Director of Internal Audit

Auberge Collection•Bethesda, MD

2h•$180,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Internal Audit reports to the Chief Financial Officer and will establish, lead, and elevate the Internal Audit function for Auberge Resorts LLC. This role is responsible for designing and executing a risk-based internal audit program that provides independent, objective assurance to the Company’s senior management. The Director will functionally report to the Chief Financial Officer and will provide formal quarterly updates to the Executive Leadership and Internal Audit Committees. The role will work in close coordination with Auberge’s Operations Finance and Legal disciplines and The Friedkin Group Internal Audit team. As the sole Internal Audit resource initially, the Director must be highly hands-on, performing all aspects of audit work including enterprise risk assessment, audit planning, fieldwork execution, reporting, and issue follow-up. While the Auberge Internal Audit function has been established for several years, the Director will be responsible for refining, elevating, and further maturing the function by aligning practices to the Global Internal Audit Standards and leading best practices, while maintaining flexibility to support a dynamic, growth-oriented luxury hospitality environment. The role is expected to possess, through prior experience or through active learning at Auberge, a strong understanding of hotel and resort management, homeowners’ associations (HOAs), and related shared services. Additionally, the role must have strong executive presence and the ability to communicate effectively with the Company’s senior leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field (required).
Certified Public Accountant (CPA) or Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation (required).
7–15 years of combined internal and external audit experience.
Prior experience leading or building an Internal Audit function or serving in a highly autonomous audit leadership role.
Experience working with senior executives.
Strong operational audit experience within hospitality, real estate, asset management, or similarly complex, service-oriented industries preferred.
International audit experience strongly preferred.
Always maintains professional objectivity and independence.
Possesses strong understanding of the Global Internal Audit Standards and risk-based auditing principles.
Deep business acumen with the ability to understand and assess end-to-end hotel and HOA operations.
Highly self-directed, adaptable, and comfortable operating as a hands-on audit leader.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to translate complex issues into clear, actionable insights.
Demonstrated executive presence and credibility with senior leadership.
Strong judgment, integrity, and commitment to ethical conduct.
Ability to balance assurance and advisory responsibilities in a growing organization.
Willingness and ability to travel extensively.

Nice To Haves

Strong operational audit experience within hospitality, real estate, asset management, or similarly complex, service-oriented industries.
International audit experience.

Responsibilities

Lead the Internal Audit function for Auberge, including enhancing the Internal Audit function, documentation, and methodologies that will promote continuous improvement, value-added audit services, and alignment with the Global Internal Audit Standards.
Design and maintain a risk-based Internal Audit plan informed by ongoing enterprise risk assessments, business strategy, and emerging risks within the hospitality and real estate sectors.
Build a scalable and effective Internal Audit function focused on execution, quality deliverables, and best-practice audit methodology and tools.
Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership by providing insight into key operational, financial, compliance, and strategic risks.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives that enhance Internal Audit capabilities while thoughtfully managing change to minimize disruption and reinforce strong partnerships with operations.
Benchmark Auberge Internal Audit practices against peer hospitality organizations and The Friedkin Group Internal Audit standards to identify opportunities to elevate maturity, consistency, and effectiveness.
Create a culture of excellence and accountability by establishing metrics and processes to monitor progress toward department goals and providing coaching to elevate team members’ performance.
Conduct regular comprehensive risk assessments through engagement with executive leadership, property and HOA management, and functional leaders.
Gain an understanding of operations, key business drivers, and risks, and tailor internal audits to manage identified risks.
Plan and execute internal audits covering operational, financial, compliance, and governance risks, with particular focus on hotel operations, revenue management, hotel management agreement compliance, procurement, payroll, IT controls, HOA governance, third-party/vendor risk, and applicable regulations.
Personally perform audit fieldwork, testing, analysis, and issuing internal audit reports.
Actively manage audit issue resolution.
Identify internal control gaps, inefficiencies, and root causes; develop reasonable, fit-for-purpose, and cost-aware recommendations that appropriately balance risk mitigation with operational practicality.
Apply professional judgment to ensure recommendations are scalable, aligned with business objectives, and commensurate with the level of risk.
Prepare clear, concise, and impactful audit reports tailored to hotel management, executive management and the Company’s senior leaders.
Present audit results, risk themes, and emerging issues to senior leadership with confidence and executive presence.
Maintain ongoing communication with management regarding audit observations, remediation plans, and progress tracking.
Evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of governance, risk management, and internal control processes.
Coordinate closely with Auberge Legal on compliance, regulatory, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)–related matters, with Legal retaining primary ownership of compliance governance.
Coordinate with The Friedkin Group Internal Audit and external auditors to ensure appropriate alignment and coverage of key risk areas.
Provide advisory support on new initiatives, system implementations, acquisitions, and process changes while maintaining Internal Audit independence.
Maintain awareness of regulatory and compliance requirements impacting hospitality operations, including anti-bribery and corruption risks relevant to international operations.
Leverage audit tools, technologies, and automated workpaper solutions to improve audit efficiency, consistency, and scalability.
Utilize data analytics to perform robust audit testing, identify trends and anomalies, and generate actionable insights for management.
Continuously assess opportunities to enhance audit coverage and value through innovative use of data and technology.
Travel extensively (domestic and international) to Auberge-managed properties across the U.S. and Europe to perform onsite audits and risk assessments.
Adapt audit approaches to diverse regulatory environments, operational models, and cultural contexts.
Actively share knowledge, insights, and lessons learned with TFG Internal Audit to promote consistency, efficiency, and continuous improvement across Internal Audit functions.