Overview

THE FIRM

Montagu Evans is an independent, market leading property consultancy, headquartered in London with offices in Scotland and Manchester. Our work encompasses planning and development, specialist valuations and transactions across the United Kingdom. We're a group of people who are excellent individually and exceptional together. We care about people, not just bricks and mortar. We care about our legacy. We create spaces that people use to live, work, communicate and connect.

We're a partnership and the people who run the business are empowered to create collaborative teams to exceed our clients' requests. This highly flexible approach, tailoring the talent to the complexity of the work, has enabled us to develop an exceptional business.

We encourage an honest and straight forward approach to our work and relationships. We embrace individuality, whilst relying on working together and never accepting the status quo. We give everyone the opportunity to be the best version of themselves. We trust and support each other. We recognise that our people are the heart of our success and only by identifying, supporting and promoting them will we be able to provide continued outstanding client service.

Montagu Evans is committed to maintaining an inclusive work environment. One that embraces everyone.

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ROLE OVERVIEW

This is role sits within the Risk & Compliance team which plays a key role in the firm's governance, risk management and assurance arrangements. As a property consultancy and estate agent, the firm is regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) for its surveying services, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) for its town planning services and supervised by HMRC for Anti-Money Laundering regulatory compliance purposes.

The Audit & Assurance Specialist plays a key role in providing independent and objective evaluations of the firm's governance and risk management arrangements by conducting an agreed plan of internal audits across the year to drive improvement and provide assurance to stakeholders. The Audit & Assurance Specialist also leads the relationship with ISO external auditors and the firm's preparations for the ISO recertifications.

Knowledge of Internal Auditing Standards and experience in their application is essential. A minimum of two years' internal auditing experience, including compliance audits, risk-based audits, and ISO certifications-related audits is also essential.

The role reports into and is overseen by the Head of Compliance.

Responsibilities

MAIN DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Develop an effective working relationship with the Head of Compliance. Effective and timely communication is essential. Lead regular progress update meetings with the Head of Compliance and arrange ad hoc meetings as and when required.
Lead the annual internal audit planning process. Prepare the draft annual internal audit plan, including its resource requirements, at least 3 months prior to its planned start. Present this to the Head of Compliance for review, and then to other senior stakeholders for discussion and approval.
Lead the delivery of the internal audit plan to ensure all planned audits are completed in a timely and efficient manner, avoiding unnecessary delays that may impact the business. Provide monthly progress updates to the Head of Compliance.
Ensure individual internal audits are planned and completed in accordance with the agreed annual internal audit plan. This includes drafting and agreeing the Terms of Reference/Plan for each audit with the Head of Compliance, timely stakeholder engagement, prompt audit delivery, drafting impactful draft internal audit reports, and presenting these to the Head of Compliance for review and discussion prior to issue.
Develop strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Engage on a timely basis to obtain information and support required to complete planned audits.
Lead the relationship with the LRQA ISO auditors and other audit service providers. Oversee the ISO certification audits, including all pre-audit planning and stakeholder engagement prior to and during the onsite LRQA auditor visits to ensure the firm maintains its ISO certifications.
Maintain and keep under review a schedule of agreed actions to address audit findings. Conduct ongoing monitoring and periodic review of agreed actions with relevant Action Owners to ensure their timely implementation.
Identify and escalate concerns to the attention of the Head of Compliance.
Provide compliance-related advice and support to stakeholders across the business.
Contribute to the development and delivery of compliance training to new starters and others as required.
Keep up to date with internal and external regulatory developments that may impact the firm's regulatory compliance. Contribute to the identification of compliance risks or gaps and develop proposals to mitigate these risks.

Qualifications

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATION

In depth knowledge of IIA Standards and of the requirements of the ISO certification framework
A relevant internal audit qualification with a minimum of 2 years PQE
Proven experience in internal audit planning, execution, reporting and actions monitoring
Proven experience in conducting compliance audits, risk-based audits and ISO certification-related audits
A confident and personable manner, with excellent written and verbal communication skills
Proven ability to communicate the benefits of internal audits to a wide range of stakeholders and to drive change
Excellent workload management skills to meet strict deadlines
Determination and resilience to resolve challenging matters in a timely manner
Strong attention to detail.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

Desirable:

Previous experience in the Commercial Real Estate sector

Montagu Evans LLP

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