Sr. Director, Internal Audit

Role Description

The Senior Director of Internal Audit is a high-impact leadership role responsible for directing and overseeing a comprehensive, global internal audit program. Reporting directly to the Chief Audit Executive (CAE), you will serve as a key strategic partner to executive leadership.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead all departmental activities, overseeing a high performing organization of global professionals.

• Act as a strategic and trusted advisor to the executive leadership team, leveraging audit insights to drive operational efficiency, cost optimization, and business transformation.

• Support the CAE champion a forward-looking, risk-intelligent culture across the enterprise, aligning audit priorities directly with the company's long-term goals.

• Navigate organizational complexity to influence executive decision-making, translating complex risk data into actionable strategic insights, and ensuring that major strategic initiatives are designed with robust governance.

• Direct the end-to-end planning, execution, and reporting of operational, financial, compliance audits, and advisory projects, leveraging insights to influence a culture of accountability, integrity, and proactive risk management across the enterprise.

• Anticipate emerging industry trends and disruptive risks, proactively shifting audit resources to address future vulnerabilities before they impact the business.

• Ensure all activities adhere to the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) International Standards.

• Prepare and deliver high-quality, concise quarterly reports and presentations for the Audit Committee, CEO, CFO, and senior leadership regarding audit results, and real-time risk insights.

• Act as a trusted advisor to business unit leaders, ZET and Audit Committee/Board of Directors, providing objective insights and practical recommendations to improve the internal control environment.

• Provide forward-looking advisory support throughout large-scale business and process transformation initiatives to embed proactive risk mitigation strategies, enhance operational resilience, and support the company's growth while maintaining compliance with company policy and industry standards.

• Innovation & Analytics: Accelerate the integration of data analytics, AI, and continuous auditing tools to maximize audit efficiency and risk management capabilities, to establish proactive risk management. Partner with Zoetis Tech and Digital, other technical teams or third-party providers, as needed, to deploy these solutions. Tools will include SAP S4 Hana, OneStream, Datasphere.

• Risk Assessment: Lead the global risk assessment, including evaluation of significant risks in line with management focus areas, including financial, operational, compliance, regulatory, and strategic risks. Partner with the CAE to develop and execute an agile, risk-based annual internal audit plan that addresses emerging risks and strategic business goals.

• Team Development: Lead and mentor a high-performing global team of audit professionals and senior people leaders, across all geographic regions. Foster an inclusive environment focused on continuous learning and career development. Develop leaders who can transition into other areas of the organization as opportunities become available.

• External Coordination: Coordinate risk management efforts with external auditors, and/or other third-party risk assurance providers.

Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or a related field. An MBA or advanced degree is highly desirable.

• Experience: Minimum of 12-15 years of progressive experience in internal audit, public accounting, or risk management.

• Certifications: Active professional certification is required (e.g., CIA, CPA, CFE).

• Technical Acumen: Deep knowledge of US GAAP, SOX 404 compliance, COSO framework, and IIA standards. Experience with data analysis tools is a plus.

• Communication Skills: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to articulate complex risk concepts to non-technical audiences.