Senior Auditor, Office of Audit and Compliance - UT System Administration

University of Tennessee•Chattanooga, TN

About The Position

The Senior Auditor manages projects and leads teams of professional staff conducting audits, consulting projects, investigations, and other work that provides objective, independent evaluations to reduce university risk and improve operations. Projects generally assess the effectiveness of operational policies and procedures, operational efficiency, compliance with internal policies or external regulations, and the existence of fraud, waste, or abuse. The Senior Auditor may occasionally conduct projects autonomously or join project teams to perform duties assigned by the project’s in-charge or supervisor. The position is located in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The role plans and manages projects, conducts risk analyses, coordinates and guides team members, and monitors work assignments, budgets, and deadlines. It gathers and analyzes evidence through methods including information-system data, sampling, document collection, observation, interviews, questionnaires, surveys, and data analytics. The Senior Auditor prepares supporting work papers, reviews team work papers and reports, evaluates project quality, and contributes to long-range planning and improvements to office practices. The Senior Auditor identifies control, compliance, operational, and fraud-related issues; develops feasible, cost-effective solutions; communicates with audit clients; leads entrance and exit conferences; drafts or reviews reports; and evaluates client responses to recommendations. The role requires clear communication, sound professional judgment, confidentiality, and the ability to manage multiple projects.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or another relevant field.
More than two years of experience in internal auditing, information systems auditing, consulting, investigations, or other applicable work evaluating business-process controls, operational efficiency and effectiveness, and compliance with policies, regulations, or laws.
Experience developing project plans to achieve risk-based objectives in a complex environment.
Professional certification such as CIA, CPA, CISA, or CFE.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
Knowledge of current internal audit philosophy and practices, including internal control testing techniques.
Skill in preparing clear, concise work papers and comprehensive reports; interpreting and applying policies and regulations; and conducting interviews.
Ability to organize work, conceptualize and prioritize objectives, evaluate evidence, and exercise independent judgment based on University of Tennessee policies and regulations.
Ability to coach, motivate, and provide performance feedback to team members.
Knowledge and awareness of the need to maintain confidentiality and objectivity.
Ability to maintain a sense of urgency in approaching internal audit responsibilities.
Competence in Microsoft Word and Excel and ability to use other audit software.
Ability to handle multiple ongoing projects and independently establish priorities to meet deadlines.
Ability to exercise independent and mature professional judgment when evaluating audit evidence and formulating recommendations.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree.
Experience leading audit teams, reviewing work papers, and managing multiple ongoing projects.
Experience in an internal audit function.
Experience with data analytics tools.
Experience auditing in higher education or working in an administrative role in higher education.
Supervisory and project management experience.
Ability to determine team priorities and allocate time and resources effectively.
Knowledge of the administrative operations of a higher education institution.
Competency in data analysis software.
Familiarity with rules and regulations involving externally sponsored research.

Responsibilities

Develop or oversee project plans that define the operations to be examined, information to be gathered, and methods for gathering it.
Conduct or oversee risk analyses to establish project objectives, scope, and methodologies, considering financial, operational, compliance, and strategic risks.
Coordinate, guide, and assign work to team members; monitor assignment time budgets, target dates, project budgets, and deadlines.
Inform the supervisor of audit status, potential issues and solutions, and client feedback, when applicable.
Collect and analyze data, information, and evidence through university and external information sources, sampling, document collection, observation, interviews, questionnaires, surveys, and data analytics or other methodologies as needed.
Prepare thorough, organized, self-explanatory work papers that support conclusions and demonstrate achievement of project objectives.
Review team members’ work papers and reports for quality, clarity, concision, and completeness.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the audit process at project conclusion and provide formal feedback to team members.
Participate in long-range planning, audit-tool development, and improvements to office practices.
Analyze or oversee analysis of evidence to identify ineffective controls or policies, noncompliance, operational inefficiencies, or possible fraud.
Identify significant issues and propose cost-effective, feasible solutions that address deficiencies or improve operations.
Negotiate sound and effective recommendations with audit clients and keep clients informed about project status, barriers, and potential issues.
Lead entrance and exit conferences; draft project reports or review reports drafted by team members.
Evaluate clients’ written responses to recommendations and adapt communications to the audience.