personnel and information required to complete your audit work.
• Prioritisation:You will be able to prioritise a varied workload, reach tight deadlines and ensure that all work is carried out to the highest possible standards.

Who We Are Looking For

• You will be IIA qualified or hold a CCAB or AAT qualification or similar. You will have at least 5 years’ experience auditing in a Local Government or other public sector body.
• You will have a ‘can do’ attitude and be a team player that actively supports and raises up those around you and embrace our values: Embrace Difference, Think Bigger, Put people First, Lead by Example and Connect Better.
• Experience of managing a varied workload and of dealing with conflicting and changing demands for both you and the colleagues you support.
• You will have strong leadership skills with the ability to coach and motivate a small team of internal auditors.
• Experience of using SQL, Phyton, Power BI or other data analytics and visualisation tools would be highly desirable. As a modern and forward-thinking audit partnership we are continuing to expand our use of data-driven audits to deliver deeper insights, identify emerging risks and provide more effective assurance.
• Effective communication and people skills that support your relationship building with colleagues at all levels.
• Commitment to maintaining and improving your own skills and knowledge through CPD and helping to improve the quality of services delivered to residents by our partner councils.

If you're passionate about making a difference, eager to learn and develop, and want to help improve services for over one million residents across Richmond, Wandsworth, Kingston, Merton and Sutton, we'd love to hear from you. Join us and build a rewarding career in a supportive, collaborative and forward-thinking audit team.