Job Description

Roles & Responsibilities

The Head of Internal Audit is responsible for leading and managing the internal audit function across Africa, APAC and the Middle East, ensuring the effectiveness of governance, risk management, and internal control processes. The role provides independent assurance on financial, operational, and compliance risks while driving adherence to group policies, regulatory requirements, and enterprise risk management frameworks.

Key Responsibilities

Internal Audit Leadership

Develop and implement the annual risk-based internal audit plan across all business units and geographies within the region.
Lead and oversee financial, operational, compliance, and process audits to assess control effectiveness and identify improvement opportunities.
Ensure audits are conducted in accordance with internal audit standards, group policies, and regulatory requirements.
Present audit findings, risk exposures, and recommendations to senior leadership, Audit Committee, and Board.

Risk Management

Lead the identification, assessment, and monitoring of enterprise-wide risks across the region.
Strengthen and maintain the organization’s risk management framework, including mitigation controls and risk reporting mechanisms.
Advise leadership on emerging risks, control gaps, and business continuity risks.
Support the development of risk registers and monitor the implementation of risk mitigation action plans.

Group Compliance & Governance

Ensure compliance with group governance standards, internal policies, statutory regulations, and external regulatory requirements.
Oversee compliance reviews relating to anti-fraud controls, ethics, anti-bribery, and corporate governance.
Lead investigations into control breaches, suspected fraud, or compliance violations where required.
Monitor remediation of audit findings and ensure timely closure of corrective actions.

Team & Stakeholder Management

Lead, develop, and manage internal audit teams across Africa and Middle East, ensuring capability building and high performance.
Collaborate with business leaders, external auditors, regulators, and cross-functional stakeholders on audit and compliance matters.
Drive a culture of accountability, risk awareness, and strong internal controls across the organization.

Desired Candidate Profile

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Audit, Risk Management, or related field (Master’s degree preferred).
Professional certifications such as CIA, CPA, ACCA, CISA, or equivalent preferred.
12+ years of progressive experience in Internal Audit, Risk Management, Compliance, or Governance roles, including leadership responsibility across multiple geographies.
Proven experience in managing and leading audit teams, with a track record of successful project completion.
10+ years of internal audit experience in manufacturing / FMCG / edible oil / food processing industries
Strong exposure to plant audits, supply chain audits, and commercial audits
Experience managing complex operations across Africa and Middle East preferred.

Head Of Internal Audit & Risk - Malaysia Confidential Company

Head Of Internal Audit & Risk - Malaysia
Confidential Company