Every May, Internal Audit Awareness Month gives the profession a moment in the spotlight, and from where I sit, it’s well deserved. Spending my working life connecting organisations with internal audit talent means I’ve seen first-hand just how much these professionals contribute, and how often that contribution goes unnoticed.
It’s easy to think of internal audit as a compliance function or a box-ticking exercise. The reality is far more interesting than that.
The internal auditors I work with today look quite different from the role’s traditional image. They’re not just reviewing controls or signing off checklists. They’re sitting at the table for strategic conversations, providing oversight on AI and automation, challenging governance structures, and helping leadership anticipate risk before it lands on the agenda.
That shift has changed the kind of people organisations are looking for, and it’s made internal audit one of the more genuinely interesting talent markets to work in.
Some of the areas where I see the strongest demand right now:
There’s still a perception gap. A lot of stakeholders, and frankly some hiring managers, still think of internal audit as a reactive, backward-looking function. Part of what I try to do in conversations with clients is challenge that framing.
Awareness Month does something similar at scale. It’s an opportunity to shift the narrative, showcase what modern internal audit really looks like, and make the case for investing in the right people to do it well.
After years of working in this space, the candidates who stand out share a few consistent qualities. Intellectual curiosity. The confidence to ask uncomfortable questions. Strong communication skills, because findings only create change if they’re understood. And a genuine commitment to doing things the right way, not just the easy way.
Those qualities are harder to hire for than technical knowledge, which is exactly why getting recruitment right in this space matters.
If you work in internal audit, this month is a good reminder that your work has real impact. You help organisations make better decisions, manage risk more effectively, and hold themselves to a higher standard. That’s not a small thing.
And if you’re thinking about your next move, or just curious about where the market is heading, I’m always happy to have that conversation.
Internal audit is only as effective as the people delivering it. If you’re looking to strengthen your team, whether that’s a newly created role, a senior hire, or building out a function from scratch, it’s worth getting the brief right from the start.
The professionals who can genuinely move the needle in this space are out there. They’re just not always actively looking.
