Sr Director, Internal Audit

Nordstrom•Seattle, WA

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Sr. Director of Internal Audit is a critical enterprise leader responsible for helping Nordstrom protect long-term value, strengthen operational resilience, and ensure the business scales with discipline in a private company environment. As Nordstrom continues to operate with a longer horizon ownership model, this role plays an essential part in ensuring risks are surfaced early, controls scale with the business, and audit insight meaningfully informs leadership decision making. This leader shapes how Internal Audit partners with the business, moving beyond point‑in‑time reviews toward more continuous, analytics‑enabled assurance across retail, supply chain, digital, and technology‑enabled operations. The role balances independence and rigor with practicality and judgment, positioning Internal Audit as a trusted enterprise partner while preserving its role as a strong third line of defense. The Head of Internal Audit collaborates closely with leaders across the organization to align audit priorities with Nordstrom’s strategic objectives, evolving risk profile, and private company value agenda. This is a hybrid role based in Seattle, reporting to the Audit and Finance Committee of the Board of Directors with administrative reporting to the Chief Financial Officer.

Requirements

Have led or materially shaped an enterprise Internal Audit function in a complex organization, with sustained focus on long-term value, strong governance, and sound judgment.
Bring 15+ years of progressive experience across Internal Audit, risk, or advisory environments, including senior leadership roles with responsibility for setting strategy, prioritizing risk, and influencing executive stakeholders.
Have deep experience auditing technology‑enabled processes, including ERP environments, data platforms, and increasingly automated or AI‑influenced workflows, and understand how controls must evolve as business models and technology change.
Have successfully advanced audit execution models, moving from point‑in‑time, sample‑based testing toward more continuous, analytics‑driven, and risk‑responsive assurance.
Have operated credibly in retail or consumer facing environments, with demonstrated impact protecting inventory integrity, margins, and operational execution across stores, supply chain, and digital channels.
Bring strong technology, cybersecurity, identity, and third‑party risk assurance experience, particularly in cloud‑based and highly interconnected ecosystems.
Are comfortable leading in a private company context, where strong financial controls support long‑term resilience, disciplined risk‑taking, and protection of enterprise value.
Have experience developing and leading senior audit managers and directors, building teams known for judgment, independence, and enterprise‑level thinking.
Bring a combination of in-house leadership and internal audit or advisory experience, with professional certifications such as CPA, CIA, or CISA strongly preferred.
Communicate with clarity and credibility at the executive and Board level, able to translate complex risk issues into concise, actionable insight.

Responsibilities

Set and execute a modern Internal Audit strategy that reflects Nordstrom’s long‑term ownership model, enterprise risks, and operational complexity.
Translate evolving risks into clear audit priorities, ensuring coverage stays relevant as business models, technology, and controls change.
Lead audits across core retail, supply chain, digital, and technology‑enabled processes, with increasing use of analytics and continuous monitoring.
Partner with senior leadership to surface early signals on control breakdowns, emerging risks, and margin‑eroding issues before they impact customers or the business.
Expand governance and audit oversight of AI‑enabled, automated, and data‑driven decisioning as these capabilities scale across the enterprise.
Strengthen technology, cybersecurity, identity, and third‑party risk assurance in close collaboration with Technology and Security leaders.
Develop, coach, and retain a high‑performing Internal Audit leadership team, building capabilities in judgment, analytics, and enterprise influence.
Communicate clearly with executive leadership and the Audit Committee, delivering concise, actionable insight rather than compliance‑oriented reporting.