Chief Audit Officer and Director, Internal Audit Division

About the Department:
NC State University, a leading public research (R1) land-grant university, is the largest university in the state of North Carolina and home to nearly 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Twelve colleges comprise NC State, with academics and research spanning a variety of disciplines, including engineering, agriculture, sciences, business, textiles, humanities and veterinary medicine. In Raleigh, NC State operates a 2,200-acre, 450 building Main Campus and also operates Centennial Campus and Centennial Biomedical Campus, providing state-of-the-art facilities for corporate, industrial and government partners working alongside university research and academic units - and a veterinary hospital with 24/7 emergency care. Additionally, NC State operates agricultural farms, research stations, nurseries and greenhouses, a research forest, and research and extension facilities throughout the state of North Carolina, with a presence in all 100 counties. A $2+ billion university enterprise with $2.3 billion in annual financial transactions, NC State employs more than 9,000 faculty and staff in service to its mission of advancing education, research and public engagement across North Carolina and beyond. As a preeminent public research university, NC State is recognized nationally and internationally for innovation in education, research, scholarship and engagement that solves the world's most critical challenges. NC State's research enterprise leads in big data, biomedical engineering, materials science, food safety, translational medicine and more; ranking 6th in research expenditures among public institutions without a medical school. NC State strives to be an "Employer of Choice" within a competitive region and was recognized by Forbes as a top large employer in North Carolina. The university's dynamic workplace culture depends on engaged, service-oriented employees and a vibrant, collaborative workplace experience.
Description of the Organizational UnitThe Internal Audit Division (IAD), led by the Chief Audit Officer, serves as an independent, trusted advisor to the NC State community in the identification, remediation and continuous monitoring of challenges and risks. IAD supports NC State's mission and advances NC State's strategic goals by serving as a partner to university leadership, faculty and staff in identifying and balancing risk through objective, flexible and proactive audit and advisory services. IAD consists of ten employees including audit managers for operational, information technology and investigative engagements; five staff auditors; and an executive assistant. For more information regarding the Internal Audit Division, please visit the website: internalaudit.ncsu.edu.

Essential Job Duties:

NC State and the Internal Audit Division
NC State University, a leading public research (R1) land-grant university, is the largest university in the state of North
Carolina and home to nearly 40,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Twelve colleges comprise NC State, with
academics and research spanning a variety of disciplines, including engineering, agriculture, sciences, business,
textiles, humanities, and veterinary medicine. In Raleigh, NC State operates a 2,200-acre, 450-building Main Campus
and also operates Centennial Campus and Centennial Biomedical Campus, providing state-of-the-art facilities for
corporate, industrial and government partners working alongside university research and academic units - and a
veterinary hospital with 24/7 emergency care. Additionally, NC State operates agricultural farms, research stations,
nurseries and greenhouses, a research forest, and research and extension facilities throughout the state of North
Carolina, with a presence in all 100 counties. A $2+ billion university enterprise with $2.3 billion in annual financial
transactions, NC State employs more than 9,000 faculty and staff in service to its mission of advancing education,
research, and public engagement across North Carolina and beyond. As a preeminent public research university, NC
State is recognized nationally and internationally for innovation in education, research, scholarship, and engagement
that solves the world's most critical challenges. NC State's research enterprise leads in big data, biomedical
engineering, materials science, food safety, translational medicine and more, ranking 6th in research expenditures
among public institutions without a medical school. NC State strives to be an “Employer of Choice” within a competitive
region and was recognized by Forbes as a top large employer in North Carolina. The university's dynamic workplace
culture depends on engaged, service-oriented employees and a vibrant, collaborative workplace experience.
The Internal Audit Division (IAD), led by the Chief Audit Officer, serves as an independent, trusted advisor to the NC
State community in the identification, remediation and continuous monitoring of challenges and risks. IAD supports NC
State's mission and advances NC State's strategic goals by serving as a partner to university leadership, faculty and
staff in identifying and balancing risk through objective, flexible and proactive audit and advisory services. IAD consists
of ten employees including audit managers for operational, information technology and investigative engagements; five
staff auditors; and an executive assistant. For more information regarding the Internal Audit Division, please visit the
website: internalaudit.ncsu.edu.

The Position
NC State invites applications and nominations for the position of Chief Audit Officer and Director, Internal Audit
Division. The Chief Audit Officer serves as the leader and advocates for matters relating to internal audit for the
institution and works with colleagues to both balance risk and guide positive changes in support of the university's
mission and strategic goals. The Chief Audit Officer leads the Internal Audit Division and is responsible for ensuring the
division meets the expectations of and complies with the Internal Audit Charter as approved by the NC State University
Board of Trustees and the NC State University Chancellor. The Chief Audit Officer also ensures compliance with the
Institute of Internal Auditors' Global Standards and other requirements set forth by the UNC System Office and the
State of North Carolina. The position has high visibility and institution-wide scope, covering the breadth of the entire
university and its affiliates including all of the university's activities, assets, information in any form and personnel.

The Chief Audit Officer reports administratively to the NC State University Chancellor and functionally to the NC State
University Board of Trustees through the board's Audit, Risk Management and Finance Committee (ARMF). The Chief
Audit Officer communicates and interacts directly and independently with the ARMF. This positioning provides the
organizational authority and status to bring matters directly to senior management and to escalate matters to the ARMF
when necessary and without interference. Additionally, the Chief Audit Officer has informational reporting accountability
to both the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost and the Executive Vice Chancellor for Finance and Administration.
The Chief Audit Officer has independent access to university leadership, faculty, staff, students, the UNC System Office
and various other external constituents.

Oversight of the Internal Audit Function:
The Chief Audit Officer has the responsibility of ensuring the Internal Audit Division achieves the following:

• Maintain compliance with North Carolina General Statute (GS) Chapter §116-40.7 (which establishes the independent audit function at state universities); NC GS Chapter §143 Article 79, The NC Internal Audit Act; and audit-related requirements from the UNC BOG and UNC System Office.
• Compliance to The Institute of Internal Auditors' Global Internal Audit Standards including the required standards of ethics and professionalism.
• Ensure a comprehensive risk assessment process to support the development of a risk-based audit plan and a risk-based approach to individual engagements. This process will consider the input of the ARMF, senior university management and other stakeholders as appropriate.
• Consider the scope of work of the external auditors and regulators, as appropriate, for the purpose of providing optimal audit coverage to the organization.
• Submit, at least annually, a risk-based audit plan to the Chancellor and the ARMF for approval, implement that audit plan, and communicate any significant interim changes.
• Maintain an agile approach to the audit planning process including continuous re-evaluation and adjustment to the audit plan as needed to ensure IAD's activities are responsive to the changes in the university's risk environment, business, operations, programs, systems, controls, and emerging issues.
• Communicate the impact of resource limitations on the internal audit plan to the Chancellor and ARMF, as appropriate.
• Keep the ARMF, Chancellor, and other appropriate leadership informed of emerging trends and successful practices in the internal auditing profession and develop and maintain a comprehensive continuous improvement and quality assurance process for IAD.
• Ensure appropriate and necessary interactions with the various external audit-related governance groups occur as needed, including interactions with the UNC System Office, the state's Council of Internal Audit,Office of the State Auditor (OSA), Office of the State Controller, and the State Bureau of Investigation.
• Coordinate and collaborate, as appropriate, with internal control and risk monitoring functions regarding areas such as risk management, compliance, security, legal affairs, environmental health, and external audits and investigations.
• Investigate suspected fraudulent activities and notify the Chancellor, ARMF and other management of any significant results. Assist OSA or other external investigators with investigation of allegations, as necessary.
• Perform advisory services, beyond internal auditing's assurance services, to assist management in meeting its objectives and to proactively address issues. This includes evaluation and assessment of significant university functions and new or changing services, strategies, processes, operations, major systems, and control processes coinciding with their development, implementation, and/or expansion to identify risk, making recommendations to mitigate that risk, and consulting on management activities.
• Communicate as appropriate to the Chancellor, ARMF, and other management summarizing the results of audit or advisory activities and report to the ARMF at regular quarterly meetings.
• Follow up on engagement findings, confirm the implementation of corrective action plans and communicate the results to the Chancellor, ARMF and other senior management.
• Participate on various internal and as appropriate, external committees, compliance task forces, and system development projects to provide guidance, proactively address potential issues and internal control weaknesses, improve efficiencies, and increase effectiveness.
• Educate the university community on university policies, state and federal regulations, best practices and the importance of effective internal controls.
• Promote the continued growth of internal audit staff through professional certifications, professional memberships and continuing education development opportunities.
• Maintain written policies and procedures to guide internal audit activity.
  
  Leadership and Management of the Internal Audit Division
  
  The Chief Audit Officer is responsible for the leadership and management of all the Internal Audit Division's activities including but not limited to assessing whether:
  
  
• Processes for governance, risk management and control are adequate, effective, efficient and that those processes along with management activities support the organization's strategies and objectives.
• Operations and programs are being carried out effectively, efficiently, ethically, and sustainably.
• University units are compliant to university, UNC System Office (UNC-SO), State, and Federal requirements, related processes are administered correctly, and issues are recognized and addressed properly and promptly.
• Risks relating to the achievement of university's strategic objectives are identified and managed.
• Established processes and systems, including financial, process, and information technology controls, are effective, efficient, and enable compliance with the policies, procedures, laws, and regulations that could significantly impact the university.
• The actions of the university's officers, directors, management, employees, and contractors or other relevant parties comply with the university's policies, procedures, and applicable laws, regulations and governance standards.
• Policies, regulations, rules, and other guidance and training are consistent in their information, effective, and foster quality and continuous improvement by not creating and removing undue bureaucracy or inefficiencies.
• The integrity of significant financial, managerial, and operational information and the means used to identify, measure, analyze, classify, and report such information is reliable and timely.
  
  Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:
  
  As required under State Legislation (HB1401), the successful candidate will hold a bachelor's degree and a certification
  or licensure as one of the following:
  
  
• Certified Public Accountant
• Certified Internal Auditor
• Certified Fraud Examiner
• Certified Information Systems Auditor
• Professional Engineer
• Attorney
  or
  
  Hold a bachelor's degree and a minimum of five (5) years of experience in one of the following areas:
• Internal or external auditing
• Management consulting
• Program evaluation
• Management analysis
• Economic analysis
• Industrial engineering
• Operations research
  
  Other Required Qualifications
• Consistently demonstrate high initiative, self-motivation and dedication to the missions and goals of both the IAD
  and the university.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to cultivate strategic professional relationships with senior
  management, external constituencies and at all levels of the university community to obtain cooperation and
  ensure credibility.
• Exhibit realistic understanding of risk, issues, and potential mitigating or corrective actions.
• Able to develop unique solutions to problems and demonstrate new ideas within the constraints of the situation
  in question.
• Ability to make timely, defensible decisions based on sound and informed judgment, take appropriate action and
  stand behind decisions when challenged.
• Flexible and able to effectively manage through ambiguity, changing environments, delays, and unexpected
  events.
• Experience leading an internal audit team in both assurance and investigative audit engagements related to the
  environment of an R1 land-grant institution or equivalent institution.
• Experience with IT auditing and strong knowledge of IT systems, data security, and information technology
  frameworks and regulatory requirements (e.g., CMMC, NIST, ISO).
• Experience with investigative auditing and strong knowledge of professional fraud investigation standards.
• Ability to stay abreast of current trends, emerging issues, and changes to legal, regulatory and compliance
  environments that may impact the role, institution, and profession.
  
  How to Apply
  Inquiries and nominations are invited and may be directed to: NC State Executive Search Services: Justin Lang, at (919) 513-1963 or jdlang2@ncsu.edu. Confidential review of applications will begin in September 2025 and will continue until the position is filled. Candidates should provide a resume/CV, cover letter, and the names and contact information of three (3) professional references. References will not be contacted without prior knowledge and approval from candidates. These materials will be submitted online at https://jobs.ncsu.edu/ (position #00008504).
  
  About NC State:
  At NC State, We Think and Do — and the world takes notice. As a Research I university, NC State is a key part of the Research Triangle region, which is home to industry leaders such as NC State partners SAS, Cisco, IBM, GlaxoSmith- Kline and Lenovo.
  
  Raleigh and the surrounding area are consistently rated among the best places to live and work in the United States, and NC State is a driving force for the local, state and national economies.
  
  
• 40,500+ students, 2,500+ faculty and 7,700+ staff
• Educating more North Carolinians than any other university
• Student-faculty ratio 16:1
• 12 colleges representing all major academic fields
• More than 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs offered through 68 departments
• NC State Extension serves citizens in all 100 counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians
• $2.22 billion endowment, among the top 90 largest higher-education endowments in the country
  
  About Raleigh and North Carolina:
  North Carolina's rapid growth makes the state a leader and top spot for young professionals and families. Raleigh
  reflects statewide growth as a city on the rise:
• No. 8 among the best places to live in North Carolina (U.S. News & World Report, 2025)
• No. 2 among the best-performing cities in the U.S. (Milken Institute, 2025)
  
  With Durham and Chapel Hill, the capital city anchors the Research Triangle, a national hotspot for high-tech enterprise. The region's top companies — including IBM, Cisco Systems, SAS Institute, Biogen Idec and GlaxoSmithKline — rank among the country's best employers. NC State also maintains strong agricultural partnerships with Bayer, BASF, Novozymes and Syngenta, companies that lead the way in hiring new NC State graduates. The region maintains a robust startup ecosystem with numerous engineering and sciences startups - many from NC State - along with abundant venture capital.
  
  Celebrating its 138th year in 2025, NC State continues to make its founding purpose a reality. Every day our career-ready graduates and world-leading faculty make the fruits of learning, discovery and engagement available to people across the state, throughout the nation and around the world.
  
  
  
  Minimum Education and Experience:
  
  
  Other Required Qualifications:
  
  • Consistently demonstrate high initiative, self-motivation and dedication to the missions and goals of both the IAD and the university.
  • Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to cultivate strategic professional relationships with senior management, external constituencies and at all levels of the university community to obtain cooperation and ensure credibility.
  • Exhibit realistic understanding of risk, issues, and potential mitigating or corrective actions.
  • Able to develop unique solutions to problems and demonstrate new ideas within the constraints of the situation in question.
  • Ability to make timely, defensible decisions based on sound and informed judgement, take appropriate action and stand behind decisions when challenged.
  • Flexible and able to effectively manage through ambiguity, changing environments, delays and unexpected events.
  • Experience leading an internal audit team in both assurance and investigative audit engagements related to the environment of a R1 land-grant institution or equivalent institution.
  • Experience with IT auditing and strong knowledge of IT systems, data security, and information technology frameworks and regulatory requirements (e.g., CMMC, NIST, ISO).
  • Experience with investigative auditing and strong knowledge of professional fraud investigation standards.
  • Ability to stay abreast of current trends, emerging issues and changes to legal, regulatory and compliance environments that may impact the role, institution and profession.
  
  
  Preferred Qualifications:
  N/A
  
  Posting Number: PG194213EP
  Position Number: 00008504
  Anticipated Hiring Range: Commensurate with education and experience
  
  To apply, visit https://jobs.ncsu.edu/postings/222629
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright ©2025 Jobelephant.com Inc. All rights reserved.
  
  Posted by the FREE value-added recruitment advertising agency
  jeid-83c23aea20b4c246a2d19c4c38994e4f