Internal audit provides exposure to all the internal operations within a large corporate business. Internal auditors soon become well rounded in both financial and operational matters as few other roles provide such a balance of broad based exposure coupled with value added influence.

The role involves working with senior management to improve business controls, minimise risk and improve efficiencies, thereby increasing productivity and profitability. There can also be project-based exposure in the role, working on major corporate projects including implementations, acquisitions, mergers and integrations, most of which tending to be from a control standpoint. In a short period of time you will have developed a detailed understanding of the entire businesses workflow.

Is it for you?
The role is highly technical with an investigative, results-focused ethos. You will need to posses a naturally curious personality along with softer skills such as diplomacy, persuasion and confidence, in order to balance driving change whilst managing relationships. The ability to multi task between assignments is essential as you may need to switch between teams and projects frequently.

Career Prospects
Many businesses hire into internal audit as part of the corporate succession planning. After a period of between 1 and 2 years, it is common to progress to other mainstream areas of finance or upwards within internal audit. Owing to the broad base of exposure across the whole business, internal audit can often speed up career progression. Medium to longer term opportunities include financial controller, finance director, business planning, business analysis, and even moving away from finance into operational or commercial positions.