About Ashurst

Ashurst is a leading progressive global law firm with a rich history spanning more than 200 years. We are proud of our history and are future-focused, having expanded into new technologies through our NewLaw division, Ashurst Advance, and our consulting arm. Our in-depth understanding of our clients and commitment to providing excellent standards of service have seen us become a trusted adviser to local and global corporates, financial institutions and governments in all areas of commercial law.

Department/Role overview

The newly formed Internal Audit function sits within the Office of General Counsel, a global team made up of the Global General Counsel (London), two General Counsel (Glasgow and Brisbane), one Deputy General Counsel and Head of Internal Audit (London), five Counsel (one in Glasgow, three in Brisbane, and one in Perth) and one Internal Audit Manager (London). We are looking to add a new Internal Auditor role, based in the UK, to the team. This role description is for the new UK-based role.

The Office of General Counsel is the in-house legal team for the Ashurst Group globally. It is responsible for advising the firm on constitutional, legal and regulatory issues as well as the management of risk and governance issues, development of policies and preparation and negotiation of contracts with third parties. The Office of General Counsel also works closely with the Risk and Compliance team. The Office of General Counsel is the point of escalation from the Risk and Compliance team for a range of legal and regulatory questions, including in relation to client terms of engagement, ethics queries, data protection, anti-money laundering, bribery and corruption, tax evasion and conflicts issues.

Internal Audit oversees the firm's internal audit programme. A three-year audit plan has been developed by Internal Audit and approved by the firm's Risk Committee. The new role would focus on delivering this, whether in-house or with (external) co-sourced providers. Audits cover a broad range of topics - from ISO-controls, and regulatory and risk-focused audits, to topics arising from client contractual commitments/client audits. Scopes are agreed with stakeholders across the firm, which requires coordination with colleagues across the firm's offices.

The programme is currently run on a co-sourced basis, with audit field work undertaken by external auditors. Upon receipt of an audit report, the Office of General Counsel will debrief with stakeholders, note agreed actions, and ensure that these are implemented.

The role will involve working with colleagues at all levels of seniority across the business as well as reporting on progress to the Audit and Risk Committee.

Main responsibilities

Working with the Head of Internal Audit and Internal Audit Manager to:

Assist with delivering the audits in the three-year audit plan. This will involve either acting as lead or support auditor for audits undertaken in-house, or acting in a coordination capacity to ensure co-sourced audits are delivered efficiently and effectively.
Assist on planning audits in conjunction with stakeholders across the business.
Act as a point of contact for external auditors and audit participants, in order to ensure progress is made on planned audits.
Develop strong working relationships with colleagues (especially with the Enterprise Risk Management team); Provide insight on internal audit best practice.
Ensure that agreed audit recommendations are closed out in a timely way; and
Assist with presenting on progress to the Risk Committee.

Risk and Control: Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with our regulatory requirements and internal policies.

Essential skills and experience

Qualified auditor (for example, CIA or equivalent internal or external audit qualifications).
Three+ years' experience, ideally gained in a law firm or other professional services practice.
Knowledge of ISO 9001, 22301 and/or 27001, and track record of ensuring maintenance of these certifications. If experience has not yet been acquired of these standards, then show a commitment to learning about these and assisting the Internal Audit Manager on audits of ISO-controls to ensure on-going maintenance of these.
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
Ability to "work with the grain" of the business and bring stakeholders along with the internal audit process (that has only recently been developed).
Strong attention to detail with well-developed analytical skills.
The ability to be adaptable, collaborative and team-focused and also work independently in an international organisation.
A proactive, positive and energetic approach with a commitment to providing excellent service.
Ability to manage a high-volume, and varied workload in a fast-paced environment.
Excellent organisational skills.
Confidence to develop strong working relationships with Business Services Leaders, Partners, lawyers and business support staff across the firm and to manage relationships with external parties as required.
Flexibility in mindset and approach to work.
An ability to understand and support the culture, values and strategic aims of Ashurst.

Background checks

In order to comply with regulatory and client requirements, Ashurst will undertake appropriate vetting of staff. When applicants accept a job offer, Ashurst, alongside a specialist provider, will undertake professional verification and background checks. These checks are only undertaken with consent, and in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations.