Interim Chief Audit and Assurance Executive, London University

Anderson Quigley is supporting a leading higher education institution with the appointment of an experienced Interim Chief Audit & Assurance Executive.

This is a key leadership opportunity for an experienced audit and assurance professional to provide strategic oversight of the University’s internal audit function during a period of organisational change.

Reporting to the University Council through the Audit, Risk and Compliance Committee, you will play a critical role in ensuring the effectiveness of the University’s governance, risk management, internal control and assurance arrangements. Working closely with the Vice-Chancellor and President, senior executive team, University Secretary, Directors of Professional Services and Faculty leadership, you will provide independent insight and assurance to support effective decision-making and continuous improvement.

You will lead the development and delivery of a risk-based internal audit strategy and annual plan, aligned to the University’s Board Assurance Framework, strategic risk register and recognised professional standards. You will ensure that internal audit activity provides meaningful insight into organisational risks, identifies opportunities for improvement and supports the University in maintaining compliance with relevant legal, regulatory and sector requirements.

About you

You will be an experienced Chief Audit Executive, Head of Internal Audit or senior audit leader with a strong track record of delivering effective audit and assurance services within a complex, regulated environment. You will have experience of:

• Leading an internal audit function and developing risk-based audit strategies and plans
• Providing independent assurance to boards, audit committees or equivalent governance bodies
• Advising senior leaders on governance, risk management, internal control and compliance
• Producing clear and impactful audit reports, including an annual audit opinion on the effectiveness of assurance arrangements
• Leading and developing audit professionals and managing a programme of complex audit activity
• Working within recognised professional standards and frameworks

Experience of higher education, or another highly regulated public sector environment, would be highly desirable, together with an understanding of the challenges facing universities and the requirements of effective audit committee governance.

You will be a credible and collaborative leader, able to build trusted relationships with senior stakeholders while maintaining the independence and objectivity required of an effective internal audit function. If you are interested in finding out more, please email your CV to claire.lauder@andersonquigley.com