• The Principal Internal Control - Operations performs internal control reviews to ensure adherence to established procedures and controls and to identify process improvements in Cellulant’s operations, contributing to maintaining a strong control environment. The role involves monitoring any open control issues and ensuring that they are closed satisfactorily within the set deadlines preventing crystallization of losses and highlighting to senior leadership all concerns arising from failure of controls that could result in potential or actual losses.
• The Principal Internal Audit Operations at Cellulant is a pivotal role and requires a strategic thinker and leader who can ensure that the company’s internal controls, risk management, and governance processes are effective, efficient, and compliant with internal policies, SOPs and regulatory requirements.
• This role demands a highly skilled individual with a deep understanding of internal controls, risk management, and the fintech/payment industry.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS AND STAKEHOLDERS:

• Vice President; Risk: Direct reporting line and primary source of guidance and feedback.
• Peers: Work closely with the Principal Operational Risk, Principal Internal Audit and Principal IT Audit
• Cross-Functional Teams: Collaborate with various departments such as Finance, Operations, IT, Human Resources, Product, Risk and Compliance and Information Security to ensure effective control implementations.
• External Auditors: Liaise with external audit teams during audits and reviews.
• Regulatory Bodies: Ensure compliance with local and international regulatory requirements.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Facilitate internal controls framework development, ensuring coordination of stakeholder participation, feedback, and buy in, along with ongoing maintenance and validation of framework compliance.
• Pursue the development of effective controls by deploying continuous improvement techniques and partner with the business to determine the appropriate key control activities.
• As a subject matter expert, provide guidance on control issues to all the business units within Cellulant Group.
• Assess regularly existing business key controls against the risk control expectations to assess the level of control effectiveness, efficiency and relevance in risk mitigation.
• Report risk events, policy deviations, risk exceptions, and engage appropriate stakeholders on timely remedial actions; escalate key risk situations that pose significant risk.
• Lead the process for internal controls reviews across the group.
• Deliver adequate and timely reports on the internal control framework and control deficiencies to ensure appropriate communication, documentation, escalation to business partners, senior leadership, and board audit and risk committee.
• Deliver adequate and timely action plans and monitor progress to address and resolve control deficiencies.
• Work collaboratively with business and process owners to implement and monitor remediation efforts that result from internal control assessments, ensuring the effective implementation of corrective actions.
• Develop and conduct adequate training and prepare related information material on the internal control objectives, approach, and methodology to business partners on a regular basis to build knowledge and understanding of risks and control.
• Ensure that operational risks in the business are well defined, managed proactively and issues are dealt with in a timely manner.
• Conduct planned & ad-hoc risk & internal control assessments of all company processes.
• Devising strategies for business continuity, crisis or incident response and disaster recovery and collaborating with process owners for their implementation.
• Timely coordination of the Risk and Control Self-Assessment (RCSA) process with all respective process owners, identification of possible improvements and gaps closing.
• Support a strong risk and control environment by playing an advisory role in the business.
• Provide consultation, facilitation and analytical support to ensure internal controls are properly designed and implemented and are following organizations risk appetite and risk management framework.

MUST HAVE EXPERIENCE:

• Commercial orientation with a focus on service issues and customer experience impact
• Self-starter, entrepreneurial, passionate, and tech-savvy
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to prioritize and manage workload to meet deadlines and OKRs
• Patient, problem solver, ambitious, proactive/assertive, and dependable
• Technical aptitude with the ability to absorb technical information and apply business solutions
• Accuracy and detail-oriented
• Strong analytical skills and aptitude for math

EXPERIENCE THAT WILL COUNT IN YOUR FAVOUR:

• Experience in the fintech or payment industry.
• Previous experience in a leadership role within an internal audit function.
• Experience with cross-functional collaboration in a fast-paced environment.
• Familiarity with emerging technologies and their impact on internal controls and audit practices.
• Experience in conducting audits in a rapidly growing and evolving industry.
• Demonstrated ability to implement and manage change within an organization.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in a business or technology related field
• Minimum of 6 years of experience in internal control, internal audit, risk management, compliance, finance, technology or a related field.
• Strong knowledge of financial and operational controls, and risk management.
• Proficiency in GRC software and data analysis tools.

SKILLS:

• Proficiency in audit software and data analysis tools.
• Experience with risk assessment methodologies.
• Understanding of regulatory compliance and relevant financial regulations.
• Ability to perform root cause analysis.
• Project management skills to oversee audit projects from inception to completion.
• Strategic thinking and ability to align audit activities with organizational goals.
• Conflict resolution skills to manage and resolve disagreements effectively.

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES:

• Analytical Thinking: Ability to analyze complex data and identify trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Attention to Detail: Meticulous attention to detail to ensure accuracy and compliance.
• Leadership: Ability to lead and motivate a team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
• Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills for clear and concise reporting and presentations.
• Adaptability: Ability to adapt to changing environments and stay updated on industry trends and regulatory changes.
• Problem-Solving: Strong problem-solving skills to address and resolve audit findings and recommendations.
• Interpersonal Skills: Ability to build strong relationships with stakeholders and work collaboratively across departments.
• Ethical Judgment: Strong ethical standards and the ability to make sound judgments in the best interest of the company.
• Organisation: Demonstrate high degree of responsibility in balancing multiple commitments, handling competing priorities yet effectively meeting deadlines and commitments to stakeholders
• Collaboration: Ability to collaborate with all levels of subject matter experts
• Agility: Ability to flourish in a fast-paced, highly complex environment and adapt to change quickly and adroitly