Director, AI and Data Analytics, Internal Audit

Overview

Lead the transformation of Internal Audit into an AI-native, data- and intelligence-driven function, leading AI strategy, data science, reporting and dashboarding, and a team of 4–5 people.

What you'll do

• Own and drive the roadmap for AI adoption across Internal Audit, identifying use cases that improve audit coverage, efficiency and risk detection.
• Lead the design, build and deployment of AI/ML solutions (e.g., anomaly detection, natural language processing for control testing, agentic AI implementation and optimization, generative AI for audit documentation) to meet Audit objectives and the Fraud Analytics plan.
• Evaluate and pilot emerging AI tools and vendor platforms; make build-vs-buy recommendations and coordinate with internal teams and vendors to onboard solutions.
• Establish governance, risk and quality standards for AI models used within audit (model validation, explainability, bias monitoring, usage standardization).
• Lead all data science initiatives supporting annual audit planning, individual audit planning, execution and reporting.
• Own the strategy and roadmap for enterprise audit dashboards and reporting tools used by audit leadership and the broader team.
• Develop and deploy a data-analytics self-service platform to democratize technology usage within the team.
• Ensure data pipelines, models and reporting infrastructure are scalable, well-documented and maintainable.
• Translate complex analytical findings into clear, actionable insights for non-technical stakeholders.
• Inspire, lead and develop a team of 4–5 resources, including 2 managers and technical individual contributors (software developers, AI engineers, data scientists/analysts).
• Set team priorities, allocate resources across competing initiatives, and manage delivery quality and timelines.
• Coach managers on individual development, team development, technical direction and stakeholder management.
• Build a strong engineering/data science culture within an audit function, balancing innovation speed with the rigor and controls expected in audit.
• Serve as primary point of contact for AI, data science and reporting initiatives with Senior Directors across regional audit teams in Asia, India, EMEA and North/South America.
• Encourage usage of shared tools, data sources and methodologies.
• Present strategy, progress and results to senior audit leadership and other executive stakeholders.
• Design and lead an AI fluency/upskilling program for the broader Internal Audit team, including training materials, workshops and office hours.
• Act as an internal evangelist and change agent for the department's broader data and intelligence transformation.

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, data science, statistics, engineering, finance or operations.
• 10+ years of experience in data science, AI/ML or advanced analytics, including 5+ years in a people leadership role managing technical teams.
• Demonstrated experience leading AI/ML projects from concept to production.
• Track record in data engineering, reporting/BI tools (e.g., Power BI, MSTR, Tableau, Snowflake) and modern data science stacks (Python, SQL, ML frameworks).
• Experience managing a team with mixed skill sets (management and individual technical contributors).
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical, senior stakeholders.

Nice to have

• Experience in internal audit, risk, compliance or a related governance function.
• Experience in the manufacturing domain.
• Familiarity with fraud analytics, IT audit or regulatory/controls environments.
• Experience building AI governance frameworks (model risk, explainability, responsible AI).
• Track record of designing enablement/training programs to build data or AI fluency across a broader organization.
• Experience working with global stakeholders and teams.

Details

• Location: Chennai, India.
• Job category: Finance.
• Benefits include health insurance and PTO.