Senior Audit Manager (PPM Specialism)

Job summary

The Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) is driven by its unparalleled access across government to build better insights, better outcomes for our clients. This role offers a strong platform for career progression within the Agency and the wider civil service, providing opportunities to develop leadership, stakeholder engagement and strategic relationship management skills across government. The Agency’s unique access across the public sector exposes you to different risk and control environments, allowing you to gain insights, apply experience, contribute meaningfully, and continue developing professionally.

Job description

The post holder will have a strategic leadership and delivery role within the Agency and will be responsible for delivering a high-quality, impactful audit programme within their span of control in accordance with the Global Internal Audit Standards (GIAS) in the UK Public Sector or other relevant professional standards.

The post holder will lead and manage a portfolio of audit delivery, including delivering individual audit engagements from planning through to reporting, providing people management, engagement supervision and oversight to teams delivering individual engagement in a matrix.

The post holder will be an experienced, confident and strategic leader, providing portfolio direction and alignment. Adept as fostering a culture of continuous improvement, upholding quality assurance, championing innovation and driving professional development and learning for our people

The post holder will require a deep understanding of clients’ operations, key risks, and priorities whilst building strong, productive relationships at all levels and delivering challenging messages with professionalism and clarity.

The post holder will provide Programme and Project Management (PPM) specialism input and insight into the shaping of audit strategies and plans across a portfolio. Identifying key risks and engaging stakeholders with credibility and impact, the post holder will work closely with colleagues including Group Chief Internal Auditors (GCIAs).

This role will play a key role in upholding quality assurance, the Agency’s reputation and strengthening the function including championing the development of a risk-orientated culture.

The post holder will drive the continuous professional development of our people including effective allocation of audit resource based on skills, capacity, and priorities, to optimise overall Agency delivery. Working with resource managers to ensure resource is deployed effectively to optimise performance and outcomes.

Role responsibilities

• Take a strategic leadership and delivery role leading and managing a portfolio of audit delivery from planning through to reporting. Acting as the engagement supervisor for all audits within your agreed allocation. You will drive the continuous professional development of our people including effective allocation of audit resource based on skills, capacity, and priorities to optimise overall Agency delivery
• Deliver value-adding PPM audit insights that help GIAA clients identify, understand, and manage project and programme delivery risks.
• Shape and drive the implementation of an audit strategy and plan, identifying key risks, you will engage stakeholders with credibility and impact and work closely with colleagues including Group Chief Internal Auditors (GCIAs).
• Identify and share common PPM assurance and advisory issues across GIAA’s client base to improve risk awareness and mitigation.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) and the National Audit Office (NAO) to share knowledge and align assurance approaches where possible.
• Grow the PPM specialism’s contribution to GIAA’s strategy by developing new capabilities, knowledge-sharing tools, and potential income streams.
• Have a key role in upholding quality assurance and strengthening the function, including championing the development of a risk-orientated culture. You will ensure timeliness of each review in line with budget and compliance with GIAA audit methodology and systems.
• Provide portfolio direction and alignment by fostering a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and learning, ensuring audit services remain responsive to risk priorities.
• Lead the strategic management of client relationships, including regular engagement with senior internal and client management including occasional attendance at ARAC’s and preparation of ARAC papers.
• Provide leadership and oversight as a People Manager and/or Engagement Manager in a matrix model for a team of auditors across multiple regions. (Specific training will be given if you are allocated a People Manager role due to the Line Management responsibilities).

Person specification

You will be required to write a statement of suitability of up to 1,000 words setting out how your skills and experience meet the following criteria:

1. Significant experience in effective decision making, successfully planning, managing, and delivering a portfolio of risk-based internal audits, including Programme and Project Management audits, to time, quality and budget including the ability to assess skills and resource gaps in audit service delivery.
2. Leading and supporting change at a team and organisational level, adopting a continuous improvement approach which contributes to the wider corporate responsibilities of the organisations.
3. Strong strategic thinking skills and an ability to interpret complex, conflicting information and make sound judgements. The ability to build and maintain strong relationships across an organisation at all levels, influencing senior stakeholders to adopt good practice internal control, risk management and governance processes.
4. Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to interpret complex audit judgements and deliver insight for senior and specialist audiences.
5. Proven track record in successfully leading, managing and developing teams in a matrix management setting either as an engagement supervisor or people manager

To apply for this role, you will need to submit your employment history, personal details and provide a statement of suitability of no more than 1,000 words, referring to the person specification.

Please note only your statement of suitability will be assessed at the sift stage.

Candidates invited to interview will be required to give a short presentation to the interview panel followed by questions. At interview you will be assessed on experience, strengths and the following technical skills:

• A client relationships
• PPM assurance and advisory issues
• Professional and quality standards

Qualifications

All candidates will need to demonstrate full current membership of a recognised professional accountancy/audit body, either:
Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors UK & Ireland and must hold chartered auditor/CMIIA designation or the MIIA designation where you are qualified under the previous exam route and did not apply to make this chartered. If you have passed all the CMIIA/MIIA exams but do not hold the designation, you are not eligible to apply.
Other Institutes of Internal Auditors that are part of IIA Global, If you studied with the Institute of Internal Auditors in another country, you must hold the equivalent of the MIIA designation. You should verify this with the IIA UK & Ireland prior to submitting your application, by emailing membership@iia.org.uk
No other level of internal audit qualifications meet the requirements of this post.
Or
Accountancy, fully qualified, current member of one of five CCAB bodies (ICAEW, ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS, Chartered Accountants Ireland or CIMA)
A qualification in delivering or providing assurance to projects and programmes is desirable, but not essential.
The post holder may be required to apply for DV security clearance, depending on their portfolio. Please note, this will be voluntary.

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• IA client relationships
• PPM assurance and advisory issues
• Professional and quality standards

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £73,142, Government Internal Audit Agency contributes £21,189 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries and in-year rewards
• Flexible working
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• Discount on big brands
• Volunteering days
• Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Schemes
• Free eyesight tests
• Family-friendly HR policies
• 25 days’ annual leave increasing by one day per year of service to 30 days after 5 years’ service
• Geographically based Agency

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Strengths, Experience and Technical skills.

Recruitment Timeline

• Closing date: 03 March 2026
• Shortlisting: w/c 16 March 2026
• Interviews: w/c 30 March 2026

This timeline is indicative and may be subject to change. We will inform you if there is a substantial change to the recruitment timeline.

If your contact details change at any time during the selection process, please ensure you update your Civil Service Jobs profile.

Please note that only applications submitted through Civil Service Jobs will be accepted.

Eligibility Statement

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role in the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government. Checks will be performed as part of pre-employment checks in line with this. Please refer to the Candidate FAQ document attached to the advert for more information.

Everyone working with government assets must complete Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks. Additionally, individuals appointed to the Treasury group will be subject to National Security Vetting. The level of security vetting required for this role is Security Check (SC)

To allow for meaningful checks to be carried out, applicants will need to have lived in the UK for at least 3 out of the past 5 years. In exceptional circumstances, for example if you have been working abroad on a government posting, a lack of residency would not be a bar to security clearance however the Department will need to consider eligibility on a case-by-case basis once the advert closing date has passed.

Please read the Vetting Charter for information on what to expect during the vetting process and what will be expected from you. Many areas of your life may be explored during your vetting journey, and it is important that every individual, regardless of their background and experiences, should feel comfortable going through this personal process, whilst having confidence that it is fair, proportionate, and inclusive.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Katie Woodhouse
• Email : GIAARecruitment@GIAA.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : giaarecruitment@giaa.gov.uk

Further information

Complaints Procedure: The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact: GIAARecruitment@giaa.gov.uk in the first instance. If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Grade 6-Senior Audit Manager-PPM-Candidate Pack PPM Opens in new window (pdf, 959kB)Success Profiles - Candidate Overview Opens in new window (pdf, 616kB)