Senior Manager - SME (Audit)

Position Overview

The Senior Manager - SME (Audit) is a pivotal leadership role dedicated to client engagement, focusing primarily on the Financial Services sector and other heavily regulated industries. This position transcends traditional internal audit activities by integrating governance, risk, and technology with transformational initiatives. The individual will collaborate closely with high-level client executives, including Chief Audit Executives (CAE), Chief Financial Officers (CFO), Chief Risk Officers (CRO), Chief Information Officers (CIO), and Chief Technology Officers (CTO), to modernize audit frameworks through embedding analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) into assurance practices and enhancing governance structures.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted advisor to senior client leaders in audit, risk, compliance, finance, and technology functions.
• Lead dialogues to assess audit maturity levels, regulatory demands, and digital transformation goals.
• Conduct executive workshops and diagnostic assessments of current audit capabilities.
• Develop client strategies to advance internal audit via analytics, automation, and AI-driven assurance.
• Serve as nexus between client audit/business units and internal product, data, and engineering teams.
• Design and refine scalable technology-enabled audit and assurance solutions tailored for financial and regulated sectors.
• Convert audit and regulatory prerequisites into reusable frameworks, accelerators, and solution components.
• Contribute to the creation of go-to-market assets, proposals, and client-facing presentations.
• Support sales efforts by positioning distinct audit analytics, continuous monitoring, and AI-enhanced assurance capabilities.
• Identify integration opportunities for data, automation, and advanced analytics in audit workflows.
• Deliver subject matter expertise in audit methodologies, governance, and internal controls.
• Advise on the design and effectiveness of controls across business processes, technology, data, and AI domains.
• Translate audit findings into actionable recommendations aligned with organizational and technology contexts.
• Assist clients in bolstering transparency, accountability, and oversight in control functions.
• Ensure compliance with standards in Quality, Health, Safety and Environment (QHSE), Business Continuity, Information Security, Privacy, Risk, and Governance.
• Serve as an advocate for incorporating data-driven and AI-based transformations in audit practices.
• Keep abreast of regulatory shifts and supervisory expectations impacting audit and assurance.
• Create thought leadership content, executive summaries, and industry analyses.
• Represent the company at industry events, client forums, and strategic discussions.

Qualifications and Experience

• 8 to 12+ years in internal audit, external audit, or risk advisory environments, especially within Financial Services or regulated sectors.
• Comprehensive knowledge of audit methodologies, governance structures, and internal control systems.
• Proven experience in client advisory roles with consulting or engagement management exposure.
• Capability to evaluate business processes, IT platforms, data environments, and digital transformation efforts.
• Strong communication skills for bridging technical and business stakeholder conversations.
• Experience engaging executive-level stakeholders such as CAE, CFO, CRO, CIO, and CTO.
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Information Systems, or related disciplines.
• Background in modernizing audit functions through analytics, automation, or digital technologies.
• Familiarity with data governance, cybersecurity, AI, and technology risk is advantageous.
• Experience in supporting regulatory audits, supervisory reviews, or large transformation initiatives.