About the Internal Auditor role
An Internal Auditor provides independent assurance that a company's risk management, internal controls, and governance processes work as intended. They plan and execute audits across financial, operational, and compliance areas, test controls, document findings, and recommend improvements. Unlike external auditors, they work inside the organization year-round and focus on making the business stronger, not just on the financial statements. The best ones are trusted advisors as much as inspectors.
The role requires objectivity, analytical rigor, and diplomacy in equal measure. A strong internal auditor builds risk-based audit plans, digs into processes without disrupting them, and writes findings that are factual and hard to dispute. They then persuade process owners to fix issues and follow up until remediation is complete. Increasingly, they also use data analytics to test full populations rather than samples.
In your posting, describe your audit universe, whether the role covers SOX or other regulatory work, the industry-specific compliance areas involved, and how much travel to sites or subsidiaries is expected. Also clarify the reporting line, since independence depends on it and experienced auditors will ask. Candidates coming from public accounting firms will also want to hear how the workload compares with client service.
Internal Auditor job description template
Job brief
We are looking for an Internal Auditor to add value and improve our operations by bringing a systematic, disciplined approach to evaluating risk management, control, and governance processes. You will plan and execute audits across the business, document findings with solid evidence, recommend practical improvements, and track remediation to completion. To succeed in this role, you should combine strong accounting and controls knowledge with the independence to report what you find and the tact to get it fixed.
Responsibilities
- Develop and execute a risk-based annual audit plan covering financial, operational, and compliance areas
- Perform audit procedures, including walkthroughs, control testing, and substantive analysis
- Evaluate the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls
- Document work papers and evidence to professional auditing standards
- Identify control gaps, process inefficiencies, and instances of noncompliance
- Write clear audit reports with practical, risk-ranked recommendations
- Present findings to management and agree on remediation plans and deadlines
- Follow up on outstanding findings and verify that corrective actions work
- Coordinate with external auditors and support regulatory examinations
- Conduct ad hoc investigations into suspected fraud, waste, or policy violations
Requirements and skills
- Proven working experience as an Internal Auditor, or in external audit with a desire to move in-house
- Solid knowledge of auditing standards, internal control frameworks such as COSO, and risk assessment methodology
- Strong understanding of accounting principles under GAAP or IFRS
- Experience testing controls and documenting work papers independently
- Advanced Excel skills and comfort analyzing large datasets
- Excellent report writing and presentation skills
- High integrity, sound judgment, and the ability to remain objective under pressure
- BSc in Accounting, Finance, or a related field
Nice to have
- CIA, CPA, or CISA certification, or active progress toward one
- Experience with SOX compliance testing and documentation
- Familiarity with data analytics tools such as ACL, IDEA, or Power BI for audit testing
- Experience auditing IT general controls or working with IT audit specialists
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