Head of Audit for Pakistan, Islamic Banking and Client Coverage (AME & EA)

Job Summary

The Head of Audit, Pakistan, Islamic Banking and Client Coverage AME&EA plays a pivotal role in the third line of defence, ensuring independent assurance of management's control over business activities. Responsible for leading the Group Internal Audit Strategy, the role emphasizes customer experience, effective group change, and identifying efficiencies. The Head of Audit acts as a team manager, overseeing high-quality audits, adhering to professional standards, and promoting valued behaviors within the team. Engaging with various committees, the role involves representing Group Internal Audit at formal meetings, challenging, and providing data-driven insights. Additionally, the Head of Audit contributes to risk assessment, manages audit delivery, and ensures effective stakeholder management, thereby safeguarding the assets, reputation, and sustainability of the Group. The position also entails effective budget management, risk assessment, stakeholder engagement, and adherence to governance and regulatory standards. The incumbent leads by example, fostering a culture of ethics, compliance, and continuous improvement within the Group Internal Audit function.

The role holder is responsible for ensuring that assurance meets relevant regulatory requirements and addresses the highest areas of risk for Islamic Banking risk – current and evolving. As a result, the role holder will need to guide auditors on designing testing strategies to sufficiently cover Islamic banking, this might include proving training and ongoing oversight. Responsibilities also include maintaining relationships with key seniors in Islamic Banking as well as external experts. Where applicable, the role holder will provide Group Internal Audit’s opinion on Islamic Banking Risks to Senior Management and Group Committees.

Key Responsibilities

• Be a leader who helps grow the Bank, harnessing a strategic mindset and the ability to navigate complex situations and ambiguity
• To clearly identify the risks and impact of issues during issue writing, agreeing these issues with management and obtaining quality management action plans to mitigate the risks raised.
• To lead continuous monitoring of assigned countries / portfolio areas, and to build and maintain engagement with stakeholders.
• To support Group Internal Audit teams by providing product / country knowledge and expertise for their audits relating to the individual’s area of responsibility.
• To attend and represent Group Internal Audit at formal committees and Group meetings, providing meaningful challenge and data-driven insights, as required, e.g., Governance Committees and Country Non-Financial Risk Committees
• To serve as the Group Internal Audit portfolio / country subject matter expert – proactively engage with peers and stakeholders to maintain, build and share knowledge.
• Issue validation: All audit issue action plans agreed during audit fieldwork should be tracked through to completion in accordance with methodology requirements
• Contribute to the Group Internal Audit risk assessment and design the subsequent risk-based audit plan for the assigned portfolio of Pakistan, Islamic Banking and Client Coverage AME&EA.
• Audits in the Group Internal Audit audit plan should address the key risks identified in the detailed risk assessment and in the audit planning process and meet relevant regulatory requirements and expectations that are required to be covered by Group Internal Audit.
• Periodically assess whether the audit plan remains relevant throughout the year as the risk profile of the business and entity changes.
• Ensure that audit team operates in line with the Audit Charter during engagements, remains independent from management and free from interference.
• Provide technical input and challenge on audit work being undertaken within the scope of assigned product or country area of responsibility. This will include working with the audit team to produce outputs of high quality which address the areas of greatest risk.
• Monitor the implementation and delivery of the agreed issues and action plans for the audits assigned, understanding the key risks arising, provide advice on resolution of issues to auditees and action plan owners and escalate audit findings that remain unresolved.
• Provide clear guidance, detailed review and supervision of the audit team’s work so that audit deliverables meet quality standards and timelines in line with the Group Internal Audit methodology.
• Provide guidance on business and audit technical knowledge and management skills to team leaders and team members to enable them to effectively deliver their assigned audit work.
  
  

Eligibility Criteria

Candidate must have at least three (3) years of relevant experience in audit or finance or compliance function, and is:

• a member of a recognized body of professional accountants; or
• a Certified Internal Auditor; or
• a Certified Fraud Examiner; or
• a Certified Internal Control Auditor
  
  

Competencies

Action Oriented

Collaborates

Customer Focus

Gives Clarity & Guidance

Manages Ambiguity

Develops Talent

Drives Vision & Purpose

Nimble Learning

Decision Quality

Courage

Instills Trust

Strategic Mindset

About Standard Chartered

We're an international bank, nimble enough to act, big enough for impact. For more than 170 years, we've worked to make a positive difference for our clients, communities, and each other. We question the status quo, love a challenge and enjoy finding new opportunities to grow and do better than before. If you're looking for a career with purpose and you want to work for a bank making a difference, we want to hear from you. You can count on us to celebrate your unique talents and we can't wait to see the talents you can bring us.

Our purpose, to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, together with our brand promise, to be here for good are achieved by how we each live our valued behaviours. When you work with us, you'll see how we value difference and advocate inclusion.

Together We

• Do the right thing and are assertive, challenge one another, and live with integrity, while putting the client at the heart of what we do
• Never settle, continuously striving to improve and innovate, keeping things simple and learning from doing well, and not so well
• Are better together, we can be ourselves, be inclusive, see more good in others, and work collectively to build for the long term
  
  

What We Offer

In line with our Fair Pay Charter, we offer a competitive salary and benefits to support your mental, physical, financial and social wellbeing.

• Core bank funding for retirement savings, medical and life insurance, with flexible and voluntary benefits available in some locations.
• Time-off including annual leave, parental/maternity (20 weeks), sabbatical (12 months maximum) and volunteering leave (3 days), along with minimum global standards for annual and public holiday, which is combined to 30 days minimum.
• Flexible working options based around home and office locations, with flexible working patterns.
• Proactive wellbeing support through Unmind, a market-leading digital wellbeing platform, development courses for resilience and other human skills, global Employee Assistance Programme, sick leave, mental health first-aiders and all sorts of self-help toolkits
• A continuous learning culture to support your growth, with opportunities to reskill and upskill and access to physical, virtual and digital learning.
• Being part of an inclusive and values driven organisation, one that embraces and celebrates our unique diversity, across our teams, business functions and geographies - everyone feels respected and can realise their full potential.