Director - Business Audit

About this role

Our Purpose

Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.

Title and Summary

Director - Business Audit

• Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment where both attention to detail and big picture focus are equally and critically important?
• Are you eager to understand Mastercard’s global business and provide senior management with insight and perspective on governance, risk management, and internal controls?
• Have you been successful as part of a global team with diverse skills and experiences?
• Are you an experienced manager within the financial services space?

Mastercard Internal Audit provides independent and objective assurance and advisory services to assess and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of governance, risk management, and internal control processes.

The Director, Audit role is a leadership role within the function, reporting to the Head of Internal Audit for Vocalink Limited (VLL), a Mastercard company, and provides audit coverage for VLL. VLL is a Bank of England-regulated Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) organisation, and its technology powers the U.K.’s real-time, batch, and cheque image clearing services, as well as over 47,000 ATMs. This enables payments of 90% of salaries, 70% of utility bills, most ATM transactions, and every cheque cleared in the UK.

The successful candidate will be responsible for leading the delivery of a high-quality, risk-based assurance programme across VLL, including risk assessment and business monitoring. The candidate will manage relationships with key stakeholders, actively participate in key governance committees, and provide independent insight, challenge, and assurance to support effective decision-making and risk management.

Role

• Establish and maintain collaborative partnerships with senior stakeholders, providing objective insight and constructive challenge.
• Deputise for the Head of Internal Audit and represent Internal Audit at key governance forums and committees.
• Lead the delivery of multiple complex and concurrent audits, applying sound judgment to assess the design and effectiveness of controls, processes, and operations.
• Drive high standards of audit reporting, ensuring findings are clear, well-evidenced, risk-calibrated, and supported by actionable recommendations.
• Own the tracking and escalation of audit issues; work with management to ensure timely and sustainable remediation, and provide clear reporting on overdue and aged findings.

Leading the development and ongoing management of the audit universe, risk assessment, and risk monitoring activities to drive a dynamic, risk-based audit plan.

Maintain oversight of strategic programmes and major change initiatives, providing timely assurance through formal audits, project assurance activities, thematic reviews, and ongoing risk monitoring.

• Lead the annual risk assessment process for designated areas, including the development of the annual audit plan and associated scheduling and resourcing.
• Leverage data analytics and technology-enabled auditing techniques to enhance audit coverage, efficiency, and the quality of insights delivered.
• Provide strong leadership through coaching, mentorship, and ongoing feedback, supporting individual development alongside talent management activities.
• Drive team engagement, working collaboratively across global teams to optimise resources and deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes.

All About You

• Experience in internal audit or risk management within a complex regulated environment, ideally within critical national infrastructure, payments, or other highly regulated financial services environments.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and communicate with impact.
• Deep knowledge of business risks and control frameworks, supported by significant experience in designing, evaluating, and challenging the effectiveness of business controls.
• Ability to quickly understand and critically analyse complex business processes, identify and assess potential risks, and determine whether those risks are appropriately mitigated (using various techniques, such as problem solving, root cause, and data analysis).
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience. Professional qualifications such as ACA, ACCA, CIA, CISA, or equivalent are highly desirable.
• Strong knowledge of the IIA Standards, with a commitment to ensuring audit work is conducted in conformance with these standards.
• Experience leveraging data analytics, automation, and technology-enabled auditing techniques to enhance audit coverage, efficiency, and insight quality.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal
• Intellectually curious, self-motivated, and passionate, with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
• Committed to self-development; encourages constructive feedback and seeks opportunities to build on demonstrated strengths while identifying and addressing development areas.
• Able to deliver high-quality work, within budget and on time.
• Ability to travel up to 10%.

Knowledge/Experience (preferred)

• Strong understanding of risk management, compliance, legal and regulatory frameworks, governance, commercial operations, product management, and financial auditing.
• Knowledge and understanding of operational resilience, cyber security risk, technology risk, and critical national infrastructure environments would be advantageous.
• Proficient in data analytics, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, ACL, or similar audit tools.

Corporate Security Responsibility

All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

•

Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;

•

Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;

•

Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and

•

Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.

About cyber security & digital forensics roles for ex-police

Cyber security, digital forensics and incident-response roles. DMIs, cybercrime investigators and digital forensics officers bring evidential discipline and investigative judgement that DFIR and security teams struggle to hire.