Lead Internal Auditor (Senior Associate)

Lead Internal Auditor (Senior Associate)

Division - Internal Audit

Department - Internal Audit

Salary - National ranging from £51,200 to £72,000 and London ranging from £56,400 to £80,000 per annum (salary offered will be based on skills and experience)

About the FCA The FCA regulates the conduct of 45,000 firms in the UK to ensure our financial markets are honest, fair and competitive. Follow this link to find out more About the FCA.

Internal Audit at the FCA is unique. Our Auditors are provided with the opportunity to get an overview of the whole organisation and an opportunity to understand all aspects of how the FCA regulates financial services in the UK.

The work of the division is varied; audits are conducted across the full spectrum of the FCA’s regulatory remit and operational activities that enable the FCA to operate. The work of the Internal Audit division is stretching and rewarding. Each group audit is an opportunity to learn more about the depth and breadth of the organisational remit and recommend improvements to the control environment, whilst engaging with senior and executive management.

We are looking for candidates, , such as Internal Audit Managers that have experience in industry of non-financial, operational audits and are looking for a new challenge. The role would suit someone who thrives in a strategic and complex environment, enjoys variety, has a forensic mindset, is able to hold their own with senior management and wants to take ownership for audit delivery and their own development. 

We are recruiting for 3 permanent Lead Internal Auditors at Senior Associate level.

What you will be doing

The work requires a high degree of professional excellence, credibility, integrity, curiosity, critical thinking, and resilience, and will give the right candidate the opportunity to oversee small groups to conduct audits across the regulatory cycle and other supporting business activities, which include:

• Use analytical skills to bring together different sources of information to form judgements about what reviews should consider and the adequacy and effectiveness of key controls

• Use project disciplines to provide oversight of your audit team, set and deliver to key milestones, identify, and manage dependencies and quickly escalate any barriers to delivery

• Identify issues, including being able to articulate strategic issues, control weaknesses and gaps based on sufficient evidence to support judgements. Use the intelligence obtained during audits and from network contacts to assist the division to spot common themes

• Attend meetings with senior management, demonstrating effective listening and be courageous to agree audit findings

• Write a high quality, clear and focused report for the FCA’s leadership that is risk based and adds value

• Build and maintain strong working relationships with multiple stakeholders including Executive Directors

• Build a portfolio of work and self-manage multiple pieces of audit and non-audit work at the same time

What you will get from the role

• A varied workload that provides a unique overview and insight into all divisions of the FCA

• Opportunity to understand and challenge business processes and influence change at Senior Management level within the FCA

• Exposure to a wide range of staff across the FCA, including contact with FCA executive team

• Opportunity to build regulatory knowledge and understanding of the internal audit profession

• Opportunity to work in a small, dynamic division with a strong collaborative culture

Which skills are required?

We are a Disability Confident Employer; therefore, disabled people or individuals with long-term conditions who best meet the minimum criteria for a role will go through to the next stage of the recruitment process. (To learn more about the Disability Confident Scheme Click Here)

Minimum

• Previous internal and/or external audit experience which includes identifying and assessing key areas of risk and identifying and evaluating key controls

• Demonstrable prior experience of internal audit reviews and or assurance reviews delivered against agreed standards, timescales, and budgets

• Excellent written communication skills

Essential

• Experience of leading teams, coaching, and providing feedback and delegating effectively

• Proven project management skills, including the ability to apply project management disciplines in the delivery of audit reviews on time and budget in accordance with audit methodologies

• Demonstratable experience of developing and maintaining strong working relationships and communicate effectively with a wide variety of stakeholders at all levels of the organisation

• Critical thinking and strong analytical problem-solving skills; ability to interpret complex issues, distil key points to be addressed and develop creative, effective, and practical recommendations to resolve problems

• Strong attention to detail and a forensic mindset to challenge assumptions and the ability to quickly absorb complex information

• The ability to challenge constructively and to follow issues through while also having resilience to deal with challenges and setbacks

• The ability to influence, listen and work collaboratively as part of a team

• The ability to ask probing questions and make judgements under pressure

Our Values & Diversity

We are proud to be an inclusive employer and our ambition is to cultivate a culture for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences and similarities enable us to be a better organisation – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation, and delivers better regulation.

Within the workplace you will have access to various employee resource groups which aim to promote and achieve a healthy work / life balance and support our diversity ambitions.

Did you know? 50% of our Executive Committee were the first in their family to attend university.

The FCA is committed to achieving greater diversity across all levels of the organisation. Given this, we particularly welcome applications from women, minority ethnic, disabled, and neurodivergent candidates for our Senior Associate role.

Benefits of working at the FCA

• 25 days holiday per year plus bank holidays

• Hybrid working (work from home up to 60% of your time)

• Private healthcare with Bupa 

• A non-contributory Pension of at least 8%

• Life assurance

• Income protection

We also have a competitive flexible benefits scheme which gives you the opportunity to create a personalised benefits package, tailored to suit your lifestyle.

We welcome applications from candidates who are looking for flexible arrangements. Many of our staff work flexibly including working part-time, staggered hours, and job shares. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want but we can explore what might work best for both sides.

Follow this link to see what life is like at the FCA - Life at the FCA

Application Support

We are dedicated to removing barriers and ensuring our application process is accessible to everyone. We offer a range of adjustments to make your application experience as comfortable and straightforward as possible.

If you have an accessibility need, disability, or condition requiring changes to the recruitment process, please contact your recruiter using the details below and they will be happy to discuss this further with you.

Useful Information and Timeline

• This role is graded Senior Associate - Regulatory

• Advert Closing Date: 3rd April 2025

• CV Review/Shortlist: 8th April 2025

• Competency Based Interview: W/C 14th April 2025

Your Recruiter will discuss the process in detail with you during screening for the role, therefore, please make them aware if you are going to be unavailable for any date during this time. 

Got a question?

If you are interested in learning more about the role, please contact Katie Ayling at katie.ayling@fca.org.uk.

Applications must be submitted through our online portal. Applications sent via email will not be accepted.