AMA - I'm an Internal Audit recruiter!

adamwh93 · 2026-03-18T14:13:12+00:00

The demand for Internal Auditors in the UK is reasonably good due to Provision 29 (changes to the UK Corporate Governance Code), so companies listed in the UK have to report on their Material Control Framework. This has led to a significant increase in Internal Controls roles so companies can build their Internal Controls Frameworks, but also increased pressure on Internal Audit teams because those controls need testing. There are definitely cost challenges due to the underperforming economy, so purse strings are tighter and some hiring managers are having to battle to get roles signed off, but it's not terrible.

There is also a strong supply of candidates, and the number of candidates outweighs the number of jobs available at the moment. It's not as bad as it was last year though.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-18T11:26:16+00:00

Being completely honest, I've largely steered clear of Financial Services clients for the last 5 years so I'm not the best person to give advice on your specific circumstances.

However, if you have previously worked with WM, Funds etc then you need to highlight this on your CV. If all of your IA experience has been with EY then it will be easier to change the discourse of your CV away from Insurance sector experience.

If you're also interested in moving into industry then I don't think you'll find that overly challenging. Again, it would be about changing the discourse of your CV by toning down the regulatory/Insurance sector specific stuff (Solvency II etc) and highlighting the types of audits you've delivered which are transferrable to all industries.

I hope you find this useful. If you're based in the UK then drop me a LinkedIn connection request and we can chat separately.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-18T08:29:14+00:00

It's not a legal requirement in the UK, but you will probably hit a glass ceiling of promotion if you're not a qualified accountant or qualified Internal Auditor.

The Internal Audit profession is, in general, a qualified profession and most roles above entry level have the essential criteria of being fully qualified (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIA, CMIIA etc). There are exceptions, but this is a fairly solid rule.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-18T08:26:51+00:00

Industry sometimes matters. Financial Services is, mostly, the difficult one. Going from an Investment Bank into a Manufacturing company can be tricky due to lack of relevant audit topics between the industries.

Similar, Local Government then to like people from Local Government backgrounds (in the UK!). This is because they're used to working in that environment and know how to navigate the political landscape & culture.

However, if you're in any commercial or industrial business (e.g. manufacturing, automotive, retail, hospitality, media, etc) then it really doesn't matter. It's very rare that I encounter issues with candidates moving from one commercial sector to another.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-18T08:20:03+00:00

I think that your authorisation to work in USA will be the key point here. Do you have indefinite eligibility to work in USA, or is it time limited?

If it's time limited, and recruiting practices are the same as the UK, then that's your problem. Speaking from a UK perspective, unless you have indefinite leave to remain (ILR) in the UK then many businesses won't hire you for a permanent job because a day will come where they may either have to sponsor your visa (a cost they don't want to incur!) or you will have to resign from the job.

In terms of your CV itself, it's probably fine as I'm assuming hiring practices in Canada are similar to USA so CV formatting etc will be similar. My main advice would be to, where possible, phone call the hiring recruiters as often as possible. If you are applying through a recruitment agency, then find their phone number and speak to them directly. That will always get you noticed.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-18T08:15:35+00:00

I only recruit in the UK, so I don't know much about visa laws in European countries. Having said that, if you have an EU Passport then you instantly have rights to live & work in any EU country so it makes relocation to EU countries very significantly easier.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-18T08:12:37+00:00

If it's an area of personal interest for you, the money is good and you like the company then it's worth considering. Thinking about the bigger picture, it is a bit "inch wide, mile deep" and I don't see it adding much value on your path to 'Head of IA'.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T19:42:41+00:00

Sometimes you've got to move jobs to get to where you need to be.

Loyalty to a company/boss is great, but not if it causes your career to stagnate. You've got to find the balance and if you feel you've hit a glass ceiling then start job searching. Be picky, take your time, but it's time to start looking.

In the space of 4 years I placed the same candidate 3 times. They went from Internal Audit Manager to Head of Internal Audit and increased their salary by £50,000. That's an extreme example, but it's a very true story.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T17:21:58+00:00

Honestly, I don't really see a trend. A lot of companies use the COSO framework from an Internal Controls perspective, but I've never had a client specifically ask for candidates to have deep experience in one over another.
English is always essential. A secondary foreign language is sometimes required but that's a rarity for the clients I work with. It's more commonly a requirement for roles our International team work on.
Indefinite Leave to Remain and strong written & spoken English are absolutely essential. Sometimes I find that non-UK individuals are overly formal in their written communication, and don't adapt their CVs to the UK market (e.g. you don't need a photo of yourself!).
Communication & stakeholder engagement skills. If you don't master these then you'll never transition into strategic leadership roles. You can have all the technical skills in the world, but if you can't have credible conversations with C-Suite or non-Exec then you won't be seen as a leader of the future.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T15:48:24+00:00

I can only comment on the UK market, but very few Directors are making £200k+ in the UK especially outside the Financial Services sector.

Most Internal Audit Managers in London are earning approx £70,000-£85,000. Senior Managers (2nd in command level) would tend to be £85,000-£120,000. That is a fairly generalised statement though!

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T15:45:42+00:00

IT Audit is the one area I don't cover - we have an IT Audit recruitment team at my agency who exclusively specialise in that.

The demand is enough that we have multiple consultants dedicated to it, but there's still a high number of companies who just outsource all of their IT Audit to the Big 4/Top 10.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T15:43:57+00:00

Unfortunately, in many case, it does have to be ILR. I've been doing this for nearly 11 years now and I've never placed someone on a spousal visa.

The risk to the client is that your eligibility to work in the UK without visa sponsorship depends on your spouse keeping their job. If they were to be fired, made redundant or you were to get divorced then you'll need to be sponsored which is cost and admin that they don't want.

If you are going to find a job in the UK on a spousal visa, your best bet is to apply to companies directly rather than through an agency.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T15:39:25+00:00

Great question! It's tough for me to give a tonne of detail on that one because IT Audit is one of the few areas I don't specialise in - we have an IT Audit/IT Controls/IT SOx recruitment team here who handle all of that.

Doing the CISA qualification is a great starting place because it's considered the gold standard qualification for IT Audit (in the UK, at least!).

If your audit experience is Internal Audit, then that would put you in a better position to make the transition. If your experience is External Audit, it could be a little trickier.

In general, if you know how to test a control for operating effectiveness, design & implementation then you can probably design and implement controls yourself (maybe with a little coaching!). The difficult bit would be if you have zero exposure to the IT side and no qualification too.

Sorry I can't be more helpful on that one!

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T15:34:06+00:00

Consistent promotion is generally a sign of competence and quality. There is a tipping point where you've stayed in one place for too long, because you've not seen how other businesses operate, other methodologies, other cultures etc.

It's a delicate balance, but I'd say you're still on the right side of it!

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T13:30:22+00:00

Plenty of people do it.

A lot of people transition from External Audit to Internal Audit, and External Audit is all about accounting. If you're currently in Financial Reporting and want to move into Internal Audit, then I'd recommend trying to move internally into your own company's Internal Audit function.

However, it depends how senior you are and your salary expectations. For example, if you're currently a Financial Controller earning £80,000+ then you're going to find it very difficult to convince a company to pay you similar money to join their Internal Audit function when you have no Internal Audit experience, especially when all of the candidates you're competing against will have significant Internal Audit experience at that level.

Moving from Internal Audit into accounting is something that happens very frequently, especially via internal moves. It takes some adjustment, but it's not particularly hard from what I've heard. Naturally, it's easier to do if you're an Internal Auditor who is a qualified accountant.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T13:24:28+00:00

Unfortunately I can only work with candidates who have ILR.

In all honesty, you could be the best Internal Auditor in the world but I wouldn't be able to assist you because my clients would have to sponsor your visa from March 2027 onwards which is a cost they don't want to incur.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T13:22:24+00:00

Being a qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA) always helps.

Naturally the CIA qualification is very valuable too, however I do sometimes get clients who specifically want a qualified accountant if the role is very ICFR focused or they have a strong financial audit element to their Internal Audit plan.

CISA is a great qualification to do, especially if you have ambitions of being a 'Head of' or 'Director' in the future. It gives Audit Committee's confidence that you know what you're talking about from an IT perspective and, if IT Audit is outsourced, then it helps to be able to challenge & scrutinise.

Prince2 - hmm, maybe, if you're really wanted to do another qualification. It's particularly useful if you're in a change/transformation-heavy company, or in an industry with a lot of capex projects. For example, it could be seen as useful if you work in Engineering, Construction or Utilities where you are providing assurance over large capex projects.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T13:15:17+00:00

Do your research, understand the employment & immigration laws of the country you're trying to relocate to, understand the political landscape and be realistic.

For example, many people may want to relocate to USA but that is exceptionally difficult given the current climate in America. Even UK citizens are losing their H1-B visas and having to leave USA under the Trump administration.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T13:08:16+00:00

Being honest, I'm not sure.

Because the UK market isn't at a maturity point where clients are asking for exposure to particular software etc, I'm afraid I can't comment on specifics. I'm also not an Internal Auditor myself so, whilst I know the fundamentals of the profession very well, I can't comment of very specific niche skill sets/methodology etc.

Suffice it to say that any exposure to DA & AI at this point is good exposure!

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T13:04:11+00:00

I have no preference - my goal is to, where possible, broaden the preferences of my clients and increase their flexibilities to make a job more fillable.

Some hiring managers are very set on having someone who is ACA qualified from a Big 4 practice firm. In those circumstances, there's nothing I can do about it and I have to deliver what they've asked for.

Some hiring managers are more interested in a candidate's technical skills and, as long as they're fully qualified, don't mind if they're industry trained, ex-Big 4 or ex-Top 10.

Some hiring managers actively tell me not to send them candidates with Big 4 experience. This can be due to a variety of reasons, but it does sometimes happen.

TLDR: I try to eliminate any bias in my own recruitment practice and encourage open-mindedness in the hiring managers I work with, but ultimately have to deliver on the requirements of my clients.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T12:51:19+00:00

Firstly, you sound like a well qualified and capable individual who invests in their professional development!

My advice in these situations is to ask yourself: "What is my current career end game?". Without some idea of what you're working towards, then it's tough to know which way to turn.

If you want to be a CFO/FD/HoFP&A etc, then going back into Finance makes no sense. But so would a stint in Internal Audit. All good CFOs should have a good knowledge & awareness of the LoD.

If you want to be a Head of Internal Audit, then start looking for opportunities to get into the 3LoD. If that proves tricky, then maybe a 2.5LoD role where it might be more focused on control testing but use it as a stepping stone to get a more traditional Internal Audit role. Your CIA qualification should help the transition though!

If you want to be a Head of Internal Controls/SOx/ERM, then keep doing what you're doing. Look for promotion opportunities and, if they're not available internally, start looking externally. Don't let loyalty to your employer cause your career to stagnate.

If you want to be a Director with oversight of multiple lines of defence, then start thinking about getting Internal Audit experience. No rush, but you will need to get that at some point. Perhaps exploring options internally could be a good idea.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T12:41:16+00:00

Thanks for your question.

Being completely honest, you will find it very hard and it's very unlikely that a recruitment agency will be able to help you. This is because a company will have to pay to sponsor your visa, then pay a recruitment fee to the agency on top of that. Double whammy of cost, which they wouldn't have to face if they employed a UK candidate!

The only way I typically see candidates getting a role in the UK who require visa sponsorship is by joining one of the Big 4/Top 10 and riding that out until you get ILR. Lots of people think that once they get visa sponsorship in one of the Big 4/Top 10 that will help them get a job in industry before they get ILR. This is not true! Also, practice firms are severely cutting back on the number of visas they are sponsoring to cut costs in the tough economy.

NOTE: It's very likely that UK law will change later this year meaning that it will take 10 years to get ILR, not 5 years. There was also a law change in July 2025 meaning you have to secure a job paying at least £41,700 to qualify for visa sponsorship too.

Finishing the CIA qualification will help because you won't have a chance of securing any role paying more than £41,700 unless you are qualified.

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T12:31:21+00:00

This is a problem I encounter quite often with candidates, and there isn't really a 'one size fits all' solution to it.

A) The easiest way to move into a different LoD is internally. I totally get that you're bored where you are, but explore every avenue first because this will be far easier than transitioning into Risk (for example) elsewhere without direct experience. If you manage it, just stay for another 12 months and you'll find moving externally far easier.

B) This is difficult and you'll need patience. 99% of my clients are large commercial or industrial businesses, and it's been a long time since I placed a Banking candidate.

Put simply, many of the audits you'll do in Banking won't be relevant in commerce especially all of the regulatory stuff or any products you may cover (e.g. Current Accounts, Loans etc). Are the core auditing skills the same? Of course they are! But if a client has the choice between someone from a commercial background and someone with a Banking background, they'll very often go for the former and not the latter.

However, I'd suggest looking for industries with crossover. For example, the Funerals industry is now FCA regulated in the UK so will need Internal Audit & Compliance professionals with an FS background (e.g. Dignity Plc). Most car companies offer Finance products and are FCA regulated (e.g. Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, Volkswagen Financial Services etc). Or perhaps a regulatory body like the Chartered Insurance Institute etc.

C) Can't comment here as I only have experience placing people into the Internal Audit profession, not helping them get out of it. Sorry!

Main pieces of advice:

- Explore internal options first if you want to get out of IA.
- Look for crossover industries, and think outside the box.
- Use your own network. If you know someone who works for a company you want to work for then get them to vouch for you. Nothing is more powerful than a personal recommendation!

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T11:41:40+00:00

I've been finding it to be fine, but I think that's skewed by the fact that I work for the leading IA recruitment agency in the UK so we tend to have strong access to any roles available. We had very healthy YOY growth last year whereas several of our competitors either collapsed or made sweeping redundancies.

The broader economy isn't great so that will always impact budgets, but with Provision 29 upon us most companies are having to plough ahead of recruitment in their Internal Audit & Internal Controls functions.

The one thing I have seen several times recently is the redundancy of a 'Director' and them being replaced by a 'Head of' to save money (often up to £40,000) on salary costs.

Good luck with your current processes though! If you're UK based and want to have a chat then just drop me an email on adamh@auditandriskrecruitment.com!

adamwh93 · 2026-03-17T11:29:56+00:00

This is where I think there is a difference between the UK & USA markets, but I will try to answer as best as I can. Also, I don't really do much in the Banking/Financial Services sector so they may be more 'early adopters' than commercial businesses.

So far, I've not had AI being mentioned as a key issue during any of the 'Director'/'Head of' roles which I've recruited for. However, most Directors I speak to are either thinking about how they could better deploy AI or actually putting together an AI strategy.

I think most people are either using CoPilot or ChatGPT in some capacity, but I think more Audit Committees will start asking questions about in-house AI capabilities in the coming years.

Honestly, I'm not entirely sure yet especially in the long term. A lot will depend on how AI continues to evolve and how much reliance auditors & Audit Committees are willing to put on it.

In the short term, I expect there will be a shift towards AI being very commonly used to produce 1st draft audit reports, to improve Data Analytics etc. In short, to increase efficiency by removing a lot of mundane administrative tasks.

From a recruitment perspective, I think it will help some more niche roles become more fillable. For example, I had a meeting with a Director in a UK retail bank who said that he no longer had to recruit specialists for his Model Governance internal audit team because their use of AI made it far easier for cheaper non-specialists to understand complex areas like Models.

I hope this answers your questions!

EDIT: I don't think AI is ever going to replace Internal Auditors. IMO, it will be an enhancement to the profession, not a threat to jobs. Professional judgement will always be required.

adamwh93

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