Dir. Internal Audit, Ops

About the position

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. The Director of Internal Audit contributes to the success of the organization through the oversight of audit managers who oversee the execution of internal audits. Business specific internal audits identify potential opportunities to improve the internal control environment and vulnerabilities in the AARP family of companies to drive continuous improvement. The Director of Internal Audit is responsible for identifying and supporting the mitigation of risks across AARP’s portfolio of companies. This role serves as a key subject matter expert and contributor in the Internal Audit (IA) team's support of the various boards that maintain oversight of AARP and its affiliates. IA’s work is driven and authorized by the AARP Board Audit & Finance Committee. This role is responsible for performing and overseeing the completion of all internal audit work in compliance with established audit methodology while meeting all organizational and professional ethical standards. In addition, the Director of Internal Audit assists in the execution of special projects for senior management and the Board as requested.

Responsibilities

• Direct and manage internal audit activities related to business operations, cybersecurity, data management, and emerging technologies.
• Ensure sustainable solutions for evolving business risks and compliance requirements leveraging new and emerging technologies for the IA team’s processes and methodologies.
• Maintain oversight of audit managers who plan, lead, manage and execute risk-based processes, operational and governance audits and projects of various enterprise functions, working collaboratively with management to identify and mitigate top risks. Provide training, guidance, and supervision to internal audit staff.
• Evaluate and incorporate AARP’s strategy and major business initiatives into the risk assessment process to identify key risk areas for further due diligence and inclusion in the audit plan.
• In collaboration with the audit managers, provide direction to and management of co-sourced subject matter experts and staff to deliver consistent and exceptional service in execution of audits and advisory projects.
• Assist and/or lead training and education sessions on emerging risks for the benefit of the department, organization, and/or Board audit committees.
• Serve as operational liaison across the AARP portfolio of companies to manage and mitigate risks in a consistent manner, sharing lessons learned and identifying areas of risks for risk mitigation. Collaborate with other AARP personnel to identify and implement business specific risk management or process improvement opportunities to efficiently manage business risks in support of the organization’s goals.
• Communicate audit details and risks to audit team, risk managers, executives, Board members and business owners in an understandable and compelling way to drive risk mitigation adoption. Stay abreast of current and emerging business specific risks and be able to assess the risk’s relevance to AARP and its operations to continuously prepare and protect the organization.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, Risk Management, or a related field, with 10+ years of experience in internal audit, financial audit, operational audit, compliance, risk management, accounting, or related disciplines.
• Professional certification required (CIA, CPA, CFE, or a comparable audit, risk, compliance, or accounting credential).
• Advanced knowledge of risk-based auditing, internal controls, governance, compliance requirements, financial processes, and enterprise risk management frameworks.
• Experience leading and executing audits, advisory reviews, and risk assessments across financial, operational, compliance, governance, and third-party risk areas.
• Proven leadership experience managing audit teams, complex projects, multiple priorities, and relationships with senior executives, Board committees, external auditors, regulators, and other stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and presentation skills, with proficiency in Microsoft Office, data analysis and visualization tools, and the ability to translate complex risks into practical business recommendations.
• Regular and reliable job attendance
• Effective verbal and written communication skills
• Exhibit respect and understanding of others to maintain professional relationships
• Independent judgement in evaluation options to make sound decisions

Nice-to-haves

• Advanced degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Public Administration, Risk Management, Law, or a related field.
• Multiple relevant professional credentials, such as CIA, CPA, CFE, CRMA, or another audit, risk, compliance, fraud, accounting, or governance certification.
• AARP will not sponsor an employment visa for this position at this time.

Benefits

• 401(k)
• 100% company-funded pension plan
• health, dental, and vision plans
• life insurance
• paid time off to include company and individual holidays, vacation, sick, caregiving, and parental leave
• performance-based and peer-based recognition
• tuition reimbursement