Senior Internal Auditor: Risk & Controls Leader

Foundation; England; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Foundation is seeking a Senior Internal Auditor to lead risk-based assurance across designated areas of the Group. You will own end-to-end audits, from risk assessment through to reporting, with independent challenge of governance, risk and controls.

You will work with senior leaders to develop the Internal Audit Plan, oversee co-sourced and specialist audits, and deliver high-quality, evidence-based findings and actions to strengthen controls across the organisation.

Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification such as CIA, CMIIA, ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent.
• Significant experience within internal audit, risk, assurance or a closely related discipline.
• Significant experience of planning and delivering internal audit assignments from initial scoping through to final reporting and follow-up.
• Advanced understanding of risk-based auditing, internal controls, governance and risk management principles.
• The ability to identify and assess key business risks and evaluate the effectiveness of associated controls.
• Experience producing high-quality audit reports for senior management audiences.
• Highly effective stakeholder management skills, with the confidence and credibility to engage with and constructively challenge senior colleagues.
• Professional curiosity and an inquisitive mindset to understand root causes, emerging risks and opportunities to strengthen the control environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of risk-based internal audit reviews across the Group, ensuring assignments are completed to a consistently high professional standard.
• Deliver project and change assurance reviews across strategic initiatives, assessing programme governance, risk management, delivery effectiveness and key controls.
• Undertake preliminary risk assessments and develop clear, proportionate audit scopes and objectives.
• Plan and conduct audit fieldwork, including process walkthroughs, control testing, data analytics, evidence review and stakeholder interviews.
• Evaluate the design and operating effectiveness of governance, risk management and internal control arrangements, applying professional scepticism.
• Identify control weaknesses, root causes, emerging risks and opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes.
• Develop pragmatic, risk-based recommendations that address identified weaknesses and their root causes, while taking account of the commercial and operational environment.
• Produce clear, concise and evidence-based audit reports, appropriately communicating findings, risk ratings and agreed management actions.
• Present and discuss audit findings with management, constructively challenging where necessary to ensure risks are appropriately understood and addressed.
• Monitor the implementation of agreed audit actions and undertake appropriate validation and follow-up activity.
• Escalate significant control weaknesses, overdue actions and areas of concern to the Group Head of Internal Audit.
• Act as the internal audit lead for designated business areas, maintaining a deep understanding of associated risks, controls and emerging developments, and leading delivery of the Internal Audit Plan in these areas.
• Undertake ongoing risk assessment across the Group to identify areas where independent assurance may be required.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of the Internal Audit Strategy through insights gained from audit activity, stakeholder engagement and emerging risk assessment.
• Engage with senior stakeholders to understand the changes within their areas, emerging risks and potential assurance requirements.
• Contribute to the periodic review and refresh of the internal audit universe and associated risk assessments.
• Recommend changes to audit priorities where changes in the Group's risk profile or external environment warrant additional assurance.
• Identify themes and systemic issues arising across individual audits and consider their wider implications for the Group's control environment.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Auditing

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Project management

Education

CIA/CMIIA/ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent

Job description

Foundation is seeking a Senior Internal Auditor to lead risk-based assurance across designated areas of the Group. You will own end-to-end audits, from risk assessment through to reporting, with independent challenge of governance, risk and controls.

You will work with senior leaders to develop the Internal Audit Plan, oversee co-sourced and specialist audits, and deliver high-quality, evidence-based findings and actions to strengthen controls across the organisation.