Head, Professional Practice and Governance Audit

WHO WE ARE:

As Singapore’s longest established bank, we have been dedicated to enabling individuals and businesses to achieve their aspirations since 1932. How? By taking the time to truly understand people. From there, we provide support, services, solutions, and career paths that meet their individual needs and desires.

Today, we’re on a journey of transformation. Leveraging technology and creativity to become a future-ready learning organisation. But for all that change, our strategic ambition is consistently clear and bold, which is to be Asia’s leading financial services partner for a sustainable future.

We invite you to build the bank of the future. Innovate the way we deliver financial services. Work in friendly, supportive teams. Build lasting value in your community. Help people grow their assets, business, and investments. Take your learning as far as you can. Or simply enjoy a vibrant, future-ready career.

Your Opportunity Starts Here.

Why Join

Join OCBC to be part of a dynamic and forward-thinking organisation that values innovation and collaboration. In Group Audit, you’ll enjoy a unique perspective across the OCBC Banking Group, gaining insights into diverse functions while driving impactful change. It’s an opportunity to strengthen governance, assess risks, and contribute to OCBC’s resilience and OneGroup vision. With continuous learning opportunities, it’s a rewarding role for those passionate about making a difference

How you succeed
To succeed in Group Audit at OCBC, one must combine critical thinking with a keen eye for detail. Build strong stakeholder relationships, ask the right questions, and challenge assumptions. Leverage data analytics and generative artificial intelligence (AI) /agentic AI solutions for sharper insights and stay updated on emerging risks and trends. Managing multiple priorities, adapting to complex situations, and maintaining independence are key. Resilience and effective communication will help navigate challenges and deliver impactful, high-quality audit outcomes.

What you do

Strategic Management

• Drive Group Audit’s strategic agenda by translating the Division’s strategy, innovation priorities and business management objectives into practical governance, methodology, reporting and operating disciplines.
• Establish strategies to ensure that the Professional Practice and Governance team adopts and implements leading practices to aid Group Audit in delivering its mission and vision.
• Develop and maintain the Internal Audit Charter to establish the terms of reference for Group Audit by defining the purpose, authority and responsibility of the internal audit function within OCBC Banking Group.
• Ensure Group Audit’s stature, organisation, strategy and resources are aligned with the OCBC Banking Group’s strategic objectives and corporate governance, and take into consideration changes in stakeholders’ expectations, emerging trends and leading practices in internal auditing.

People Management

• Lead, motivate and manage the department to ensure they have sufficient knowledge, skills and experience, and fulfil the key attributes of internal audit profession, i.e. professional ethics, professional competence, due professional care, independence and objectivity.
• Set measurable key performance indicators for audit teams that will enable the Division to meet or exceed its mission and goals.
• Develop guest auditor programmes to provide learning opportunities for guest auditors to better understand audit requirements and process as well as strengthen their risk awareness and control consciousness; and conversely to encourage the guest auditors to contribute business perspectives and practical balanced approaches to OCBC’s auditing process.
• Lead by example by modelling OCBC’s desired behaviours, so that staff are inspired to do the same
• Champion a prudent risk and compliance culture that promotes good ethics, accountability and good conduct among staff.
• Cultivate a conducive environment that allows staff to learn, grow and consistently exhibit the core values of OCBC.

Internal Audit Practice Management

• Develop and maintain audit methodology, standards and practices that are relevant to the Banking Group and take into consideration leading practices in internal auditing.
• Continuously benchmark internal audit practices to ensure leading practices are established.
• Develop and implement a quality assurance and improvement program to assess Group Audit’s conformance with the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) International Standards for the Professional Practice of Internal Auditing, and effectiveness and efficiency of audit execution, and put in place measures to address any gaps and enhance the internal audit practices.
• Own and maintain Group Audit’s methodology framework, standards, practice guides and related methodology documents.
• Partner audit teams, audit analytics team and strategy & transformation team to develop practice guides, auditing approaches, writing guidance, methodology clinics and digital solutions that improve audit quality, consistency, effectiveness and efficiency.
• Act as process owner for methodology-related digital, automation and AI initiatives within Group Audit, defining requirements and working with audit teams and technology partners to embed improvements in audit quality, governance reporting, knowledge management and workflow efficiency.
• Act as process owner for the audit management platform, covering business requirements, methodology alignment, data quality, workflow design, user adoption, system enhancements and governance over platform changes.
• Drive Group Audit’s methodology learning and capability-building agenda by overseeing training programmes, methodology briefings, audit clinics and knowledge-sharing sessions that strengthen audit quality, consistency, professional competence and adoption of updated practices.

Deliverables Management

• Formulate an annual audit plan, using an appropriate risk-based audit methodology and including the key risks and emerging requirements associated with OCBC Banking Group’s corporate strategy, business model and activities, and operating environment.
• Monitor the execution of the audit plan, manage it within budget, and report the status and results of executing the audit plan.
• Make necessary changes to the audit plan to address any emerging risks and concerns, regulatory developments or shifts in the OCBC Banking Group’s corporate strategy.
• Report, on periodic basis, any significant issues related to the governance, risk management and internal control processes of the OCBC Banking Group, including potential improvements to the processes, and provide information concerning such issues through to resolution.
• Provide, at least annually, a report on the state of internal controls by assessing the adequacy and effectiveness of the OCBC Banking Group’s governance, risk management and internal control processes.
• Develop, track and report Group Audit’s Key Performance Indicators and Objectives and Key Results.
• Oversee management information, dashboards and analytics/AI-enabled reporting to provide timely insights into audit plan delivery, audit outcomes, issue trends, root causes, key risk themes and performance measures.

Stakeholders Management

• Prepare and propose an annual audit plan, financial budget and key performance indicators for review by the CEO and approval by the Audit Committee.
• Report on periodic basis, to the Audit Committee and the CEO the results of audit activities, any significant issues or concerns, insights, foresights, the progress in execution of audit plan and status of meeting key performance indicators. Ensure that the reporting process is streamlined and automated.
• Assist in the engagement with regulators on periodic basis to discuss Group Audit’s organisation, audit plan, key audit themes and any significant concerns, and ensure that the requested reports and information are provided to the regulators according to the agreed frequency.
• Assist in the engagement with Divisional Management periodically to discuss business developments, organisational changes, key initiatives, state of internal controls, emerging developments/risks and culture/conduct concerns to facilitate proactive decision-making and foster strong risk and control culture.
• Assist to coordinate and work with external auditor.
• Engage regulators, senior management, external auditors and business/support divisions on Group Audit’s strategy, methodology, audit plan, risk themes, quality assurance outcomes and transformation priorities.
• Facilitate stakeholder discussions on integrated assurance, risk culture and conduct, emerging risks and regulatory expectations to support proactive decision-making and stronger governance across the OCBC Banking Group.

Business Management and Audit Operations

• Drive Group Audit’s business management and operating rhythm, including divisional operations, workplace arrangements, internal communications, branding, staff engagement, business continuity coordination and enabling initiatives that support team effectiveness and day-to-day execution.
• Serve as divisional owner for key control, risk and compliance partner roles, including data protection, operational risk and divisional compliance matters, covering attestations, policy communications, control requirements, incident follow-ups and engagement with relevant corporate functions.
• Partner internal stakeholders and support teams to improve staff experience, resolve operational needs and maintain a well-run audit function across Group Audit.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Commerce, Business Administration, Accounting, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in an internal audit role, in financial services, preferably in Professional Practices, Audit Methodology, Quality Assurance, Planning and Governance Reporting
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to build and maintain strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels of the organisation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong experience in audit methodology, audit planning, regulatory reporting, Audit Committee reporting, quality assurance, risk culture, data analytics and audit transformation initiatives.

What we offer:

Competitive base salary. A suite of holistic, flexible benefits to suit every lifestyle. Community initiatives. Industry-leading learning and professional development opportunities. Your wellbeing, growth and aspirations are every bit as cared for as the needs of our customers.

Opportunity Starts Here

Let’s build the bank we need for the future we want. Find the best version of yourself in a friendly, supportive team. Build lasting value in your community. Help people grow their assets, business, and investments. Take your learning as far as you can. Or simply enjoy a vibrant, future-ready career.

Your Opportunity Starts Here

Who We Are

As the longest established Singapore bank, formed in 1932 from the merger of three local banks, we have grown from strength to strength to become a regional financial services group.

With a deep history in Asia, we offer the most comprehensive coverage across ASEAN and Greater China, complemented with a presence in the leading economies of New York, London and Sydney.

We are the second largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets with one of the world’s highest credit rating (Aa1 by Moody’s and AA- by both Fitch and S&P).

We offer private banking services through our wholly-owned subsidiary, Bank of Singapore, which operates on a unique open-architecture product platform to source for the best-in-class products to meet its clients’ goals.

Our insurance subsidiary, Great Eastern Holdings, is the oldest and most established life insurance group in Singapore and Malaysia.