The role of the Audit Manager - Advisory and Thematic Risk Assurance is to provide independent, objective, and forward-looking advisory and thematic assurance on key risks, transformation initiatives, and governance processes across Family Bank. This position is crucial for delivering strategic insights, risk advisory, and thematic reviews aimed at enhancing organizational resilience, strengthening control maturity, and supporting the Bank’s strategic objective toward Tier 1 excellence.
Key Responsibilities
Advisory and Thematic Risk Assurance
- Design and execute thematic reviews focusing on emerging risks, business transformation, digitalization, and governance effectiveness.
- Conduct strategic and risk-based advisory assignments to support the implementation of new products, processes, and systems.
- Provide independent assurance over change management projects, process reengineering, and system implementations.
- Monitor and evaluate the Bank’s preparedness for regulatory, ESG, and digital transformation risks.
- Identify and communicate thematic insights and systemic control weaknesses across business units.
Audit Strategy and Planning
- Contribute to the development of the Internal Audit annual plan, focusing on thematic and strategic risk areas.
- Align audit coverage with the Bank’s 5-year transformation roadmap and strategic priorities.
- Develop advisory frameworks to assess control design, risk culture, and business resilience.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Build strong working relationships with business executives, risk and compliance teams, and transformation offices.
- Provide advisory input into new initiatives, product launches, and automation projects to ensure controls are embedded early.
- Present thematic findings and risk trends to Executive Management, the Audit Committee, and the Board.
- Offer thought leadership on emerging audit practices and industry trends.
Innovation, Governance, and Continuous Improvement
- Embed data-driven insights into thematic reviews and advisory engagements.
- Drive the integration of continuous auditing and analytics into thematic assurance activities.
- Support capability building within the audit team through coaching and knowledge sharing.
- Contribute to the refinement of the Internal Audit Methodology to align with best practices (IIA Standards).
Technical Competencies
- Risk-Based Auditing: Expert knowledge of risk assessment, control frameworks (COSO, COBIT), and risk-based audit planning.
- Advisory & Consulting Skills: Ability to deliver value-adding insights and practical advisory reports on governance, risk, and controls.
- Thematic Audit Methodology: Skilled in designing thematic reviews covering systemic and cross-functional risks.
- Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC): Deep understanding of enterprise risk management, regulatory requirements, and internal control systems.
- Data Analytics & Visualization: Ability to leverage analytics tools (e.g., Power BI, ACL, SQL) to derive insights during audits.
- Transformation & Change Assurance: Experience auditing major projects, digital transformations, and process automation initiatives.
- Banking Operations Knowledge: In-depth understanding of retail, corporate, MSME, and digital banking processes.
- Report Writing & Presentation: Excellent analytical writing, storytelling, and presentation skills for Board-level reporting.
Behavioural Competencies
- Strategic Thinking: Connects thematic insights to strategic business priorities and transformation outcomes.
- Professional Judgment: Applies sound judgment when evaluating emerging risks and control implications.
- Influencing & Relationship Management: Builds trusted relationships and constructively challenges management.
- Innovation & Learning Agility: Embraces new assurance techniques and drives adoption within the audit team.
- Integrity & Independence: Demonstrates objectivity and ethical judgment at all times.
- Results Orientation: Consistently delivers high-quality, actionable insights that drive improvement.
- Communication Skills: Clearly articulates complex risk themes to diverse audiences, including the Board.
- Leadership & Coaching: Provides guidance and fosters a learning culture within the audit team.
Qualifications and Experience
Academic Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Economics, or related field.
- A Master’s degree in Risk Management, Finance, or Business Analytics is an added advantage.
Professional Certifications:
- Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) – mandatory.
- Additional certifications such as CPA/ACCA, CRMA, CISA, or CFA are preferred.
- Training in Risk Management, Project Assurance, or Data Analytics is desirable.
Experience:
- Minimum of 8 years of progressive audit experience, with at least 3 years in a managerial or thematic assurance role.
- Proven experience in advisory engagements, governance reviews, or strategic risk assurance within the financial sector.
- Exposure to digital banking, automation, transformation projects, and risk analytics highly desirable.
