Senior IT Auditor

Whitbread PLC; Dunstable, Houghton Regis; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus 30%

Pension up to 10%

Premier Inn stays discount up to 60%

Job summary

Whitbread PLC is seeking an experienced IT Auditor to provide independent assurance over our technology, cyber and data risk landscape across UK and international operations. You will join a high-profile Internal Audit & Risk team, partnering with senior leaders and ExCo to translate complex risks into clear business impacts and drive continuous improvement across audit lifecycle.

You will use Power BI and AI tools to enhance planning, testing and insights, and contribute to governance updates

Qualifications

• Degree educated with a CISA qualification and knowledge of IT governance, risk, security and control frameworks.
• Proven IT audits experience in listed, multi-site or global organisations or Big Four.
• Strong technology risk expertise across cyber security, cloud services, third-party risk, data governance, resilience.
• Experience using Power BI for data analytics and applying AI tools to audit processes.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Support development of IT Audit Plan identifying key technology, cyber and data risks.
• Plan and deliver IT, integrated and programme assurance audits with risk assessments, testing and reporting.
• Evaluate IT controls, identify improvements and provide practical recommendations.
• Produce high-quality audit reports and governance updates for senior management and Audit Committee.
• Leverage data analytics and AI tools to enhance audit planning, testing and insights.
• Provide assurance on technology, cyber, data governance and major transformation programmes.
• Drive continuous improvement across Internal Audit methodologies and analytics capabilities.

Skills

IT audit

Risk assessment

Stakeholder management

Data analytics

Power BI

AI tools

Education

Bachelor's degree

CISA certification

Tools

COBIT

ITIL

NIST

GDPR

PCI DSS

Job description

At Whitbread, we're on a mission to deliver exceptional experiences through trusted technology, data and digital innovation. We're looking for an experienced IT Auditor to provide independent assurance over our technology, cyber and data risk landscape across our UK and international operations.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a high-profile Internal Audit & Risk team, working closely with senior leaders, technology stakeholders, ExCo and the Audit Committee. You'll combine deep technical expertise with strong business acumen, helping Whitbread identify risks, strengthen controls and deliver strategic change with confidence.

As a trusted advisor, you'll translate complex technology and cyber risks into clear business impacts, while leveraging data analytics and AI-enabled approaches to drive insight and continuous improvement across the audit lifecycle.

What you'll be doing

• Support the development of Whitbread's IT Audit Plan, identifying key technology, cyber and data risks across the business.
• Plan and deliver IT, integrated and programme assurance audits, including risk assessments, testing, stakeholder engagement and audit reporting.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of IT controls, identify improvement opportunities and provide practical risk-based recommendations.
• Produce high-quality audit reports and governance updates for senior management, ExCo and the Audit Committee.
• Leverage data analytics, Power BI and AI tools such as Microsoft Copilot and Claude to enhance audit planning, testing and insight generation.
• Provide assurance and guidance on technology, cyber, data governance, resilience and major transformation programmes.
• Drive continuous improvement across Internal Audit methodologies, data analytics capabilities and auditing practices.

Why you'll love it here

Bonus 30%

Up to 10% contributory pension

Up to 60% off Premier inn and Hub stays

What You'll Need

• Professional qualifications and technical expertise– Degree educated with a CISA qualification and a strong understanding of IT governance, risk, security and control frameworks including COBIT, ITIL, NIST, GDPR and PCI DSS.
• Strong IT audit and assurance experience– Proven track record delivering IT audits within a listed, multi-site or global organisation and/or a Big Four environment, with experience of integrated IT/business process audits and programme assurance reviews for major transformation initiatives.
• Technology risk expertise– Deep knowledge of key technology risk areas including cyber security, cloud services, third-party technology risk, access management, data governance, resilience and emerging technology risks.
• Data analytics and AI capabilities– Advanced experience using Power BI and data visualisation techniques to deliver meaningful insights, with the ability to responsibly apply AI-enabled tools such as Microsoft Copilot and Claude to enhance audit planning, testing, reporting and analysis.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills– Able to communicate complex technical risks in a clear, business-focused way, challenge and influence senior stakeholders, and build strong relationships across technology and business functions.
• Strong analytical thinking and professional judgement– Able to apply professional scepticism, critical thinking and sound judgement to identify risks, evaluate controls and deliver high-quality audit outcomes.