Principal Trainee Auditor (Annex 21) MIAA

Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust; Liverpool; Hybrid; GBP 38,000 - 47,000; Full time

Job summary

A major healthcare provider is seeking a Principal Trainee Auditor to join their audit teams. This position offers an exciting opportunity to work across multiple regions, including Merseyside and Warrington. The successful candidate will be responsible for conducting audits, supervising junior staff, and building client relationships. A background in finance or accounting is preferred, and a flexible/hybrid working environment is provided.

Benefits

Flexible/Hybrid Working

Professional study and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Understanding of NHS structure and governance principles.
• Interest in becoming a Qualified Accountant/Chartered Auditor.

Responsibilities

• Perform audit assignments and ensure governance compliance.
• Supervise junior staff and manage competing priorities.
• Build effective client relationships and respond to queries.

Skills

Organisational skills

Analytical skills

People skills

Pro-activeness

Ability to build relationships

Education

2.2 degree and 3 A-Level qualifications

Job description

Go back Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Principal Trainee Auditor (Annex 21) MIAA

Closing date is 07 December 2025

Principal Trainee Auditor - Annex 21 (MIAA)

An exciting opportunity has arisen in our audit teams for motivated individuals with excellent communication and people skills.

Position: Principal Trainee Auditor - Band 6 - £38,682 - £46,580 (Annex 21)

Hours: 37.5 (Monday to Friday)

Contract: Permanent

Location:

• Role 1: Hybrid working – To work across Merseyside and Warrington clients.
• Role 2: Hybrid working – To work across Wirral, Cheshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, and North Wales clients.
• Role 3: Hybrid Working – To work across Lancashire, Cumbria and Greater Manchester clients.

The Successful Applicant

We want driven people who think creatively about their work, embrace challenges and can resolve complex problems.

We are looking for individuals with the following skills and competencies:

• Ability to organise and prioritise workloads.
• Demonstrates strong analytical and research skills.
• Takes ownership of assigned tasks and adopts a pro‑active approach.
• Participates in meetings, providing information and ideas with clarity and persuasiveness.
• Ability to build relationships.
• Respects differences in people and values diversity of ideas.
• Actively seeks to enhance own expertise and knowledge.
• Demonstrates drive and commitment to self‑development.

Main duties of the job

Perform a broad range of audit assignments of a complex/ad‑hoc and non‑financial nature in addition to a broad range of routine audit assignments.

Apply risk management and governance principles to the planning and delivery of audit assignments at both an operational and strategic client level.

Supervise and coach junior staff.

Respond to a broad range of sensitive and complex queries from clients and staff.

Support Audit Managers with a wide range of operational requirements, client queries and support.

Using the latest approaches, this post provides a real opportunity to develop your career with one of the best‑regarded internal audit teams within the public sector.

The post‑holder will need to have a clean driving licence and access to a vehicle, as whilst there is an element of home working there is also a requirement to travel to clients on a regular basis.

About us

MIAA is an NHS Shared service, hosted by Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. MIAA is the predominant provider of assurance and solutions services to over 60+ NHS and wider public and third sector, including local government, police & fire, charities and housing organisations. With a client base of over 60 and expansion of our solutions offer we are continuing to grow at pace.

MIAA offer clients a number of services in addition to internal audit including Solutions, Anti‑Fraud, Technical Risk Assurance, Clinical Coding and Healthcare Quality.

MIAA's budgeted turnover is 12 million, which is demonstrative of the organisation's ambitious and strategic goals.

We pride ourselves in promoting equality and valuing diversity.

All our teams benefit from:

• Flexible/Hybrid Working
• Professional study, development and protected learning time

MIAA Values

• Respect & Compassion
• Trust
• Innovation and Excellence

Job responsibilities

Discussions with senior and non‑finance staff concerning contentious and complicated financial, control and governance issues at a corporate level. Negotiating with external agencies. Communication of audit findings and advice.

Work is managed rather than supervised, with the jobholder working within procedures, broad policies and guidelines as defined by the Quality System, but having the freedom to act with autonomy. The nature of the work necessitates a thorough and concentrated focus on the gathering, testing and evaluation of evidence whilst balancing competing priorities. There is extensive scope for decision making in respect of planning and organising the personal work schedule, managing priorities, forming judgments on the adequacy and effectiveness of systems, and producing recommendations to deliver improvements. These decisions will be based upon detailed analysis and evaluation of complex systems issues and options across a range of systems. Such analysis will incorporate an assessment of potentially conflicting and multi‑layered information e.g. option appraisals, serious disciplinary cases.

Over time, there will be a day‑to‑day supervisory role in respect of staff in the function encompassing work scheduling, coaching, and individual/ team training, and assignment review. This will include coordination of resources across competing priorities in order to achieve agreed objectives.

The Agency operates in a unique competitive trading environment requiring a professional customer‑focus at all times and a range of commercial skills of the post‑holder. This trading environment creates a business model that requires income to be secured in open competition against multinational consulting and accountancy firms. Income needs to be secured on a regional and national basis to maintain operational and strategic viability.

There is a requirement to adapt to a range of working conditions at different client sites that will also involve frequent travel.

A substantial element of the job involves utilising a number of office based and client computer systems to evaluate systems and produce the audit outputs. Those outputs, usually reports, are generated from input and manipulation of financial and other data in word processing, spreadsheet, presentations and database applications.

Performs all elements of a risk‑based audit assignment over the range of routine internal audits across a number of clients as well as a broad range of complex/ad‑hoc audits often of a non‑financial nature. Produces work to final report stage, setting out key control issues and recommendations. Discusses issues with client staff and produces final reports that can be personally taken to Audit Committee and Board level.

Takes a lead responsibility for supporting Audit Managers in the operational management of allocated audit plans. This could include deputising, or attendance in own right, at Audit Committees and related Committees. It will also involve contributing to drawing up and monitoring the functions budgets as expressed through delegated audit plans.

Conducts research on behalf of the function and the Agency to develop approaches to emerging auditable areas.

Makes recommendations as appropriate often‑involving significant proposed changes to working practices and procedures following policy implementation. These routinely will involve contributing to service redesign and providing benchmarking information in own area of activity and across many NHS bodies.

Regularly undertakes complex system reviews that conclude upon the adequacy of the control environment, physical security of cash and the safeguarding of assets.

Reviews the adequacy of risk management, governance and assurance systems established.

Responds to, and often anticipates, queries from clients, which may be of a sensitive and confidential nature, and investigates and reports as necessary to the satisfaction of the client. These queries may relate to complex issues requiring a detailed understanding of client risks, NHS/Wider public sector systems and existing guidance.

Plans and organises work schedule to ensure weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual timetables are delivered. Undertakes the majority of routine tasks with minimal management oversight. Coordinates and supervises the work of junior staff over time.

The overall work schedule that is planned will be made up of a number of complicated and sometimes conflicting elements requiring ongoing adjustment of plans.

Builds effective client relationships across the functions clients.

Adheres and contributes to the continuous improvement philosophy to ensure we continue to provide a valuable service focused upon clients needs.

Fully complies with all aspects of the confidentiality policy.

Person Specification

Knowledge

• To demonstrate an understanding of NHS structure, policy, functions and systems together with the aptitude to build on that knowledge.
• To demonstrate an understanding of audit and corporate governance principles and practice together with the aptitude to build on that knowledge.

Skills

• You must have an interest in becoming a Qualified Accountant / Chartered Auditor and ideally, your qualifications will be in areas such as Accounting/ Finance and Business, however other subjects will be considered.
• Flexibility
• Demonstrates strong analytical and research skills
• Takes ownership of assigned tasks and adopts a pro‑active approach
• Ability to organise and prioritise workload
• Produces accurate and timely work
• Participates in meetings, providing information and ideas with clarity and persuasiveness
• Ability to build relationships
• Respects differences in people and values diversity of ideas
• Actively seeks to enhance own expertise and knowledge
• Demonstrates drive and commitment to self‑development
• Ability to travel to a range of sites and work in a range of environments

Qualifications

• Minimum / expected 2.2 Degree and 3 ALevel qualifications grade A-C or equivalent qualification (including English and Maths at GCSE GRADE 5 MINIMUM ) OR
• Experience – High quality interpersonal skills, team spirit and a focus on achieving objectives. Demonstrable experience of working within a team and managing competing priorities.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Liverpoool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust