Executive: Head of Quality Assurance and Improvement Programme

Empowering Africa’s tomorrow, together…one story at a time.

With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

As an ex officio member of the Internal Audit (IA) Leadership Team, the Head of Quality Assurance and Improvement Programme (QAIP) is accountable for providing independent, objective assurance to the Chief Internal Auditor (CIA) and the Group Audit and Compliance Committee (GACC) on the quality, effectiveness, and ongoing improvement of the IA function.

The role leads the design, implementation, and continuous evolution of the IA Quality Assurance and Improvement Programme, ensuring sustained conformance with the International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF), IIA Standards, regulatory expectations, and Group governance requirements, while progressively enhancing the relevance, impact, and value delivered by Internal Audit.

The Head of QAIP acts as a trusted advisor and credible challenger to the CIA and IA Leadership Team by:

• Providing insight on emerging quality risks, systemic themes, and improvement opportunities across audit delivery, methodology, professional practices, and ways of working;
• Ensuring that audit quality is measured and managed not only through conformance, but through the consistency, insightfulness, and decision usefulness of IA outputs;
• Safeguarding the independence and objectivity of the IA function and its practitioners, and enabling transparent, evidence based reporting to the GACC.

The role is responsible for embedding a future fit QAIP that encompasses traditional and technology enabled auditing, including data analytics, automated assurance techniques, and evolving audit enablement platforms, ensuring that quality standards keep pace with changes in risk, regulation, and the IA operating model.

Through strong leadership of a specialist QAIP and Professional Practices team, the role ensures that Internal Audit maintains its reputation for excellence, credibility, and integrity across the Group and its geographic footprint, and continues to evolve in line with leading industry practice.

• Support the Chief Internal Auditor (CIA) in the effective leadership of the Internal Audit (IA) function by providing independent challenge and advice on matters relating to audit quality, professional judgement, and adherence to agreed quality standards.
• Contribute to the development and execution of the IA strategy, ensuring that quality, sustainability, and continuous improvement are embedded as core enablers of IA effectiveness.
• Lead and prioritise QAIP initiatives based on risk, impact, and stakeholder expectations, ensuring focus on matters that materially influence IA credibility, effectiveness, and reputation.
• Drive a culture of accountability for audit quality across the IA function, ensuring quality ownership is embedded at all levels of audit delivery.
• Lead strategic projects and initiatives relating to QAIP and Professional Practices, as directed by the CIA or arising from quality risk assessments.

• Identify, assess, and monitor emerging risks, regulatory developments, and industry trends impacting internal audit quality expectations through structured horizon scanning and external engagement.
• Analyse quality‑related themes and systemic issues arising from QAIP activities, internal assessments, external reviews, and audit outcomes, and ensure these are communicated clearly to IA leadership.
• Translate emerging quality risks and themes into actionable improvement initiatives that strengthen audit delivery, methodology, and professional practices.
• Identify quality risks arising from changes to the IA operating model, including new audit approaches, co‑sourcing arrangements, geographic expansion, and changes in risk profile.

• Support the CIA in the…