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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Houston Internal Audit & Financial Advisory

💰 $85,000 - $160,000

Internal AuditFinancial AdvisoryRisk & ComplianceFinance

🎯 Role Definition

A Houston-based Internal Audit & Financial Advisory professional who plans, executes, and leads risk-based internal audits, SOX and control testing, financial due diligence, and advisory projects across finance, operations, and technology. This role partners with senior leadership and business process owners to identify control gaps, quantify financial and operational risk, recommend pragmatic remediation, and support implementation of enhancements that improve governance, compliance, and business performance. Ideal candidates bring public accounting or corporate audit experience, proven data analytics skills, and a track record of delivering clear, senior-level reporting and stakeholder alignment.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Staff Internal Auditor or Junior Internal Auditor (Big 4 or regional public accounting)
  • Financial Analyst with controls or compliance exposure
  • Risk & Compliance Analyst or Associate

Advancement To:

  • Senior Internal Auditor → Internal Audit Manager
  • Internal Audit Manager → Senior Manager, Financial Advisory
  • Director of Internal Audit or Head of Risk & Compliance
  • VP Finance / Chief Audit Executive / Director, Financial Advisory

Lateral Moves:

  • Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) lead
  • Compliance or Anti‑Money Laundering (AML) manager
  • Forensic accounting / Investigations specialist
  • Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A) or Treasury roles

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead end-to-end risk‑based financial and operational audits from planning through fieldwork, testing, and reporting, ensuring timely delivery of clear, executive‑level audit reports and remediation plans aligned to COSO and internal audit methodology.
  • Design and execute Sarbanes‑Oxley (SOX) Section 404 control testing, including scoping, walkthroughs, control design assessment, operating effectiveness testing, and preparation of SOX documentation for management and external auditors.
  • Perform enterprise risk assessments and maintain the audit plan by identifying, scoring, and prioritizing risks across finance, operations, IT, and third‑party vendor processes; update the plan based on emerging risks and management input.
  • Conduct detailed transaction testing and substantive analytical procedures for high‑risk financial statement areas (revenue, inventory, procure‑to‑pay, payroll, treasury) to validate accuracy, completeness, cut‑off, and presentation under GAAP/IFRS.
  • Lead financial due diligence and buy‑side/sell‑side advisory engagements, including analysis of financial statements, identification of deal risks, working capital quality assessments, and integration of control design into post‑close plans.
  • Develop, maintain, and test control frameworks for complex business processes; recommend redesign of process flows, segregation of duties, and automated controls to reduce manual risk and improve efficiency.
  • Use data analytics tools (ACL/IDEA, SQL, Python, Power BI, Tableau, Alteryx) to perform large‑sample testing, detect anomalies, trend variances, and strengthen root cause analysis supporting audit conclusions.
  • Partner with IT and cybersecurity teams to evaluate IT general controls (ITGC) and application controls, assess system access, change management, backups, and data integrity for ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, and other core platforms.
  • Manage and mentor audit staff and junior advisors: assign tasks, review workpapers, coach on technical accounting and audit methodology, and develop team capability through feedback and training plans.
  • Serve as a primary liaison with external auditors during statutory and regulatory audits, coordinate information requests, negotiate audit scope/timelines, and ensure efficient evidence delivery to reduce audit fatigue and fees.
  • Prepare actionable, prioritized remediation plans and track management’s progress against agreed corrective actions; facilitate remediation governance meetings and update risk owners and executive sponsors.
  • Advise business partners on internal control design and operational improvements during process implementations, ERP upgrades, and organizational change to embed controls into new processes and reduce future audit findings.
  • Lead fraud risk assessments and support forensic investigations, performing detailed transaction tracing, ledger reconciliation, and collaborating with legal and HR for investigations and escalation where necessary.
  • Provide expert advisory support for regulatory matters such as SEC reporting, tax provision controls, FCPA/anti‑bribery considerations, AML, and industry‑specific compliance requirements relevant to Houston markets (energy, oil & gas, real estate).
  • Develop and present executive briefings, dashboards, and KPI reporting that summarize audit results, residual risk levels, trends over time, and value‑creation opportunities tied to cost, revenue, or risk reduction.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives across the audit function by introducing automation (RPA), analytics playbooks, and standardized templates to deliver higher‑quality audits with predictable timelines and consistent methodology.
  • Execute vendor and third‑party risk reviews, including contract compliance testing, service provider control assessments (SOC reports review), and recommendations to strengthen oversight and contractual protections.
  • Participate in cross‑functional projects (ERP implementations, process reengineering, shared services stand-ups) to provide controls and compliance input from project inception through go‑live and stabilization.
  • Support pricing, margin reviews, and internal financial modeling for business cases, identifying control points and risks that could materially affect forecast accuracy or financial statements.
  • Review and interpret complex accounting guidance (ASC, IFRS) to assess impact on internal control environment and financial reporting; partner with accounting teams to implement necessary control changes.
  • Coordinate and deliver internal control training sessions and workshops to finance and non‑finance stakeholders to raise control‑conscious culture and improve ownership for preventive controls.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to support corporate initiatives, audit investigations, and leadership decision‑making.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by identifying audit analytics requirements and recommending data governance or integration improvements.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements and ensure reports/dashboards provide accurate control and risk metrics.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team to prioritize audit analytics and control monitoring product features.
  • Maintain up‑to‑date audit workpapers, risk registers, and process documentation to support compliance, internal transparency, and potential external reviews.
  • Assist in vendor selection and RFP evaluation for audit, analytics, or GRC (governance, risk, compliance) tools by providing subject matter expertise on control and reporting requirements.
  • Engage in cross‑training and knowledge sharing across finance, tax, legal, and IT to create a broader advisory capability and expand the audit team’s domain expertise.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Deep knowledge of internal audit methodology, risk‑based auditing, and control frameworks (COSO, COBIT).
  • Sarbanes‑Oxley (SOX) Section 404 planning and execution experience, including control design and remediation.
  • Strong financial reporting and accounting knowledge (US GAAP, IFRS) with experience interpreting complex accounting standards.
  • Proficiency in data analytics tools and languages: ACL/IDEA, SQL, Excel (advanced), Python or R, and visualization tools such as Power BI or Tableau.
  • Experience with ERP systems and associated control testing (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Workday Financials).
  • Familiarity with IT general controls (ITGC), application controls, identity and access management, and system change management testing.
  • Forensic accounting and fraud investigation techniques, including transaction tracing and digital evidence handling.
  • Practical experience with vendor/third‑party risk assessments and SOC report evaluation.
  • Competence with audit management and GRC platforms (e.g., Galvanize/ACL, MetricStream, Workiva) for documentation and issue tracking.
  • Ability to build financial models, perform variance analysis, and interpret KPIs to support advisory recommendations.
  • Understanding of regulatory and compliance frameworks relevant to Houston industries (SEC reporting, FCPA, AML, industry‑specific regulations).

Soft Skills

  • Exceptional written and verbal communication with the ability to distill complex audit findings into concise executive summaries and actionable recommendations.
  • Strong stakeholder management: influences across functions and at senior levels to obtain support for control changes and remediation.
  • Critical thinking and structured problem solving to connect data insights with process root‑causes and business impacts.
  • Leadership and team development skills to coach, mentor, and build high‑performing audit and advisory teams.
  • Project management and prioritization skills to manage multiple concurrent engagements and meet strict deadlines.
  • High ethical standards, discretion, and judgment when handling confidential financial and investigative information.
  • Adaptability and learning agility to stay current on new regulations, systems, and analytics techniques.
  • Collaborative mindset to work with cross‑functional teams and drive consensus on risk reduction strategies.
  • Presentation and facilitation skills to lead workshops, control design sessions, and executive governance meetings.
  • Attention to detail and commitment to high quality documentation and evidence standards.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics, Management Information Systems, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master’s degree (MAcc, MBA, MS in Accounting/Finance) or equivalent advanced degree.
  • Professional certifications preferred: CPA, CIA, CISA, CFE, or ACCA.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Economics
  • Management Information Systems (MIS) / Information Systems
  • Data Analytics / Business Analytics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3–12 years depending on level (Staff → Manager → Senior Manager).

Preferred:

  • 5+ years of progressive experience in internal audit, external audit (Big 4), financial advisory, or risk & compliance roles, with demonstrated SOX testing experience, data analytics application, and exposure to ERP systems and complex financial processes.
  • Prior industry experience in energy/oil & gas, real estate, private equity portfolio companies, or financial services is a strong plus.
  • Proven track record managing client/stakeholder relationships, delivering high‑impact advisory recommendations, and driving remediation to closure.
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