Senior Director - Internal Audit

Principal Financial Group • Des Moines, IA

8d • Hybrid

About The Position

We’re looking for a Senior Director to join our Internal Audit team! In this role, you'll provide executive leadership for Internal Audit coverage of one or more core businesses, enterprise functions, regions, or regulated legal entities. As a direct report to the Chief Internal Auditor, the Senior Director shares accountability for the strategy, performance, quality, operating effectiveness, talent, and sustained credibility of the Internal Audit function. The role converts enterprise strategy, business and regulatory developments, and emerging risk into a dynamic portfolio of independent assurance and advice; delivers clear audit opinions and enterprise insight; and exercises significant judgment and delegated authority in matters affecting executives, boards, regulators, and the company’s control environment.
For assigned businesses or legal entities, serves as the senior Internal Audit executive and delegated representative of the Chief Internal Auditor, with direct access to and interaction with subsidiary boards, board and management committees, executive leadership, external auditors, and regulators, as applicable.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
• Typically 15 or more years of progressive experience in internal audit, risk, compliance, finance, technology, or a closely related field, including 6+ years experience leading leaders and broad, complex portfolios in a regulated or similarly complex organization and experience supporting insurance, financial services, finance, or enterprise risk functions is preferred.
• Demonstrated success setting functional strategy, converting strategy into operating priorities and measurable outcomes, and influencing enterprise decisions on complex or sensitive matters.
• Deep knowledge of internal audit, governance, risk management, and internal control; working knowledge of the Global Internal Audit Standards and accepted control frameworks such as COSO. Specialized frameworks may be required based on assignment.
• Strong business and financial acumen, with the ability to understand strategy, operating models, technology, data, and the legal and regulatory environment of assigned businesses or entities. Experience with insurance products, operations, underwriting, claims, distribution, finance/accounting processes and systems, or enterprise risk management would be valued.
• Substantial experience communicating with executive management and boards or board committees. Experience interacting with regulators and leading audit coverage of regulated financial-services businesses is strongly preferred for applicable assignments.
• Demonstrated independence, objectivity, integrity, sound judgment, professional courage, and authority to provide effective challenge at the highest levels of the organization.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication, with the ability to synthesize complex matters into clear opinions, implications, decisions, and actions.
• Proven ability to lead through ambiguity and change, manage competing enterprise priorities, and deliver sustained results through layers of direct and indirect leadership.
• Insurance operations/industry experience alongside audit, risk, compliance, finance, and technology experience.
• Travel may be required.

Nice To Haves

• One or more relevant professional certifications—such as CIA, CPA, CISA, or an equivalent designation—strongly preferred and may be required based on assignment.

Responsibilities

• Set and execute multi-year strategy for the assigned portfolio and materially contribute to the strategy, operating model, priorities, performance measures, budget, workforce plan, and transformation agenda of the overall Internal Audit function.
• Own the risk assessment and audit-planning process for the assigned portfolio, integrating enterprise and business strategy, regulatory expectations, business change, data, stakeholder perspectives, and current and emerging risks.
• Translate strategy into clear functional priorities, operating decisions, capability investments, and measurable outcomes; lead department-wide initiatives and make decisions for the long-term effectiveness of Internal Audit, not solely the assigned portfolio.
• Determine and continually recalibrate the nature, timing, scope, sequencing, and resourcing of assurance and advisory coverage as risk conditions and strategic priorities change.
• Identify cross-business themes and systemic risks, connect insights across portfolios, and elevate matters that warrant enterprise action or attention.
• Hold end-to-end executive accountability for the relevance, quality, timeliness, throughput, and impact of a high-volume portfolio of audit opinions and advisory work, including complex, cross-business, technology-enabled, and regulatory engagements.
• Exercise final review and approval authority delegated by the Chief Internal Auditor for engagement scope, risk and control assessments, significant judgments, issue ratings, reports, audit opinions, and escalation decisions.
• Ensure work conforms with the Global Internal Audit Standards, the Internal Audit Charter, department methodology, quality expectations, and applicable legal or regulatory requirements.
• Drive reliable execution of the audit plan through direct and indirect leadership: anticipate risks to planned engagements and opinion delivery; balance priorities and capacity; deploy and redeploy talent and external resources; resolve quality or schedule barriers; align stakeholders; and hold leaders accountable for production, without compromising independence, objectivity, or professional judgment.
• Serve as the primary Internal Audit relationship leader for assigned executive teams and, where designated, subsidiary boards and board or management committees—including audit, fiduciary, risk, compliance, governance, finance, and other committees relevant to the assignment.
• Provide clear, candid, and forward-looking reporting on the audit plan, significant risks, control themes, audit opinions, issue remediation, Internal Audit performance, and the adequacy of governance, risk management, and internal control.
• Represent the Chief Internal Auditor in regulatory examinations, meetings, and ongoing supervisory interactions for assigned entities; coordinate timely, accurate, and well-supported responses and follow-through. Where required by law, regulation, charter, or appointment, may hold direct, named personal accountability to a regulator for defined aspects of Internal Audit’s mandate, performance, reporting, or responsiveness.
• Escalate significant risk exposures, overdue remediation, resource constraints, quality concerns, or threats to Internal Audit independence to the appropriate executive, committee, board, or regulatory level.
• Lead and develop a high-performing organization of leaders and audit professionals; establish clear accountability, provide candid feedback, and build a culture of professional courage, curiosity, inclusion, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Own succession, organization design, capability, and capacity planning for the assigned portfolio, including recruiting, performance management, development assignments, recognition, and deployment of internal and external resources.
• Develop next-generation leaders and deepen business, regulatory, technology, data, and audit expertise needed to address the evolving risk profile.
• Model enterprise leadership and shared accountability across Internal Audit, resolving tradeoffs and allocating resources in the best interests of the overall function and company.
• Build trusted, appropriately independent relationships with executive management, first- and second-line leaders, Legal, Compliance, Risk, Finance, Technology, external audit, and other assurance providers.
• Provide effective challenge, negotiate difficult issues, and influence sustainable actions while preserving Internal Audit’s independent assurance role and avoiding ownership of the business activities, risks, controls, or remediation decisions being evaluated.
• Advise on significant business initiatives, transactions, operating-model changes, and control design when Internal Audit involvement can add value without impairing independence or objectivity.
• Represent the Chief Internal Auditor and the function on enterprise and business governance forums and lead enterprise or department priorities as assigned.
• Sponsor practical use of data, analytics, automation, and responsible AI to improve risk sensing, coverage, testing, insight, quality, productivity, and the speed of opinion delivery.
• Lead continuous improvement in methodology, reporting, talent models, and ways of working; translate lessons learned and external developments into scalable department practices.
• Maintain current knowledge of assigned businesses, regulation, industry developments, technology, and the internal audit profession; act as a visible thought leader internally and externally.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off (FTO)
• Pension Eligible
• Bonus program (for non-sales positions)
• Sales incentives (for sales positions)
• Comprehensive, competitive benefit offerings crafted to protect their physical, financial, and social well-being.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive