Head of Global Internal Audit - Europe H/F

I nternal Audit (IA) department is part of the Governance Function within Schneider Electric (SE) and operates from several locations across the world. It is part of the 3rd line of defense who finally reports to the Chief Governance Officer (CGO) and the Audit & Risk Committee.

The purpose of the internal audit department is to strengthen Schneider Electric's ability to create, protect, and sustain value by providing the Audit & Risk Committee and management with independent, risk-based, and objective assurance, advice, insight, and foresight.

Global Internal Audit consists of one global team with resources predominantly based in following locations: Paris, Boston, India, China and Singapore.

The Head of Global Internal Audit - Europe has a regional focus however with a global and transversal scope as well, i.e. responsible for Europe team and Europe audits but also covering global thematic and transversal topics (that my include geographical locations across all SE). The reporting line is to the Group Chief Audit Executive (CAE).

• Identifying internal and external talent for the hub(s).
• Building and nurturing relationships with main actors of the audit universe (heads of functions, Country Presidents, Business VPs, ...) in the hub.
• Managing and coaching auditors with a special focus on developing their professional skills.
• Managing risks, expectations and quality of all audit engagement supervised, making sure the audit addresses all key risks within the audit with the right level of Business knowledge and providing meaningful and actionable audit recommendations.
• Be accountable for the reporting of main conclusions of audit engagement (including Executive Meetings, Strategic presentations, and Audit reports - ie. executive summary delivered to the Group CEO and Chairman of the Audit Committee).
• Contributing to enriching the global internal audit methodology through knowledge management sharing, improving audit working programs, leveraging lessons learnt from previous engagements.
• Be accountable to coordinate the follow-up on relevant action plans within your scope, making sure actions are implemented accordantly
• You will be expected to lead the team to leverage data analytics tools and techniques to enhance audit procedures, identify anomalies, and provide valuable insights into the organization's operations, risks, and controls.
• You will need to understand and leverage Artificial Intelligence to bring efficiency and insights into the Internal Audit function.
• It will be necessary to build and maintain strong relationships with the entire Internal Audit team (including other Heads of Global Internal Audit), key stakeholders and other departments, including senior management.
• Additionally, you will play a key role in driving innovation and continuous improvement within the internal audit function.
• The role is responsible for maintaining the quality assurance and improvement program that assesses the efficiency and effectiveness of the department's activity for each supervised engagement.

• Recruit, train, and develop a skilled and motivated internal audit team
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, professional growth, and high performance within the team.
• Contribute to the Digital transformation of the function, including our Data Analytics, Continuous Auditing and Artificial Intelligence journeys.

• The Head of Global Internal Audit - Europe will travel worldwide as per mission requirements but with a flexible approach (around 25%).
• He/She will have to work in various cultural environments.
• She/he will have contact with all levels of the organization worldwide, including Executive Committee members.
• She/he has contact with external auditors in the Americas and at corporate level. She / he has contact with internal auditors in other similar organizations that will help with benchmarking practices.
• English is the working language (written / oral) and French is mandatory for this position.

• Leadership skills (coaching and developing top talents within an inclusive environment).
• Analytical thinking & Business oriented mindset.
• Teamwork and collaboration with empathy and emotional intelligence
• Excellent communication and presentation skills in a multicultural setting.
• Ability to understand, respect, and work effectively with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds. This includes recognizing and valuing different perspectives, customs, and traditions
• Stakeholder Management is critical for the success of this role.
• Ability to work under tight deadlines & withstand pressure.
• Preferably exposure to the Energy sector or significant experience in Finance, Logistics, or sales & marketing.
• Flexible and Agile mindset.
• A Transformation and Continuous Improvement profile is a must.
• Experience leading data analytic topics and good knowledge of ERP systems (SAP, Oracle); Business intelligence tools (Tableau) and Audit Management System (AuditBoard) is a plus.

• Master's degree/ MBA in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Professional certification such as Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), is desirable.

• 10+ years of experience (with special preference in audit firms such as Big 4 audit) in internal audit, internal controls, risk management, or related fields, with a significant portion of that experience at a senior managerial level.
• Knowledge of the Industry and/or Schneider Electric group is desirable.
• The ability to lead the team towards a data analytics internal audit and artificial intelligence strategy is a must.
• Strong knowledge of internal audit methodologies, principles, and practices.
• Excellent understanding of financial reporting, controls, compliance, and risk management.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to think strategically and make sound decisions based on analysis and judgment.