Senior Risk and Internal Audit Manager

Overview

The Senior Risk and Internal Audit Manager at Estithmar Holding plays a pivotal role in delivering independent and objective assurance and consulting to enhance value across the Group's business and financial functions. This role assists in aligning Risk and Internal Audit practices with leading industry standards, ensuring effective risk management, sound internal controls, and robust governance throughout the organization. The position supports the department head in optimizing coordination of responsibilities and outcomes to strengthen overall governance.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, engage, and develop the Risk and Internal Audit team by clearly communicating goals, managing performance, and providing ongoing training to meet departmental targets.
• Support the Group Chief Risk and Internal Audit Officer in designing and delivering comprehensive compliance training programs to all employees, ensuring organization-wide adherence to federal and state regulations.
• Plan resources effectively to manage the Risk and Internal Audit team's workload, delivering audits on schedule while managing resource constraints.
• Draft and consolidate the Risk and Internal Audit budget following the directives of management as part of the annual business plan.
• Develop an annual risk-based audit plan with a multi-year horizon, focusing on high-risk areas aligned with business priorities.
• Design detailed, entity-specific audit programs tailored to achieve defined audit objectives, obtaining management approval for these plans.
• Oversee audit activities, including performance, financial, compliance, and special audits across units, ensuring identification of key risks and proper documentation in compliance with departmental and international internal auditing standards.
• Identify major risks across the Group, recommend systems to reduce financial, operational, and governance risks, and support initiatives preventing fraud and asset misappropriation.
• Contribute to setting performance standards for audits, monitor adherence, and engage in technology initiatives, including data analytics, to enhance audit quality and department service capabilities.
• Supervise audit examinations of financial statements to ensure accuracy, timeliness, and regulatory compliance, including investigating accounting records to uphold efficiency and accepted accounting procedures.
• Ensure audit reports delivered to leadership comply with requirements and provide actionable recommendations addressing root causes of compliance issues to facilitate decision-making.

Additional Duties

• Provide objective evaluations of policies, systems, and processes to highlight improvement opportunities mitigating risks effectively.
• Guarantee all Risk and Internal Audit assignments achieve intended objectives, methodologies, and results, coordinating with process owners and business units.
• Implement and oversee the whistleblowing policy, recommending enhancements that foster a safe environment for reporting fraud and misconduct without retaliation fears.
• Guide the development, implementation, and compliance with Risk and Internal Audit policies and procedures to ensure a secure, risk-averse workplace.
• Continuously review compliance with Health, Safety, Environment (HSE), and Quality Management (QM) policies and controls within the Risk and Internal Audit functions.

Required Knowledge and Expertise

• Deep understanding of risk management principles, internal control frameworks, and auditing standards, enabling effective oversight of risk and audit processes.
• Proven leadership and management expertise in directing teams, formulating strategies, and advancing initiatives that reduce risks and enhance internal controls.
• Strong analytical skills to evaluate complex business processes, find control gaps, and provide practical recommendations.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities to effectively engage stakeholders, present audit results, and facilitate risk management discussions.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving talents to forecast risks, develop preventive measures, and foster continuous enhancements in audit and risk management procedures.
• Preferred proficiency in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, particularly SAP functional modules, to support role success.

Experience Requirements

• A minimum of eight years’ experience in relevant fields, including at least five years in supervisory roles.
• Prior experience in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region for at least two years is advantageous.