Location
Wandsworth Town Hall or Partner Location, London, SW18

Hours
Permanent - Full Time (36 hours per week), working in the office 3-5 days a week

Salary
£47,730 - £61,176 per annum

About the Role
The Southwest London Audit Partnership provides internal audit services to five London Boroughs (Richmond, Wandsworth, Kingston, Merton, and Sutton), delivering an effective and cost-efficient service while building positive relationships to improve and maintain the quality of services delivered to residents and service users. As a Principal Auditor, you will manage internal auditors and lead audits across a wide variety of financial and non-financial essential council services. You will support and mentor junior team members, ensure compliance with the Global Internal Audit Standards, and deliver high-quality work on time and within budget. Your role includes escalating non-compliance issues, recommending improvements, and providing assurance on governance, risk, and control. You will produce clear, professionally written audit reports for Heads of Services and Directors to implement changes, improve controls, and ensure compliance.

Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage a team of two or more auditors, supporting and mentoring them through technically challenging audits
- Demonstrate thorough understanding of end-to-end internal auditing in local government or similar public sector settings
- Communicate effectively at all levels, both verbally and in writing
- Build strong professional relationships with service leaders and auditees to gain trust, credibility, and access to necessary information
- Prioritise a varied workload, meet tight deadlines, and maintain high standards of work

Experience
- At least 5 years’ experience auditing in Local Government or other public sector bodies
- Proven experience managing a varied workload and handling conflicting and changing demands
- Strong leadership skills with ability to coach and motivate a small team
- Experience communicating effectively with colleagues at all levels
- Experience with data analytics and visualisation tools such as SQL, Python, Power BI is highly desirable

About You
- IIA qualified or holding CCAB, AAT qualification, or equivalent
- A ‘can do’ attitude and team player who actively supports colleagues and embraces organisational values: Embrace Difference, Think Bigger, Put People First, Lead by Example, Connect Better
- Commitment to continuous professional development and improving service quality
- Ability to build trust and credibility with stakeholders and work collaboratively

Qualifications
- IIA qualification or CCAB, AAT qualification, or similar professional auditing/accounting qualification required