Senior Auditor

The Internal Audit Group (IAG) provides independent, risk-based assurance, advice, and insight, conducting enterprise-wide processes, financial, compliance, and technology audits, and special projects and investigations. IAG supports the Board’s governance, validates regulatory findings, and uses data-driven audits to enable responsible innovation, strengthen controls, and fuel sustainable growth.

About the Role
The Senior Auditor – Quality Assurance & Improvement Program (QAIP) supports the execution and ongoing enhancement of IAG’s Quality Assurance and Improvement Program. This role conducts independent quality assessments of audit engagements, evaluates conformance with IAG’s internal audit methodology, IIA Standards, and applicable regulatory expectations, and identifies opportunities to strengthen audit execution, documentation, and reporting.

Working closely with audit teams and QA leadership, the Senior Auditor promotes consistency, transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement across the internal audit function.

Minimum Qualifications

• Three or more years of relevant experience in internal audit, external audit, quality assurance, risk management, compliance, internal controls, or a related field.

• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to prepare clear, concise, accurate, and well-supported workpapers, observations, and other review deliverables.

• Ability to work independently and collaboratively across teams in a fast-paced environment while effectively managing multiple priorities and meeting established deadlines.

• Working knowledge of internal control principles, risk management concepts, and professional auditing practices across the audit or review lifecycle.

• Ability to apply professional skepticism, sound judgment, and attention to detail when evaluating processes, controls, documentation, and review results.

• Develops knowledge and experience in applying control theory and professional auditing practices throughout the audit lifecycle

• Ability to identify potential issues, communicate concerns clearly, and escalate matters appropriately.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior audit, risk, compliance, or quality-assurance experience within a Big Four accounting firm, global systemically important bank, large financial institution, or similarly regulated organization.

• Experience evaluating internal audit activities, audit methodology, workpapers, and reports, or remediation efforts.

• Familiarity with AML, Fin crimes, and US regulatory issue validations, generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot, and an interest in applying technology, data analytics, and visualization techniques to streamline QA processes, automate routine activities, and enhance reporting and insights.

Key Responsibilities

• Execute assigned QA review activities throughout the review lifecycle in accordance with American Express Internal Audit procedures, internal policies and standards, IIA Standards, and applicable regulatory expectations.

• Perform independent assessments of audit engagements and IAG processes to evaluate adherence to established methodology, documentation requirements, and quality standards.

• Review prior QA results, audit documentation, business monitoring materials, and other relevant information to support review planning, scoping, and risk assessment.

• Evaluate processes and supporting documentation using professional skepticism and sound judgment, and identify opportunities to strengthen audit execution, documentation, reporting, and related IAG practices.

• Prepare clear, accurate, and well-supported QA workpapers in accordance with internal requirements, effectively using automated workpaper systems and other departmental tools.

• Draft review observations, findings, and report content that clearly communicate the condition, applicable criteria, underlying cause, risk or impact, and recommended improvement.

• Support the validation of Management Action Plans by assessing whether corrective actions have been appropriately implemented, adequately supported, and designed to sustainably address the underlying issue.

• Identify potential issues, themes, and emerging risks, and escalate matters to QA management in a timely manner.

• Lead assigned review procedures or discrete workstreams, proactively manage deliverables, and communicate progress, challenges, and next steps to QA management.

• Collaborate effectively with audit teams and QA colleagues to promote consistency, transparency, and continuous improvement across the internal audit function.

• Develop and maintain knowledge of American Express’s business model, products, services, organizational structure, risk profile, and relevant regulatory requirements.