Job Profile for Internal Auditor

Job Details

Job title: Internal Auditor 

Salary/Grade: Grade 2-4 (Career Grade)

Service: Finance

Reports to: Audit Insurance & Fraud Manager

Manages/Supervises: N/A


Job purpose

To ensure that the Internal Audit function is carried out efficiently and effectively and in accordance with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards, supporting the service’s ability to provide a year-end opinion for reporting to Senior Managers and Members.

Principal Accountabilities

  • Responsible for planning, performing and completing allocated internal audit assignments using a risk-based approach to undertake complex audits effectively, including:
  • Assessing audit control environments by interviewing, challenging, and verifying information obtained, drawing conclusions, documenting and reporting findings, recommending solutions to address identified weaknesses, assessing and agreeing management responses to proposed action plans, and conducting any necessary follow-up reviews.
  • Develop and maintain excellent relationships with stakeholders, including colleagues, external auditors, other local authorities, and external organisations as appropriate.
  • Promote the work of Internal Audit within the Council by being a recognised expert in internal audit and exercising discretion and initiative in performance of the role.
  • Provide professional technical and innovative audit advice and guidance to management on financial/non-financial internal control, risk management, system design, governance matters, promoting best practice in the same.
  • Conduct special investigations of potential fraud or irregularity as required.
  • Contribute to investigation of potential fraud including through review of data matches.
  • Monitor completion of audit recommendations.
  • Perform work in accordance with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards and corporate protocols.
  • The role also supports the authority through provision of some system user administration, maintenance of some corporate records, and performance of some financial appraisals to contribute to procurement processes.

Corporate Accountabilities

  • To take responsibility for maintaining own health and attendance. 
  • To support, contribute and comply with quality and governance procedures as directed by management.
  • To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy in all areas of employment and service delivery.
  • Any other associated duties detailed by Head of Service or his representative.
  • To advise Line manager if, at any time, the above duties and responsibilities cannot be performed.
  • Any other duties as required to support the business, including maintaining business continuity and during civil emergencies.
  • To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Safeguarding Procedure in all areas of employment and service delivery.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

(Tested at application and interview stage)

Experience & Qualifications

  • Ideally a minimum of 5 GCSE’s Grade A-C, including Maths and English (or the equivalent)
  • Holds or is studying towards CIA/CMIIA or equivalent
  • Relevant experience gained from previous employment/ volunteer work

Skills and Knowledge

  • Good aptitude and well-developed ICT skills including MS Office based applications such as Word and Excel.  Demonstrates the use of Computer Assisted Audit Techniques (CAATS) in Internal Audit
  • Strong numerical skills and able to demonstrate ability to understand and analyse financial and non-financial data
  • Able to write clear reports identifying findings and recommendations
  • Able to understand complex issues and use knowledge and experience to develop solutions to meet service and organisational needs
  • Excellent organisational skills, able to deliver high quality audit work within agreed timescales
  • Excellent interpersonal skills, able to communicate effectively and assertively at all levels whilst being approachable and diplomatic, and to influence the attitudes and opinions of others to gain their agreement to ideas, proposals and courses of action
  • Aware of indicators of fraud, and the application of counter fraud & corruption measures

Competencies

(Tested at the interview stage)

Communicating Effectively 

Demonstrate the effective use of the range of communication methods available: written, spoken, electronic, and use these methods in appropriate ways suitable to the context and situation

  • present spoken communication in a polite, friendly and respectful manner seeking to ensure mutual understanding
  • listen well and seek clarification and understanding, avoiding jumping to conclusions or making assumptions
  • present information and ideas in a clear and understandable way which avoids jargon
  • seek to understand the communication needs of colleagues and customers, being mindful of equality issues and the diverse needs of the range of people we work with
  • choose the most appropriate method of communication for the situation, seeking to avoid using one fixed style or approach

Performing efficiently and effectively 

Promote good performance, developing clear, structured and efficient ways of managing workload and delivering results.  Staff should challenge themselves and others to perform well, and to adhere to the Council’s performance management systems

  • ensure that all work carried out by you is in line with business and service plans and supports the overall aims and ambition of the Council
  • plan your workload effectively, reporting achievements, and problems to appropriate managers and project leaders
  • see tasks and objectives through to completion
  • approach challenges with drive and enthusiasm
  • strive for continuous improvement in your work and manage your learning and development to enable you to perform to the best of your ability

Using and managing resources efficiently and effectively 

Demonstrate the effective and efficient use of the full range of resources used in and by the Council including time, finances, staffing, equipment, information, materials, buildings, etc.

  • take responsibility for managing your time, seeking efficient ways to carry out your work, maximising your output and minimising wastage
  • use and acquire materials effectively and efficiently minimising wastage, recycling where possible, and striving for cost effectiveness
  • seek out ways to improve the use of resources

Engaging with the customer

Understand the needs and requirements of their customers, to provide excellent customer service, and to involve customers in the improvement of services

  • provide a helpful and friendly service to customers both internally and externally
  • take responsibility for following up on enquiries and solving customer issues
  • make efforts to fully understand the customer’s needs, avoid assuming that “we know best”
  • ensure that you have a full understanding of the needs and requirements of the customer
  • seek feedback from internal and external customers on the effectiveness and efficiency of the service you provide

Working well together

Actively foster good working relationships with colleagues and customers in order to collectively achieve the Council’s direction and ambition

  • co-operate and work well with colleagues at all levels of the organisation seeking collective responsibility for the achievement of goals
  • demonstrate consideration, and respect for other’s feelings and opinions and avoid judging and making assumptions
  • maintain positive working relationships with external contacts in order to maintain the reputation of the Council
  • seek to actively solve problems and avoid passing the issue on to others or leaving the problem unresolved
  • demonstrate self-awareness of your style of working and develop flexibility and adaptability in order to work well with others

Other conditions

  • This post does require a DBS check 
  • This post is not politically restricted

Job Profile Reviewed  November 2022

Values and Behaviours

We have corporate values and behaviours that set the standard for the organisation and all our staff. These are integrated in all we do including recruitment, induction, performance review, apprenticeships and all our learning and development programmes.

  • P - Perform well and get things done
  • R - Respect and value customers and staff
  • I - Improve and learn
  • D - Deliver that bit extra
  • E - Efficient and effective

Following a number of workshops, which were attended by more than 100 members of staff from across all levels of the organisation, we have now developed a series of behaviours to support our PRIDE values.

Moving forward these will be implemented across the Council and will be used as part of performance reviews, induction procedures, the apprenticeship programme, and all training interventions.

P, Perform well and get things done

We will: We will not:
Take responsibility for our actions and be accountable Be negative or disruptive
Be positive, show enthusiasm and energy - it's infectious Be resistant to change 
Be flexible and adaptable to get things done  Put things off or ignore colleagues and customers 
Work well together and be committed to what we do Fail to manage our own performance 

R, Respect and value customers and staff

We will: We will not:
Be open and honest Be unhelpful or say 'It's not my job'
Listen and focus on customers' needs Say one thing and do another 
Be open-minded and treat everyone fairly  Disregard the views and opinions of others 
 

Support or tolerate a blame culture

I, Improve and learn

We will: We will not: 
Create opportunities for everyone to improve Cover up our mistakes 
Take ownership for our own development  Keep getting the same things wrong 
Share lessons learnt and help colleagues  Ignore customer feedback 
Welcome questions and challenges to help us do things better   

D, Deliver that bit extra

We will: We will not:
Focus on solutions, not problems Stick to methods that don't work or are outdated 
Be open to new ideas and aim high  Make promises we can't keep 
Have a 'can do' attitude  Work in isolation and only care about our own jobs 
Be proud of what we do  

E, Efficient and effective

We will: We will not:
Make the best use of the resources available to us Waste resources 
Communicate clearly with the right people at the right time Be unhelpful or rude 
Respond promptly to customers' requests  Be closed-minded and say 'I've always done it this way' 
Seek new ways of working to do our jobs more effectively Undermine change or improvements
Be open to new ideas, challenge the status quo and create novel solutions Fail to support the Council's move towards a more commercial culture
Recognise and act upon commercial or efficiency opportunities  Delay responses unnecessarily to colleagues or residents
Strive to support new initiatives and a more commercial culture  

Return to job application