VP Internal Audit (Third-Party Procurement with Data Analytics)

Location: Mumbai, India

Role Purpose

This position seeks a seasoned professional to lead and execute internal audits with a focus on third-party risk management, procurement processes, and supplier governance. The role will emphasize the integration of data analytics to enhance audit coverage, risk identification, and control evaluation. The successful candidate will deliver value-added assurance to internal stakeholders and help strengthen the control environment across the third-party lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

- Plan, lead, and deliver audits covering third-party procurement, vendor onboarding, contract management, and supplier performance.

- Embed data analytics into audit engagements to improve audit efficiency, sampling strategies, and insights generation.

- Conduct risk-based assessments of internal controls, focusing on procurement and third-party governance in line with regulatory expectations.

- Oversee the full audit lifecycle, including planning, fieldwork, reporting, and issue follow-up.

- Guide senior business stakeholders in remediating identified issues and improving control frameworks.

- Encourage a strong culture of compliance, control awareness, and accountability across procurement and outsourcing functions.

- Collaborate with global internal audit teams and contribute to continuous improvement in audit tools, methodologies, and reporting practices.

Required Expertise

- Deep knowledge of third-party risk management, procurement lifecycle, and vendor governance, ideally within financial services.

- Familiarity with relevant regulations and guidelines such as OCC 2013-29, RBI Outsourcing Guidelines, EBA Guidelines, etc.

- Strong experience in applying data analytics and visualization tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau) and scripting languages (SQL, Python, or R) within audit or risk functions.

- Ability to assess complex third-party contracts and procurement structures, and identify control gaps and risk exposures.

- Demonstrated capability in conducting risk assessments, continuous monitoring, and validation of control remediations.

Leadership and Interpersonal Skills

- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with a strong ability to challenge and support senior stakeholders constructively.

- Active participation in governance forums such as procurement risk committees and third-party oversight forums.

- Proven ability to build relationships with senior management, peers, and cross-functional teams in a global environment.

- Capable of mentoring and developing junior team members, while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and professional growth.

Qualifications and Requirements

- At least 8 years of experience in internal audit, procurement risk, or third-party risk management within banking, consulting, or similar sectors.

- Bachelor's or Masters degree in Finance, Business, Accounting, Economics, or Data Science.

- Professional certifications such as CIA, CISA, CPA, CFE, or ACAMS preferred.

- Working knowledge of procurement platforms (e.g., Ariba, Coupa, Oracle) is a plus.

- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills; fluency in English is required.

- Flexibility to travel occasionally based on business needs.

Preferred Additional Skills

- Knowledge of emerging third-party risk themes including ESG, data privacy, cyber risk, and concentration risk.

- Ability to simplify and communicate complex findings to diverse audiences.

- Self-starter with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a global, matrixed environment.