Principal Auditor

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils; Greater London; On-site; GBP 48,000 - 61,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

40 days annual leave (including Bank),

Flexible working

Generous pension plan

Job summary

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils is seeking a Principal Auditor to lead the internal audit function, oversee audits across various council services, and improve governance, risk and control frameworks.

You will manage a team of auditors, mentor staff, and apply data analytics using SQL, Python and Power BI to derive deeper insights while delivering high-quality work on time.

Qualifications

• 5+ years auditing experience in Local Government or public sector.
• Qualified or working towards professional internal audit standards (IIA/CCAB/AAT).
• Strong leadership, coaching and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of internal auditors and manage technically challenging audits.
• Deliver end-to-end internal audits across a range of services.
• Mentor junior staff and ensure quality and timeliness of audit reports.

Skills

Leadership

Public sector auditing

Data analysis

Mentoring

Education

IIA qualification or CCAB or AAT

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.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 escalating 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.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship. The successful candidate will be required to demonstrate their right to work in the UK before commencing employment.

Indicative Recruitment TimelineClosing Date: Sunday 27th September 2026 Shortlisting: w/c 28th September 2026 Interviews: TBA We may close this vacancy early once a sufficient number of applications has been received. Please submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as.

• 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays)
• flexible working
• a generous pension plan