Senior Audit Manager (Shared Services)

As a Senior Audit Manager in the medium term you may be allocated to client specific teams or our central resourcing team. All Senior Audit Managers have a strategic leadership and delivery role within the Agency and will be responsible for delivering a high-quality, impactful audit programme. In the short term we will allocate you to our Audit Profession and Practice team to lead on developing our approach to the internal audit of the new shared services clusters in government.

You will be an experienced, confident and strategic leader providing portfolio direction and alignment, adept at fostering a culture of continuous improvement, upholding quality assurance, championing innovation and driving professional development and learning for our people. You will identify key risks and engage with stakeholders with credibility and impact, working closely with colleagues including Group Chief Internal Auditors (GCIAs) to shape and drive the implementation of audit strategies and plans. 

This role offers a strong platform for career progression within the Agency and the wider Civil Service, providing opportunities to develop leadership, stakeholder engagement and strategic relationship management skills across government. GIAA’s unique access across the public sector exposes you to different risk and control environments, allowing you to gain insights, apply experience, contribute meaningfully, and continue developing professionally. 

Role responsibilities

• Take a strategic leadership and delivery role leading and managing the development of the Agency’s and wider function's approach to the internal audit of the new government shared service clusters.
• Shape and drive the implementation of a shared services audit strategy and plan, identifying key risks, you will engage stakeholders with credibility and impact and work closely with colleagues including Group Chief Internal Auditors (GCIAs).
• Have a key role in upholding quality assurance and strengthening the function, including championing the development of a risk-orientated culture. You will ensure timeliness of each review in line with budget and compliance with GIAA audit methodology and systems.
• Close liaison with a range of senior internal and external stakeholders. 

In the longer term as a Grade 6 Senior Audit Manager, you may also be required to fulfil a wider range of responsibilities to meet different client requirements. These may include:

• Provide portfolio direction and alignment you will foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and learning, ensuring audit services remain responsive to risk priorities.
• Fulfil the role of Head of Internal Audit (HIA – the equivalent of the Chief Audit Executive in the Global Internal Audit Standards in the UK Public Sector) for Arm’s Length Bodies (subject to appropriate opportunities being available).
• Provide leadership and oversight as a People Manager and/or Engagement Manager in a matrix model for a team of auditors across multiple regions. (Specific training will be given if you are allocated a People Manager role due to the Line Management responsibilities).
• Support the GCIA in reporting to audit committees including the development of audit strategies and plans, progress reporting and delivering opinions on the effectiveness of governance, risk management and internal control.
• Lead the strategic management of client relationships, including regular engagement with senior client management and audit committees, factoring in, where appropriate, attendance at ARACs and preparation of ARAC papers.

1. Significant experience in effective decision making, successfully planning, managing, and delivering a portfolio of risk-based internal audits to time, quality and budget including the ability to assess skills and resource gaps in audit service delivery. For this post we are particularly interested in candidates with strong track record in the internal audit of financial systems and shared services.
2. Leading and supporting change at a team and organisational level, adopting a continuous improvement approach which contributes to the wider corporate responsibilities of the organisations.
3. Strong strategic thinking skills and an ability to interpret complex, conflicting information and make sound judgements. The ability to build and maintain strong relationships across an organisation at all levels, influencing senior stakeholders to adopt good practice internal control, risk management and governance processes.
4. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to interpret complex audit judgements and deliver insight for senior and specialist audiences.
5. Proven track record in successfully leading, managing and developing teams in a matrix management setting either as an engagement supervisor or people manager.

To apply for this role, you will need to submit your employment history, personal details and provide a statement of suitability of no more than 1,000 words, referring to the person specification.

Please note only your statement of suitability will be assessed at the sift stage.

Candidates invited to interview will be required to give a short presentation to the interview panel followed by questions. At interview you will be assessed on experience, strengths and the following technical skills:

• Strategic analysis and stakeholder engagement
• IA client relationships
• Producing a proportionate, well rounded plan
• Professional and quality standards

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Strategic analysis and stakeholder engagement
• IA client relationships
• Producing a proportionate, well rounded plan
• Professional and quality standards

• Competitive salaries and in-year rewards
• Flexible working
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Discount on big brands
• Volunteering days
• Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Schemes
• Free eyesight tests
• Family-friendly HR policies
• 25 days’ annual leave increasing by one day per year of service to 30 days after 5 years’ service
• Geographically based Agency