Head Of Internal Audit

Data Management: Finance & Planning
Location: Cheshire CT
Job Code: 513

Responsibilities

The Head of Internal Audit will be responsible for initiating and building the internal audit function at Alexion. This individual will be responsible for designing and implementing the overall company risk assessment process and ensuring an adequate audit process exists to assess compliance and remedy highlighted issues in a cost effective manner. . In addition to the broad responsibility of the overall enterprise risk assessment process, the person will have specific responsibility to:

Ensure company compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements..

Undertake operational audits to ensure financial reporting is accurate and consistent with Corporate policies and that management has appropriate control over company assets and operations.

Work with external auditors to continuously seek process improvements in order to reduce the resource required to effectively audit the corporation

Alexion is a high growth bio-pharmaceutical company with a need for an internal audit function to assess and manage risks globally. As Alexion has grown in size and geography, the nature and complexity of risks has changed, requiring resources within internal audit.

The individual must be able to build an internal audit function, manage multiple audits concurrently and have the ability to communicate effectively at multiple levels of the organization on a global basis. Individual will need to be a self-starter in a very dynamic environment with the ability to identify risk and to continuously improve current processes.

The individual will interact on regularly with global teams in the US, EMEA, Latin America and Asia-Pacific. Some overseas travel will be required.

Risk Assessment

• Manage overall corporate risk assessment process, with input from key functional groups, including legal, finance, commercial and clinical.
• Compile regular updates to risk assessment and track progress of risk mitigating activities.
• Report on assessment and plan to management and the Audit Committee.

• Utilize risk assessment to develop annual Internal Audit plan.
• Gain understanding of business to drive effective development and execution of audit plan.
• Manage the audits of accounting and defined commercial and statistical data to ensure accuracy and consistency across various departments, divisions and locations.
• Manage the preparation of reports to management and the audit committee summarizing audit results and recommendations.

• Assist management with SOX 404 compliance requirements by assessing process documentation as well as control design and operating effectiveness.
• Manage third party performing testing of internal control effectiveness.
• Provide consulting and coordination in relation to documentation/control changes resulting from new system implementations and/or major process changes.
• Assist external auditors in their review of management's assessment of its compliance with SOX regulations.
• Report periodically on status to the audit committee.

• Develop and execute a plan for evaluating management’s controls over operations which will include the following:
• Review of existing systems used by operations to ensure compliance with policies, procedures, laws, regulations or other statutory requirements,
• Reliability and integrity of financial and operating information and the means used to identify, measure, classify and report such information.
• Review and propose where relevant, improvements in processes to enhance efficiencies in order to leverage best practice across the organization.
• Oversee operational audits using a risk/control matrix process and a standard audit program.
• Directs the resolution of findings concerning questioned costs, internal control weaknesses and non-compliance with laws, regulations, accounting practices and standards.
• Perform post implementation audits of all significant capital investment and business development projects in line with company policy.
• Perform ad hoc operational internal control evaluations, financial audit reviews or investigations as determined or requested by management and the Board of Directors.
• Identify systems improvements to maximize audit preparation to reduce on-site audit time and cost
• Work with external audit to identify efficiencies to help minimize external audit cost.

• Evaluate policies and procedures along with audit results for attributes including compliance with GAAP, compliance with regulatory provisions, consistency of policies throughout organization, best practices, fraud, and process improvements and/or efficiencies.
• Assists in overseeing the Company's Antifraud and Ethics Program, including the whistleblower hotline. Works directly with the Audit Committee Chairman and General Counsel on these issues.

• Bachelor’s degree and CIA designation required. Master’s degree and/or C.P.A. certification a plus.
• Minimum of 8-10 years experience in public accounting and/or internal audit is required. Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 experience required.
• Pharmaceutical and operational auditing experience preferred.
• International travel of up to 15-20%.