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

🎯 Role Definition

The Houston Internal Audit & Financial Advisory Manager leads and executes risk-based internal audit programs and financial advisory engagements across commercial and corporate functions. This role combines deep technical knowledge of accounting, internal controls and regulatory requirements with advisory skills to improve controls, drive remediation, and support M&A, integration and strategic initiatives. The manager supervises audit teams, partners with business leaders and external auditors, and leverages data analytics and ERP experience to deliver timely, practical recommendations that strengthen governance, reduce risk and enhance financial performance.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Internal Auditor (Big Four or industry)
Senior Financial Analyst / Finance Business Partner
External Audit Senior or Financial Advisory Consultant

Advancement To:

Director of Internal Audit
Head of Risk & Controls / Chief Audit Executive
VP, Finance / Operational Excellence Lead

Lateral Moves:

Risk & Compliance Manager
Financial Advisory Senior Manager / Transaction Services Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, maintain and execute a multi-year, risk-based internal audit plan tailored to the Houston business footprint and corporate risk profile; prioritize audits based on enterprise risk, regulatory changes, and business initiatives.
Lead full lifecycle internal audit engagements — scoping, risk assessment, testing, evidence collection, control evaluation, issue identification, and drafting clear, actionable audit reports with prioritized remediation recommendations.
Manage and mentor audit teams (internal and contractor resources), providing coaching, performance feedback, assignment planning and career development to build a high-performing audit capability.
Perform SOX 404 readiness and testing activities: plan SOX cycles, document and evaluate key controls, lead remediation tracking, and liaise with external auditors to support timely attestations.
Conduct financial advisory projects including M&A due diligence, carve-outs, integration readiness, vendor/3rd party risk reviews, and financial modeling to support transaction decision-making and post-close integration.
Execute enterprise risk assessments and control self-assessment workshops with business leaders to identify emerging risks, control gaps and remediation priorities; translate results into audit coverage and advisory opportunities.
Design and implement internal control frameworks based on COSO, COSO for Cyber, or comparable standards; assess control design and operating effectiveness and recommend pragmatic control enhancements.
Lead investigations of suspected fraud, misstatement, or non-compliance matters: plan investigatory procedures, preserve evidence, coordinate with legal and HR, and deliver findings with recommended corrective actions.
Drive continuous monitoring and continuous auditing programs using data analytics and automated controls; develop KPI dashboards and exception reporting to identify anomalies and trending risks.
Collaborate cross-functionally with Finance, Tax, Legal, IT, Operations and Business Units to advise on control design for new products, system implementations (ERP/SAP/Oracle) and process changes.
Evaluate and provide advisory support during ERP implementations, system upgrades or business process redesigns — ensuring financial controls are embedded, segregation of duties risks are mitigated, and automated controls are validated.
Provide financial statement review and analysis, including variance analysis, balance sheet reconciliations and accounting policy assessments to identify potential misstatement or process weaknesses.
Partner with external auditors and regulators, coordinating audit logistics, responding to inquiries, providing requested documentation, and managing remediation timelines from external findings.
Prepare and present executive-level reports and audit committee briefings that summarize risk exposure, control effectiveness, remediation status, and recommended governance improvements.
Develop and enforce remediation governance: track open issues, assign owners, define remediation plans and timelines, and perform follow-up testing to validate closure and sustained remediation.
Conduct vendor and third-party control assessments, including SOC report evaluation, contract compliance testing, and operational risk reviews for outsourced functions that impact financial reporting or controls.
Lead and execute advisory projects to improve finance processes (order-to-cash, procure-to-pay, record-to-report) and operational efficiencies using process mapping, root cause analysis, and control re-design.
Utilize data analytics and scripting (ACL, IDEA, SQL, Python) to perform substantive testing, identify exceptions, sample populations and produce evidence-based insights that reduce testing time and increase audit coverage.
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of accounting standards (US GAAP/IFRS), regulatory requirements (SEC, PCAOB), and industry-specific compliance obligations; translate changes into audit programs and control recommendations.
Build and maintain strong working relationships with senior business stakeholders to position internal audit as a trusted advisor and to drive acceptance and implementation of control improvements.
Manage audit engagement budgets, resource allocation and vendor contracts; provide accurate time and expense forecasting and ensure efficient delivery of audit and advisory services.
Design and deliver training programs for business stakeholders and audit staff on internal controls, SOX compliance, anti-fraud controls, and best practices for control design and monitoring.
Lead cross-functional initiatives to remediate legacy control deficiencies, including project management, stakeholder communications, testing strategy and validation of corrective actions.
Champion continuous improvement for the internal audit function: adopt industry best practices, deploy audit technology (audit management systems), and enhance methodology to increase audit quality and speed.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Provide subject matter expertise on controls and finance implications during special projects and strategic initiatives.
Assist with external RFPs and pre-deal advisory responses by preparing control and financial due diligence deliverables.
Act as escalation point for control-related issues, facilitating rapid remediation and management reporting.
Contribute to company-wide risk and compliance committees and working groups to align audit priorities with enterprise objectives.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strong knowledge of internal control frameworks (COSO, SOX 404) and hands-on experience designing, testing and remediating controls.
Deep understanding of US GAAP and experience assessing accounting policy impacts on internal controls and financial reporting.
Experience leading SOX compliance programs, including testing strategy, deficiency classification, remediation and external audit coordination.
Financial advisory capabilities: M&A due diligence, carve-out readiness, integration support and transaction-related financial modeling.
Data analytics and audit automation skills: proficiency with ACL/IDEA, SQL, Power BI/Tableau, Excel advanced modeling, and experience applying analytics to auditing.
Familiarity with ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite) and ability to assess configuration, segregation of duties, and transaction flows for control design.
Experience evaluating SOC reports, vendor risk assessments and third-party control environments.
Knowledge of regulatory frameworks relevant to public and privately held companies (SEC, PCAOB) and industry-specific compliance requirements.
Proven ability to prepare audit workpapers, executive summaries, board/audit committee presentations and formal audit reports.
Practical experience with fraud detection techniques, investigations, evidence collection, and coordination with legal and HR.
Project management skills: ability to manage multi-stakeholder remediation projects, timelines, resources and external advisors.
Familiarity with continuous monitoring tools and exception management platforms to sustain control oversight.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and team development skills; demonstrated ability to recruit, coach and retain audit talent.
Excellent written and verbal communication; able to present complex technical findings to executives and non-technical stakeholders.
Business partnering mindset; capable of influencing senior leaders and driving adoption of control improvements.
Analytical and critical thinking with attention to detail and a practical focus on actionable recommendations.
High integrity and professional skepticism; sound judgment in sensitive investigations and escalations.
Time management and prioritization skills; able to balance multiple engagements and tight reporting deadlines.
Adaptability and change management skills to support dynamic business transformations and system implementations.
Client service orientation and commercial awareness when delivering advisory services and transaction support.
Collaborative attitude and ability to work cross-functionally in matrixed organizations.
Coaching and mentoring skills to develop staff and elevate audit methodology and quality.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.

Preferred Education:

CPA, CIA, or equivalent professional certification.
MBA or Master's in Accounting/Finance preferred for advisory-heavy roles.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Accounting
Finance
Business Administration
Information Systems / Data Analytics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 7–12 years of progressive experience in internal audit, external audit (Big Four), or financial advisory/transaction services.

Preferred:

8–15 years with a mix of internal audit management and external advisory experience.
Proven track record managing SOX programs, leading M&A due diligence engagements and supervising audit teams.
Experience in the Energy, Oil & Gas, Services, or large-scale commercial industries serving the Houston market is a plus.