Senior Audit Manager

Independent Food Company is home to some of the region's most recognised hospitality concepts, including SALT, Somewhere, Parker's, Shalwa, Somewhere, and Public. We are a fast-growing organisation with an expanding portfolio of concepts, an active acquisition strategy, and ambitious plans for growth across new and existing markets. As we scale, the quality of our people remains central to everything we build. That is where you come in.ROLE PURPOSELead the Internal Audit function as an independent assurance partner to the CFO. Build a risk-based audit programme covering financial controls, revenue and operational integrity, and inventory / factory operations across the group’s outlets and central facilities. The role provides independent challenge to finance and operations — and brings the discipline, methodology, and credibility the function has historically lacked.SCOPE OF FUNCTIONFinancial / Controls Audit - month-end controls, segregation of duties, journal & BSR review, policy compliance, IT general controls; quarterly cycleRevenue & Operational Audit - POS reconciliation, aggregator (Talabat / Careem / Deliveroo) recon, cash handling at outlets, discount / void / comp testing, mystery shopping; continuous with outlet rotationInventory & Factory Audit - stock-take observation, recipe yield testing, factory shrinkage, BOM accuracy, supplier integrity, factory-to-outlet pricing; quarterly per facilitySpecial investigations - fraud cases, whistleblower investigations, ad-hoc reviews requested by CFOExternal co-source management - manage the relationship with a mid-tier IA partner for surge capacity and specialist expertiseKEY RESPONSIBILITIESBuild & maintain the audit programme: Develop and own a 3-year rolling, risk-based audit plan; run an annual risk assessment; refresh on emerging risks.Drive the IA charter and methodology: Establish the audit charter, sampling methodology, working-paper standards, rating definitions, and report-writing standards aligned to the IIA Framework.Lead three audit streams: Direct Financial/Controls, Revenue & Operational (Salim leads day-to-day), and Inventory/Factory streams; ensure programs are tailored, executed, and actioned.Quality assurance: Run an internal QA programme on completed audits; commission the external quality assessment (IIA requires every 5 years).CFO and (future) Audit Committee reporting: Quarterly reports to CFO; annual report with risk register, findings status, and recommendations; prepare for a future Audit Committee.External partner management: Scope and manage the mid-tier IA co-source engagement; integrate methodology and build internal capability over time.Findings & action follow-up: Maintain the recommendation tracker; drive closure of high-rated findings on time; escalate overdue items to CFO.Fraud risk management: Own the fraud risk register, whistleblower-channel investigations, and anti-bribery compliance reviews.Develop the team: Coach Salim into the operational audit lead role; fill the vacant Internal Auditor seat; build factory / manufacturing audit capability.Drive control-environment improvement: Use audit findings to drive systemic improvement, partner with the Financial Controller and operations to fix root causes, not symptoms.QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCEQualified - CIA strongly preferred, or CA / ACCA / CPA with substantial IA experience10–15 years progressive internal audit experience, including 4+ years leading in-house IA or managing IA engagements at a Big 4 / mid-tier firmF&B, hospitality, or multi-outlet retail experience (mandatory); factory / manufacturing audit experience strongly preferredDemonstrated experience designing risk-based audit plans and maturing IA from developmental to mature stateStrong understanding of the UAE regulatory environment (VAT, Corporate Tax, Federal Law 31 of 2021 on bribery, ESR, AML)Excellent investigative, analytical, and communication skills; able to deliver difficult findings to senior stakeholders with credibilityIndependent, courageous, and discreet - prepared to report uncomfortable findings to the CFO without dilution