Senior Internal Auditor

Conning•Hartford, CT

38d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior Associate, Internal Audit is the core execution driver of the internal audit function, responsible for performing fieldwork, control testing, and audit documentation across Conning Holdings Limited’s global entities. Working under the direction of the AVP, VP, or Director of Internal Audit, the role delivers high quality audit work in accordance with the IIA Global Internal Audit Standards, internal methodology, and applicable regulatory. The Senior Associate builds technical depth in asset management, investment management, and broader financial services auditing while developing the judgment, communication, and project management skills required to progress toward an engagement lead role.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Business, or a related discipline required; Master's degree preferred.
Minimum of 3 years of internal audit, external audit, risk, or compliance experience.
Big 4 or large regional public accounting firm experience strongly preferred.
Experience auditing asset management, investment management, private debt, CLOs, fund accounting, broker-dealers, or other financial services entities preferred.
Demonstrated experience executing risk-based audits, including walkthroughs, control design assessment, operating effectiveness testing, and workpaper preparation under IIA or PCAOB standards.
Experience drafting audit findings, recommendations, and report content for review by senior auditors or managers.
Exposure to validating remediation of audit issues and supporting stakeholder reporting preferred.
Experience working in a global or matrixed organization, or coordinating with international counterparts, is a plus.
Strong working knowledge of the IIA Global Internal Audit Standards, COSO Internal Control – Integrated Framework, and risk-based audit methodology.
Familiarity with the regulatory environment applicable to asset managers (e.g., SEC Investment Advisers Act, FCA, CSSF, MAS) and the ability to translate regulatory expectations into audit scope and testing.
Strong organizational and project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple concurrent engagements and meet deadlines in a hybrid environment.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills, with the ability to present audit results clearly and professionally to process owners, business management, and senior leadership.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills, including the ability to identify root causes and assess risk impact.
Ability to exercise sound judgment, professional scepticism, discretion, and diplomacy when interacting with audit stakeholders and management.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to high-quality, well-supported audit documentation.
Ability to work independently with limited supervision while knowing when to escalate scope, evidence, or stakeholder issues.
Proficiency in Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, OneNote, SharePoint, Teams); familiarity with Microsoft 365 Copilot or other AI-enabled productivity tools is a plus.
Data analytics skills preferred, including experience with Power BI, Alteryx, ACL/IDEA, statistical analysis, or data visualization for audit purposes.
International experience and cross-cultural communication skills are a plus.
Willingness and ability to travel domestically and internationally up to 4 weeks per year.

Nice To Haves

Master's degree
CPA, CIA, or CISA certification preferred; active progression toward certification expected if not yet held.
Big 4 or large regional public accounting firm experience strongly preferred.
Experience auditing asset management, investment management, private debt, CLOs, fund accounting, broker-dealers, or other financial services entities preferred.
Exposure to validating remediation of audit issues and supporting stakeholder reporting preferred.
Experience working in a global or matrixed organization, or coordinating with international counterparts, is a plus.
Familiarity with Microsoft 365 Copilot or other AI-enabled productivity tools is a plus.
Data analytics skills preferred, including experience with Power BI, Alteryx, ACL/IDEA, statistical analysis, or data visualization for audit purposes.
International experience and cross-cultural communication skills are a plus.

Responsibilities

Execute assigned audit engagements end-to-end under the direction of the AVP, VP, or Director, including walkthroughs, process narratives, design assessments, and operating effectiveness testing of key controls.
Develop and maintain risk-and-control matrices (RACMs), test scripts, sampling rationale, and evidence request lists aligned to engagement scope and risk.
Prepare workpapers and supporting documentation that meet internal audit methodology, IIA standards, and quality review expectations (clear objective, procedure, evidence, conclusion).
Document audit findings and draft proposed issue ratings for review.
Coordinate evidence requests, status updates, and meeting logistics with process owners, control function partners, and co-source resources across U.S. and international entities.
Perform data extracts and basic analytics (e.g., Excel, Power BI, Alteryx, ACL) to support full-population testing, exception analysis, and trend reviews where applicable.
Escalate scope, evidence, or stakeholder issues to the engagement lead in a timely manner, and contribute to in-flight adjustments to testing approach or sampling.
Support cross-border engagements through coordination with international stakeholders, including occasional travel (up to 4 weeks annually).
Draft sections of the internal audit report covering background, scope, procedures performed, observations, issue language, root cause, and recommendations.
Prepare closing-meeting materials, status decks, and stakeholder updates that clearly summarize progress, themes, and proposed findings.
Support validation of findings with the business by walking through evidence, articulating risk impact, and capturing management responses and action plans.
Communicate audit progress and results professionally and concisely to first-line process owners and second-line stakeholders.
Maintain audit documentation and reporting in accordance with methodology, quality standards, and retention requirements.
Track open management action plans (MAPs) for assigned audits, including due dates, owners, and evidence status.
Gather and perform initial review of remediation evidence prior to re-performance by the AVP or VP.
Prepare quarterly issue status updates for inclusion in Audit Committee reporting and management dashboards.
Identify and flag overdue or at-risk MAPs to the engagement lead and Director.
Provide process- and entity-level inputs into the annual risk assessment, including data pulls, control inventories, regulatory mappings, and prior-issue analysis.
Support continuous monitoring of assigned entities by tracking organizational changes, system changes, regulatory developments, and emerging risk indicators that may affect the audit plan.
Assist in scoping and pre-planning activities for upcoming engagements, including stakeholder identification, document requests, and audit universe updates.
Contribute to the maintenance of the audit universe and risk assessment tools (e.g., Excel/RACM templates, SharePoint repositories, GRC tooling as adopted).
Apply IIA Global Internal Audit Standards and internal audit methodology consistently across all assigned work.
Contribute to continuous improvement of methodology, templates, and audit enablement tools (OneNote, SharePoint, GRC tooling, analytics scripts).
Maintain progress toward CPA, CIA, or CISA certification and develop technical fluency in data analytics tools (Power BI, Alteryx, ACL/IDEA) and AI-enabled audit tools (e.g., Microsoft 365 Copilot).
Stay current on developments affecting asset management and financial services audit (regulatory changes, industry practices, emerging risks such as AI, cyber, private credit, and operational resilience).