Assistant Manager - Internal Audit

WPP; Maharashtra; Hybrid; INR 1,400,000 - 2,200,000; Full time

Job summary

WPP is seeking an Assistant Audit Manager to support the EMEA and South Asia Team. You will conduct operational audits, analyze risks, and identify opportunities for control improvements, working across diverse businesses.

Location options include Mumbai or Delhi with up to 30% travel. The role requires strong communication, project management, and ability to handle multiple audits in a hybrid setup.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of post-qualification experience in operational auditing, risk management, compliance, or financial analysis.
• Experience in an international environment.
• Strong proficiency in MS Office and data analytics tools.
• COSO familiarity and knowledge of Sarbanes-Oxley.

Responsibilities

• Execute internal audits for assigned cycles, review financial controls and test compliance with internal policies and laws.
• Ensure adherence to policies, standards, and relevant regulations across operations.
• Deliver projects on time, manage multiple assignments, and present findings to leadership.
• Prepare and present audit reports to the Regional Head of Audit, documenting risks and recommendations.
• Maintain timely audit work papers and documentation in the audit software.
• Contribute to investigations and ad hoc assignments as needed.

Skills

Risk management

Data analysis

Written communication

Verbal communication

Project management

Stakeholder management

Attention to detail

Team collaboration

Time management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in accounting/finance/business or related field

CA / MBA

COSO familiarity

Sarbanes-Oxley knowledge

Tools

MS Office

Data analytics tools

Job description

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands.

We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth.

We work with the world's most valuable brands and have global reach across 100+ markets, with deep local expertise.

Our people are the key to our success. We're committed to fostering a culture of creativity, belonging and continuous learning, attracting and developing the brightest talent, and providing exciting career opportunities that help our people grow.

For more information, visit WPP.com.

Why we're hiring:

WPP is seeking an Assistant Audit Manager to support our EMEA and South Asia Team team and play a key role in shaping our future. In this role, you'll leverage your audit, risk, and compliance expertise to conduct operational audits across our diverse businesses, gaining valuable exposure to various areas of WPP. This is a unique opportunity to make a real difference by identifying opportunities for improvement and driving positive change.

We're looking for candidates with a strong background in Operations, Financial, Commercial, and Compliance auditing. You'll need to be able to analyse complex business processes, identify risks (including regulatory, organisational, policy, and technological), and develop meaningful findings. Excellent communication skills and a strong commercial understanding are essential.

Location

Mumbai or Delhi

Travel

Up to 30% (availability required)

What you'll be doing:

• Executing internal audits for assigned cycles of the audit program by reviewing financial controls and testing compliance with established internal control policies, procedures, regulations and laws as applicable:
• Compliance with policies, plans, standards, international best practices and applicable local laws and regulations that could have a significant impact on operations;
• Effectiveness in the accomplishment of objectives and goals established for operations and projects;
• Exercise discretion in the review of records to ensure confidentiality;
• Engages in multiple assignments concurrently
• Delivers projects, meeting deadlines around planning, execution and reporting
• Reviews work performed by the audit team on the project to ensure that the key risks identified in the risk statement have been adequately covered;
• Utilizes prior experience to identify previously captured lessons learned or best practices
• Identifies and recommends opportunities for improved efficiency
• Contributes to after-action reviews or post-mortem sessions to capture lessons learned
• Prepares and presents reports to the Regional Head of Audit about the results of audit engagements, significant risk exposures and control issues;
• Ensuring timely completion of Internal Audit work papers and audit program including documenting identified risks, issues and recommendations in the Internal Audit Software, TeamMate;
• Occasional adhoc assignments including investigations

What you'll need:

We want someone who can not only identify risks, but also translate those risks into business issues. You will provide consultative support to business partners to identify opportunities for control improvements. You must help prioritize findings and recommendations in tune with our corporate strategy. You should be able to facilitate multiple stakeholders to agree on appropriate solutions and verify that risks are mitigated appropriately. We value personality, insight, intellectual flexibility, teamwork and sound business judgment.

You must be an excellent writer who can succinctly communicate complicated issues in business terms. You must also be a strong project manager who can manage variable resources and conduct your own audits from beginning to end, often managing multiple projects at once.

You will be a person who anticipates problems and pro-actively seeks out solutions, whether working independently or as part of a team. You will have the ability to develop and sustain relationships with both internal and external customers, have a hands on attitude to work; and the flexibility to work as hard as the job demands.

Professional Skills

You must demonstrate:

• Strong risk management experience, including; performing risk assessments and audits, designing controls, and prioritizing risk.
• Strong analytical skills. Proven history of analyzing data, having attention to detail, and assessing situations to identify meaningful observations.
• Personal skills
• Self-starter, possess flexibility to work in a fast-changing environment and ambiguous situations and get things done
• Proven history of having built relationships and worked effectively across cross-functional teams and business functions
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. You will prepare reports and make presentations to senior level management. You will interact with various levels of employees to collect and communicate information.
• Ability to work independently, but also be a team player and critical thinker.
• Ability to manage multiple projects
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
• A naturally inquisitive, assertive (not aggressive) and tenacious character.
• Thorough and precise.
• Good communication skills - diplomatic and able to converse with a wide range of people.
• Able to prioritize and balance your own workload you have strong time management skills and the ability to work under minimal supervision
• One should be a sharp evaluator of risk, and he should enjoy investigating complex issues/situations and proposing solutions

Preferred Qualifications / Knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting/finance/business or related field and Advanced degree or relevant certifications - CA / MBA
• Risk focused and capable of using data analytics to gain insights into transactions
• Familiarity with COSO frameworks
• Knowledge of Sarbanes Oxley
• Big Four accounting firm experience is a plus

Relevant Work Experience

• 3+ years of post-qualification (advance degree) experience in operational auditing, risk management, compliance, or financial analysis, showing progression in areas for responsibility
• Previous experience in an international environment.
• Advanced computer skills on MS Office and exposure to data analytics tools.

Who you are:

You're open:

we are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open-minded: to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.

You're optimistic:

we approach all that we do with confidence: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.

You're extraordinary:

We are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.

What we'll give you:

Passionate, inspired people

we champion a culture of people that do extraordinary work

Scale and opportunity

we offer the opportunity to create, influence and deliver projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work

unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers.

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

Please read our Privacy Notice (https://www.wpp.com/en/careers/wpp-privacy-policy-for-recruitment) for more information on how we process the information you provide.