Senior Auditor

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

As a Senior Auditor, you will be a key player in delivering high-quality audit services aligned with the Global Internal Audit Standards (GIAS) in the UK Public Sector or other relevant professional standards. You will act as a crucial point of contact for clients, delivering a portfolio of audits and working closely with stakeholders to deliver efficient and robust audit work that strengthens the Agency's client relationships and reputation.

This role requires a confident, experienced auditor who will actively contribute to audit delivery in line with quality, time, and budget requirements.

You may be allocated to client specific teams, one of our specialism’s teams or our central resourcing team. 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.

Role responsibilities

• Supporting the delivery of a portfolio of audits, working on more than one assignment at once, often for a variety of clients.

• Leading the delivery of audit assignments and ensure delivery within budget and quality expectations complying with GIAA methodology and using our audit management system to deliver audits in line with our quality standards.

• Identifying and assessing key risks and explaining these to client management teams. Preparing terms of reference, setting out testing plans and undertaking detailed testing. Evaluating client frameworks for governance, risk, and control, supporting good practice within own and client organisations, and recommending improvements that support organisational objectives and capabilities.

• Obtaining, selecting and analysing data, to support results, conclusions and recommendations made. Providing and delivering clear and accurate reports that meet the requirements of our clients, and carrying out activities to ensure that agreed management actions are completed

• Fostering a culture of continuous improvement, using agency innovation, and learning. Being an effective team member, supporting wider GIAA delivery by working constructively and flexibly with colleagues to deliver appropriate outcomes.

• Managing your own time and resources effectively, taking ownership of issues that could impact the delivery of your and the wider teams’ objectives and providing solutions and options ahead of deadlines.

Person specification

1. A strong, analytical thinker and problem solver who can plan requirements within tight deadlines, under minimal supervision and manage competing challenging workloads.

2. Evaluating client framework for governance, risk, and control, supporting good practice within own and client organisations, and recommending improvements that support organisational objectives and capabilities.

3. Significant experience of risk-based internal audit, including:

• experience of collecting and providing accurate, unbiased, relevant, and sufficient information to support conclusions,

• experience in leading audit engagements,

• confidence in evaluating complex systems and processes, including working and communicating effectively with all levels of the organisation and stakeholders, and

• being able to use IA software and standard IT products.

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 750 words, referring to the person specification.

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

Interviews will be held on Teams.

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:

• Risk Management
• Governance
• Internal Controls

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this role.

Qualifications

For these senior auditor roles, we are inviting candidates who have demonstrable experience within the discipline of the professional audit/accountancy body outlined below, and have achieved at least one of the following:

Internal Audit part qualified - Chartered Institute of Internal Auditors (UK & Ireland), or overseas equivalent (the latter will require you to verify equivalent status with the CIIA UK & Ireland before applying) - have passed at least CIA 1, CIA 2 and CIA 3 (or PIIA under the pre-chartered route).

Accountancy part qualified through CCAB bodies or UK and overseas equivalent.

ACCA, CIPFA, ICAS, Chartered Accountants Ireland, CIMA, – at least 2 thirds of exam passes.

ICAEW – passes in both the Certificate and Professional levels.

Please note that a degree in any finance, accountancy, or audit discipline does not meet the qualification requirements, as these do not give membership of a professional body in themselves.

You need to have obtained the required qualification at the time of submitting your application. If you are waiting to sit your exams or have not yet received your results, then you are not eligible to apply this time.

Technical skills

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

• Audit Delivery
• Risk Management
• Internal Controls
• Governance

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £50,595, Government Internal Audit Agency contributes £14,657 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

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: 10 November 2026
• Shortlisting: w/c 30 November 2026
• Interviews: December 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 basic (or equivalent) 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

SEO-Senior Auditor #1-Candidate Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 451kB)Success Profiles - Candidate Overview Opens in new window (pdf, 616kB)