Head of Internal Audit

Korn Ferry; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Korn Ferry is seeking a Head of Internal Audit in San Francisco to build and lead a best-in-class function reporting to the Chief Accounting Officer. You will drive enterprise-wide risk management, governance, and internal controls across financial, operational, and IT domains.

You will partner with senior leaders to remediate findings, evolve controls, and guide the organization through a dynamic, high-growth environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance or Accounting or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of accounting and/or audit experience with leadership of complex engagements.
• Strong knowledge of risk management frameworks and internal audit methodologies.
• Proven ability to build collaborative relationships across functions and influence organizational change through audit insights.
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills, including comfort delivering complex messages to senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Oversight – Lead the execution of the annual audit plan across corporate shared services.
• Audit Lifecycle Management – Oversee all phases of the audit lifecycle, including risk assessment, planning, fieldwork, reporting, and follow-up.
• Advisory & Assurance – Guide teams delivering assurance and advisory engagements; review and approve audit planning, testing, and documentation.
• Risk Mitigation – Assess enterprise and business risks and recommend practical mitigation strategies to senior leadership.
• Stakeholder Partnership – Partner with leaders across the organization to develop action plans and drive closure of audit findings.
• Compliance & External Support – Oversee external audit assist testing, including conclusions and remediation support.
• Operational Evolution – Provide ongoing audit and risk advisory guidance as products and regulatory requirements evolve.
• Resource Management – Manage budgets, timelines, and resource allocation to meet all audit commitments.
• Team Development – Coach, mentor, and develop audit leaders and team members.

Skills

Leadership

Risk Management

Internal Audit

Stakeholder Engagement

Communication

Project Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance/Accounting

CPA/CIA preferred

Job description

Position: Head of Internal Audit

Reporting Relationship: Chief Accounting Officer

COMPANY BACKGROUND

Our client is a rapidly growing technology and infrastructure company operating at the intersection of digital infrastructure, energy, and advanced computing. The organization is building and scaling mission-critical infrastructure to support the significant growth in computing and technology demands.

The Company operates in a dynamic, highly complex environment and is experiencing significant growth across its operations. Its continued expansion is creating the need to further develop its corporate infrastructure, risk management capabilities, internal controls, and governance processes.

The organization has an entrepreneurial, high-performance culture and is looking for leaders who thrive in fast-moving environments, operate with a strong sense of urgency, and are comfortable building processes and capabilities as the business continues to evolve.

POSITION OVERVIEW

Reporting to the Chief Accounting Officer, the Head of Internal Audit will play a critical role in building a best-in-class internal audit function that directly supports the Company’s strategic objectives. This individual will serve as the strategic architect of the organization’s risk management framework.

The Company is seeking a high-integrity leader who can balance rigorous compliance with a forward-thinking, consultative approach to business processes. The Head of Internal Audit will lead the internal audit function to ensure financial, operational, and IT controls are robust while providing the Executive Team and Board with the insights necessary to navigate an increasingly complex operating and regulatory environment.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategic Oversight – Lead the execution of the annual audit plan across corporate shared services, ensuring alignment with broader business priorities.

Audit Lifecycle Management – Oversee all phases of the audit lifecycle, including risk assessment, planning, fieldwork, reporting, and follow-up.

Advisory & Assurance – Guide teams delivering assurance and advisory engagements; review and approve audit planning, testing, and documentation to ensure quality and consistency.

Risk Mitigation – Assess enterprise and business risks and recommend practical, effective mitigation strategies to senior leadership.

Stakeholder Partnership – Partner with leaders across the organization to develop action plans and drive the timely closure of audit findings.

Compliance & External Support – Oversee external audit assist testing, including conclusions and remediation support when required.

Operational Evolution – Provide ongoing audit and risk advisory guidance as the Company’s products, operations, and regulatory requirements evolve.

Resource Management – Manage budgets, timelines, and resource allocation to meet all audit commitments.

Team Development – Coach, mentor, and develop audit leaders and team members while fostering a culture of trust, accountability, and professional growth.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of accounting and/or audit experience, with a proven track record of leading complex audit engagements from planning through closure.
• Strong knowledge of risk management frameworks and internal audit methodologies.
• Proven ability to build collaborative relationships across functions and influence organizational change through audit insights.
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills, including comfort delivering complex or difficult messages to senior leaders.
• Strong organizational and project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities under tight timelines.
• Ability to operate effectively within a rapidly growing, evolving organization.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• CPA, CIA, or similar professional certification.
• Public accounting experience, ideally with a Big Four or similarly sophisticated firm.
• Experience leading assurance and advisory work at the enterprise level.
• Proven experience managing and developing other managers.
• Ability to translate technical risk into clear, actionable business guidance