Senior Internal Audit Manager

Standard Life (previously Phoenix Group); Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical cover

38 days annual leave

Excellent pension

Life assurance 12x salary

Career breaks

Income protection

Volunteering days

Job summary

Standard Life, part of the Phoenix Group, is seeking a Senior Internal Audit Manager to lead a team and deliver audits across Customer, Operations and Outsourced Services Providers. You will build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders, challenge risk management and governance, and help evolve the risk-based audit plan.

This hybrid role requires in-office presence in Edinburgh or Birmingham and travel as needed.

Qualifications

• Qualified or working towards CMIIA, PIIA, ACCA, ICAS, CIMA, or equivalent
• Experience in Customer Outcomes, Operational processes and controls and Outsourcing
• Background in Internal/External Audit or Risk Assurance, preferably in Financial Services
• Good regulatory awareness and understanding of portfolio impact

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop an audit team delivering a portfolio of audits across Customer, Operations and Outsourced Services Providers
• Provide strategic assurance and influential insight, challenging risk management and governance
• Oversee Management Action verification and ensure timely delivery of audits
• Support ad-hoc projects aligned with Group strategy and vision
• Establish relationships with senior stakeholders and evolve the risk-based audit plan

Skills

Team leadership

Coaching and development

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Risk and controls assessment

Strong communication

Education

Professional qualification in internal audit

Job description

Job Description

Job Type: Permanent

Location:Edinburgh or Birmingham on a hybrid basis, with normally a minimum of 2 days a week working in the office and the rest working at home. We believe that benefits both you and our business, helping ensure that you can balance a successful career with your life outside of work while maximising the value of face‑to‑face stakeholder engagement. You can meet and work with our colleagues in different locations as required by the audit work you undertake, and thus an appropriate level of business travel is expected with this role.

Flexible working:All roles are open to part‑time, job‑share and other types of flexibility. We will discuss what is important to you and balancing this with business requirements during the recruitment process.You can read more about flexible working here.

Closing Date: 20th September 2026

Salary and benefits: Up to £100k depending on experience, plus an indicative bonus range of 30% to 60%, private medical cover, 38 days annual leave, excellent pension, 12x salary life assurance, career breaks, income protection, 3x volunteering days and much more.

The role

As aSenior Internal Audit Manager,you will play a key leadership role within Group Internal Audit and make a real difference to Standard Life. You will provide strategic assurance and influential insight, challenging the effectiveness of the risk management, governance and the control environment, across Standard Life’s Customer, Operations and Outsourced Services Provider activities.

You will lead and develop a team of Internal Audit Managers and Auditors to deliver a portfolio of audits across Customer, Operations and Outsourced Services Providers, taking accountability for the quality, impact and timely delivery of the portfolio. You will also oversee Management Action verification. You will also support ad‑hoc projects across a variety of areas, focusing on key outcomes aligned with the Group’s strategy, core social purpose and aligned to GIA’s strategic vision.

A key part of the role will be establishing influential relationships with a wide range of senior stakeholders, generating trust, providing insight and communicating complex and challenging messages effectively. You will also work with the Head of Audit to evolve the risk based audit plan.

The ideal candidate will have the following attributes and skills:

• Proven ability to lead, coach and develop an audit team, creating an inclusive, high performing team.
• Strong leadership and resource management skills including : planning and organisation skills, balancing audit deliveries with external demands/responsibilities and managing multiple activities and priorities
• Strong strategic and commercial awareness, with the ability to understand Standard Life’s strategy and evolving risk profile.
• A breadth of knowledge required across the full spectrum of Customer, Operations and Outsourced Service Provider control frameworks
• Sound judgement and analytical skills with the ability to assess complex risks and controls and identify key root cause themes across varied/complex key business areas and articulating an appropriate high level control opinion to senior management.
• A strong track record of building trusted relationships and influencing at senior management level. Excellent communication skills, with the ability to distil complex messages and challenge and influence at executive and senior management level and at senior governance and board committees.
• The ability to lead effectively through change, make timely decisions and balance competing stakeholder and delivery priorities. Demonstrable ability to adapt and deliver in a fast‑moving complex and changing environment

What are we looking for?

• Professionally qualified (or working towards a relevant qualification) is desirable but not essential e.g. CMIIA, PIIA, ACCA, ICAS, CIMA, or equivalent.
• Experience in managing or providing assurance over Customer Outcomes, Operational processes and controls and Outsourcing and Third‑Party Management is desirable.
• Previous Internal Audit, External Audit, Risk Assurance experience required, ideally within a Financial Services organisation.
• Good regulatory awareness, understanding the impact of regulations on your portfolio.

What is in it for you?

Bring your ‘whole self,’ skills and dedication to Standard Life and we’ll internally recognise your effort, support your development, and help to drive your ambition. We’ll ensure you’re rewarded for your contribution with a competitive package! This includes an attractive pension, annual bonus potential, generous holiday entitlement, enhanced maternity, and adoption leave and a range of other financial services and lifestyle flexible benefits.

We are a small team covering a wide remit, which means huge opportunities for your learning and growth.You will:

• Be part of an audit team who are well respected, trusted and relied upon by the Board to bring an independent view of the business and help influence positive outcomes.
• Build your network across Standard Life and develop relationships with Senior Leadership.
• Learn to think strategically to assess how business units and functions are working together and contributing to the Group Strategy.
• And finally, you will be part of a truly collaborative, high performing and diverse team where people development is at the heart of what we do. We really want everyone to thrive and succeed.

We want to hire the whole version of you.

We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels accepted and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If your experience looks different from what we’ve advertised and you believe that you can bring value to the role, we’d love to hear from you.

If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know so we can help you to be at your best.

Find out more about working at Standard Life

• Guide for Candidates:standardlifeplc.pagetiger.com/guideforcandidates
• Find or get answers from our colleagues:www.standardlifeplc.com/careers/talk-to-us