Director of Internal Audit & Risk Management - The Executive Leadership Council

The Executive Leadership Council is the preeminent member organization for the development of global black leaders. Comprised of more than 850 current and former corporate black CEOs, board members and senior executives at Fortune 1000 & Global 500 companies, entrepreneurs leading top-tier firms, and recognized thought leaders, we open channels of opportunity for the development of black executives to positively impact business and communities.

We are currently seeking a Director of Internal Audit & Risk Management to join the Finance team in our Washington, DC office.

Position Overview

The ideal candidate for this role will be for an ambitious Director of Internal Audit & Risk Management responsible for directing and developing the Internal Audit and Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Program, including but not limited to strategic thinking related to risk identification, assessment, monitoring, management, and mitigation as well as recommending actions and mitigation plans on identified risks in coordination with the Chief Financial Officer and senior management.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS & KEY OUTCOMES

Audit & Risk Management

• Direct the Internal Audit (IA) Program, including the development of risk-based annual internal audit plan and budget for evaluating the effectiveness of controls in place to manage significant financial reporting and other risk exposures, safeguard company assets, and compliance with laws and regulations.
• Directs or performs internal audits of ELC departments and activities in compliance with established guidelines and principles of auditing by reviewing established controls, transactions, procedures, records, and reports, understanding and documenting processes, interpreting ELC policies and procedures, governance practices, and regulatory obligations, evaluating compliance with laws, policies, procedures, and regulation by comparing operating practices with established norms, and supporting the safeguarding of assets by reviewing the internal controls over those assets and verifying the existence of such assets.
• Directs and maintains the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Program, including but not limited to ERM strategy, risk identification, assessment, monitoring, management, and mitigation as well as recommending actions and mitigation plans on identified risks in coordination with senior management; compile and analyze data on risk and organizational trends.
• Identifies, evaluates, and prioritizes the ELC's risks, ensures that appropriate ELC management are advised of their risk management responsibilities, and reports to the Chief Financial Officer regarding ELC's risk management matters.
• Facilitates ERM Committee meetings and provides additional support and strategic input to the ERM Committee as assigned.
• Directs or performs internal audits of ELC departments and activities by assessing complex activities to identify potential operational, financial, or compliance risks or potential fraud which warrant audit attention and determining whether operating results are consistent with established goals and objectives by reviewing programs or operations.
• Establish and maintain continuing education program for management and staff. Directs or performs special projects as required and directs or participates in ELC's departmental or employee education in internal controls and policy.
• Supports and advises management in their remediation activities of issues identified arising from a review, including the implementation of changes recommended by external auditors.
• Communicates the results of audits, projects, and actions taken by management to the Chief Financial Officer and to the Audit Committee, as requested, by preparing internal audit reports which include audit findings and recommendations.
• Assist the Chief Financial Officer in identifying and selecting outsourced auditors, along with the Audit Committee and ensure firm performance and audit workflow meets quality expectations and ELC's budgeting and reporting timelines.
• Oversees the regular evaluation of operational departments of the organization to determine if they are performing in compliance with recommended processes, procedures, and business controls; suggest new initiatives, controls, and procedures to ensure good business practices are in place.
• Demonstrate behaviors consistent with ELC's policies, values, code of ethics and business conduct.

General Duties

• Contribute to the achievement of established department goals and objectives and adhere to department policies, procedures, quality and safety standards.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills and the ability to communicate ideas, facts, and abstract concepts are required.
• Maintain current professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops, reviewing professional publications, establishing professional networks, and participating in professional associations.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced office environment, demonstrating a flexible approach with short deadlines.
• Promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality improvement.
• Ability to maintain high project organization, multitask, and a focus on quality of results with attention to detail in a fast-paced environment.
• Create and manage a seamless information sharing workflow within the Finance department and the overall organization.
• Perform other duties as needed.

EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE & CREDENTIALS

• A Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, or another relevant academic discipline required. MBA in Finance preferred.
• A minimum of 3-5 years of progressive responsible experience in auditing, public accounting, higher education accounting, or governmental accounting OR 8years of experience in corporate or non-profit accounting in a supervisory role is required.
• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) or Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is strongly preferred.
• Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) is strongly preferred.
• High level of integrity and professional ethics.
• The ability to work independently and with extreme sensitivity to confidentiality, ethical responsibility, and professional independence.
• The ability to research, collect, organize, and maintain accurate records/data is required.
• Demonstrated ability to plan, implement, and lead the internal audit within a small/mid-sized non-profit organization, including the ability to recommend and assist in the implementation of risk-based internal controls across the organization is required.
• Working knowledge & proficient professional experience in data analysis and audit software tools.

COMPETENCIES

• Mission Alignment & Awareness: Has a passion for and commitment to opening channels of opportunity for the development of Black professionals to positively impact business and local communities; contributes to the organization by understanding and aligning actions with the organization's goals, core functions, and values.

• Professional Accounting Standards, Requirements & Procedures, Understanding & Compliance: Ensures the accuracy of financial transactions and reports; oversees that the department conforms to accounting standards, requirements and procedures, and remediates issues in a timely manner.

• Organizational Finance Policies, Compliance & Maintenance: Assists in the continuous development of the organization's finance policies; encourages others to comply with all organizational regulations, policies, and processes in terms.

• Ethics & Integrity: Earns the trust and respect of others through a consistent commitment to integrity, honesty, and professionalism in all interactions

• Risk Management: Assesses the degree of risk in plans or actions and takes appropriate action to mitigate them or make contingency plans to limit the magnitude of risk, including having the insight and appreciation of organizational needs, priorities, goals and seeing that actions support those goals; demonstrates ability to describe and understand the risks related to a situation or activity; uses past experience and best practices to identify issues, potential problems, and risk mitigates in advance those factors that could interfere with productivity and operational continuity and creates a contingent plan for the risk.

• Planning & Results Orientation: Organizes and executes work to meet organizational goals and objectives while meeting quality standards and following organizational processes; ensures individual performance does not negatively impact the performance of others; recommends additional resources that would improve effectiveness and helps others access required resources; identifies opportunities to improve work processes and efficiency; contributes to setting work priorities and direction; identifies in advance when intended results may not be achieved; takes initiative; is not satisfied with the status quo.

• Teamwork & Collaboration: Works well cross functionally and with others on the team to achieve personal goals, team goals, and organizational goals; takes responsibility for individual actions in order to achieve consistent results; fosters team camaraderie, collaboration, and cohesion; understands the impact of one's actions on the ability of their team members to do their jobs; respects the differences other team members bring to the table by openly seeking others' opinions; makes suggestions to improve team engagement and effectiveness; supports implementation of team decisions; professionally gives and seeks feedback in order to achieve common goals.

• Problem Solving & Decision-Making: Identifies problems and uses logical analysis to find information, understand causes, and evaluate and select best possible courses of action; seeks information and input to fully understand the cause of problems; takes action to remove obstacles and address problems before they impact performance and results; initiates the evaluation of possible solutions to problems; assesses risks before making a decision; does not take unnecessary risks; effectively navigates through ambiguity, using multiple data points to analyze issues and identify trends.

• Creativity & Innovation: Thinks beyond the confines of traditional models to recognize opportunities and find new and better ways of doing things; questions common practice and contributes to improvement of processes and outputs; proposes novel ideas; utilizes appropriate brainstorming techniques to generate ideas; researches current thinking and shares ideas; explores different alternatives that would achieve a similar output, with the goal of achieving process simplification or efficiencies.

• Resilience & Managing Uncertainty: Adjusts thinking and behavior in order to adapt to changes in the job and work environment with limited stress; is able to work effectively in an unstructured environment; actively promotes and advocates the advantages of changes when new and credible information emerges; acknowledges uncertainty and shares constructive coping strategies with team members.

• Culture Management: Brings organizational values to life using personality, uniqueness, and the creation of shared vision; demonstrates core values and encourages others to do the same; ensures that individuals and teams are working in a manner that is consistent with organizational values.

• Communication & Interpersonal Effectiveness: Effectively and appropriately interacts and communicates with others to build positive, constructive, professional relationships; tailors communication style and messages based on the audience; seeks to understand others' points of view, observes verbal and non-verbal cues to encourage open and honest discussions; uses clear, precise, and error-free language; invites and encourages others to participate in discussions; identifies and helps to resolve interpersonal conflict between team members; does not jump to conclusions or act on assumptions.

• Customer Focus: Identifies, considers, prioritizes, and takes action on the needs of both internal and external customers; uses knowledge about the customer to inform decision making and problem solving; strives to provide additional value to the customer experience; actively solicits internal and customer feedback in order to improve the relationship; suggests ways to improve the customer experience.

• Technology: Proficient with Microsoft productivity suite, financial management software, expense management software, and other functional software relevant to area of responsibility.

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Work is performed in an interior office setting which has no adverse environmental conditions expected.
• Hybrid Role requiring 2 days per week/8 days a month in office with limited travel up to 10% of the time in the field.
• Work involves frequently sitting for extended periods of time, frequently talking or hearing, frequently operating a computer, and occasional light physical effort (lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying, etc.) objects weighing up to 25 lbs.
• Work requires frequent ability to comprehend direction and adhere to policies or established procedures, ability to use logic to make sound decisions, ability to interpret and analyze data, ability to gather and organize information for a wide variety of audiences, ability to read and write a variety of materials, and ability to adapt well in the face of workplace stress.

The Executive Leadership Council is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is our policy to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment based on an individual's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, age, personal appearance, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family responsibilities, matriculation, political affiliation, genetic information, or any other protected characteristic as defined by federal, state, and local law