Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Compliance Auditor

🎯 Role Definition

The Compliance Auditor is responsible for planning, executing, and reporting on regulatory and internal compliance audits across the enterprise. This role performs risk-based audit testing of internal controls, facilitates remediation plans, and partners with business stakeholders to ensure ongoing adherence to regulatory requirements (e.g., SOX, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, AML). The Compliance Auditor leverages audit methodology, data analytics, and strong communication skills to translate findings into practical recommendations, supporting continuous improvement of the compliance program and reducing enterprise risk.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior Compliance Analyst / Compliance Associate
Internal Audit Associate / Audit Intern
Risk & Controls Analyst

Advancement To:

Senior Compliance Auditor / Senior Internal Auditor
Compliance Manager or SOX Manager
Director of Compliance / Head of Internal Audit

Lateral Moves:

Risk Analyst / Operational Risk Manager
Vendor Risk & Third-Party Risk Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Plan, design and execute comprehensive risk-based compliance audits across finance, operations, IT and third-party/vendor relationships, ensuring alignment with company risk tolerance and regulatory requirements.
Develop detailed audit programs and test plans that map to control objectives, regulatory standards (e.g., SOX, GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, AML/KYC) and internal policies, including sampling methodologies and testing procedures.
Execute control testing for financial reporting (SOX) and operational controls, document testing evidence, and assess control design and operating effectiveness in accordance with internal audit standards.
Perform IT general controls (ITGC) and application controls testing, partner with IT and security teams to validate access controls, change management processes, and configuration management.
Conduct risk assessments at process, business unit and enterprise levels to identify control gaps, prioritize audit work, and recommend targeted control improvements.
Analyze large datasets using SQL, Excel, data analytics tools (ACL/IDEA, Python, R) and visualization platforms (Power BI, Tableau) to identify anomalies, exceptions and potential compliance violations.
Prepare timely, clear, and actionable audit reports that describe findings, root causes, risk impact, and prioritized remediation recommendations for management and audit committees.
Track, monitor and follow up on management remediation plans, verify remediation evidence, update issue status in GRC systems (e.g., Archer, MetricStream), and escalate open or recurring deficiencies as appropriate.
Collaborate with Legal, Compliance, Privacy, IT Security, Finance and business process owners to interpret regulatory requirements, establish compliance controls, and incorporate audit insights into policy updates.
Coordinate with external auditors, regulators and examiners during onsite reviews, provide requested documentation, and respond to audit inquiries to ensure timely resolution.
Lead and document investigations into suspected regulatory breaches, whistleblower reports, fraud indicators, and policy violations, working closely with Legal and HR when disciplinary or corrective actions are required.
Evaluate the effectiveness of the compliance program by benchmarking control frameworks (ISO 27001, COSO, NIST) and recommending enhancements to governance, risk management, and control monitoring processes.
Support the design and testing of automated and continuous monitoring controls, including integration of alerts, dashboards and exception reporting to proactively detect compliance risks.
Review contracts and third-party onboarding documentation for compliance exposures; perform vendor risk assessments and onsite/vendor audits when required to mitigate supply chain and outsourcing risk.
Maintain and update audit workpapers, evidence repositories, and documentation to ensure audit readiness and support regulatory examination responses and internal quality reviews.
Conduct training and awareness sessions for business units on audit findings, control responsibilities, policy changes and best practices to promote a strong culture of compliance.
Assist in the creation and periodic review of compliance policies, procedures and control standards to maintain alignment with evolving regulatory obligations and business processes.
Provide advisory support to new product launches, system implementations and process changes to incorporate compliance-by-design principles and reduce future remediation needs.
Utilize root-cause analysis techniques to diagnose recurring control failures and design systemic solutions rather than temporary fixes, partnering with process owners to implement sustainable fixes.
Monitor regulatory developments and industry guidance (e.g., financial regulators, data protection authorities) and translate these changes into audit scope adjustments, training and policy recommendations.
Present audit results, trends and key risk indicators to senior management and the Audit Committee, clearly articulating business impact, remediation progress and residual risk.
Assist in the development and maturation of the compliance audit methodology, templates, and quality assurance processes to improve audit efficiency, documentation quality, and stakeholder experience.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc compliance reviews and rapid-response audits requested by senior management or regulators to address emerging risks or incidents.
Contribute to ongoing compliance program metrics, dashboards and continuous improvement initiatives to drive measurable reductions in control deficiencies and regulatory findings.
Participate in cross-functional working groups for privacy, cybersecurity, anti-money laundering and regulatory change management to ensure audit alignment and coverage.
Provide hands-on mentoring to junior auditors, deliver training on audit tools and methodologies, and participate in recruitment and onboarding of new audit staff.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strong knowledge of internal audit methodologies, control frameworks (COSO), and experience performing SOX 404 testing and remediation.
Regulatory compliance expertise across one or more domains: GDPR, HIPAA, PCI DSS, AML/KYC, Dodd‑Frank, Basel, or industry-specific rules.
Proven experience with audit tools and data analytics platforms such as ACL/IDEA, SQL, Python, R, Power BI, Tableau, and advanced Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP, macros).
Hands-on experience with GRC and issue-tracking tools (e.g., RSA Archer, MetricStream, ServiceNow) and maintaining audit workpapers in a centralized repository.
IT controls knowledge including ITGC testing, access reviews, SOX IT application controls, change management, and segregation of duties (SoD) analysis.
Ability to design and execute sampling plans, statistical testing, and evidence-based audit procedures aligned to risk assessments.
Strong report writing, documentation, and presentation skills with demonstrated ability to produce executive-ready audit reports and management summaries.
Familiarity with privacy and data protection compliance requirements, data handling controls, and cross-border data transfer implications.
Experience coordinating with external auditors, regulators and examiners during inspections, audits and examinations.
Proficiency in translating audit findings into actionable remediation plans and verifying remediation effectiveness through retesting.

Soft Skills

Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to explain complex compliance and audit concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
Strong analytical and critical-thinking capabilities with a meticulous attention to detail.
Sound judgment and ability to escalate issues appropriately while maintaining professional independence and objectivity.
Proven stakeholder management, influencing and relationship-building skills to drive remediation and process change.
Time management and project-planning proficiency to manage multiple audits and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Problem-solving orientation and ability to apply root-cause analysis to remedial actions that reduce repeat findings.
High ethical standards, integrity and confidentiality when handling sensitive financial and compliance information.
Adaptability and continuous learning mindset to stay current with changing regulations and audit best practices.
Team leadership and mentoring experience, including coaching junior auditors and promoting knowledge transfer.
Resilience and ability to operate under pressure when responding to incidents, regulatory inquiries or compressed audit timelines.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Information Systems or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Accounting, Risk Management, Information Security, or an MBA is a plus.
Relevant professional certifications (strongly preferred): CIA, CISA, CPA, CRMA, CISSP, CAMS.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Accounting
Finance
Information Systems / Computer Science
Risk Management / Business Law
Cybersecurity / Information Security

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of experience in internal audit, compliance auditing, regulatory exam support, IT audit, or related risk functions.

Preferred:

5+ years auditing experience with direct involvement in SOX testing, regulatory compliance audits, ITGCs, or industry-specific compliance programs.
Demonstrated experience using audit analytics tools, GRC platforms, and producing senior leadership/executive-level audit deliverables.
Experience in highly regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, payments, fintech) and with multi-jurisdictional regulatory regimes is advantageous.