Head Audit Japan

About the Role

As a Head of Audit Japan (Principal Senior Auditor) for Group Internal Audit, you will work within an agile framework in which you will self-organize with your peers to support the Audit Directors to oversee the performance and execution all relevant audit activities related to Swiss Re's activities and business to Swiss Re's activities in Japan and the wider Asia Pacific region, to deliver independent assurance to the Board of Directors of Swiss Re Group as well as the relevant Legal Entities in the Asia Pacific region, ensuring proper audit coverage for Swiss Re's Japan businesses.
 
Together with the audit team, you ensure strong execution and delivery of audits, contributing strong business insights and meeting internal standards and quality. Furthermore, you contribute your technical insights and expertise in GIA strategic initiatives, projects, committee and regulatory reporting when required. You also work with the Audit Managers and Directors in ensuring robust execution of the continuous and bottom-up risk assessment processes that underpin our risk based and agile auditing approach, relying on both quantitative and qualitative information for the region to ensure appropriate audit coverage through regional or global audits.
 
For you, this role is a unique opportunity to deal with themes that have organizational impact at the most senior level of the organization driving the risk culture of Swiss Re. You will be constantly challenged to learn new areas of Swiss Re's global business, to assess the effectiveness of the relevant processes, risk and controls and to devise workable solutions to address complex business problems.
 
Relevant work experience together with the ability to analyze, structure and assess difficult circumstances, to work collaboratively as well as speaking and writing in a concise manner, are key success capabilities required for this position. Your engagement combined with your talent to negotiate effective solutions will make a difference!
 
Main Responsibilities
As the Head of Audit Japan (Principal Senior Auditor), you will work within an agile framework in which you will self-organize with your peers to deliver on GIA related activities, principally the delivery of audits, but also initiatives, projects, and committee and regulatory reporting as appropriate. You have the joint responsibility to deliver independent assurance over the related Risk and Control Framework in Japan and wider Asia Region when required.
 
Your main responsibilities will be:
•    Understand Swiss Re's enterprise risks, working with the audit team across Asia to drive and execute continuous and bottom-up risk assessments processes in a robust manner to identify key control issues and ensuring appropriate audit coverage.
•    Own audit task delivery within an agile audit team, playing a key role in the end-to-end audit process, including planning, scoping, fieldwork and reporting.
•    Ensure that all audit reports and outputs are delivered with robust quality, offering valuable and compelling insights to Senior Management and stakeholders.
•    Exhibit expertise in GIA methodology and how to apply across the audit.
•    Supporting the Audit Managers and Audit Director in Committees, Executive board meetings or regulatory reporting when required.
•    Work with Audit Managers to build strong stakeholder relationships, particularly with stakeholders within the first and second line of defense to identify potential red flags and emerging risks and controls issues are managed or mitigated.
•    Participate in strategic initiatives of the GIA, taking strong ownership and accountability to drive towards achievement of objectives, ensure timeliness in delivery and achievement in overall management objectives.
 

About the Team

Group Internal Audit is an international team of Auditors. Our vision is 'Advancing Swiss Re's Resilience'. We seek to be problem solvers who lead from every seat, challenge the status quo, understand risk, and demonstrate that we are responsive to risk.
We apply innovative and risk-focused techniques that ensure that our audit effort is proportionate to risk, and we continuously extend the use of data analytics and automation within our audit processes.

About You

We are seeking a highly organized, result-oriented individual with excellent communication skills and a knack for innovative problem-solving. The ideal candidate will be a critical thinker who can see the big picture, manage various audits and projects under pressure, and work effectively both independently and in cross-functional teams. If you are a motivated team player with a commitment to quality and timely delivery, we would love to hear from you.

Essential

•    8 -12+ years of related work experience in external and/or internal audit

•    University degree in Accounting, Business or Finance
•    Strong awareness of internal audit methodologies and current and emerging issues for the (re)insurance industry, particularly within Asia
•    Good knowledge of (re)insurance (L&H and P&C), and its governance, risks and controls, particularly for actuarial, finance and other technical domains (costing, claims, underwriting, reserving, ESG, IFRS 17, RBC, JGAAP)
•    Deep understanding of local insurance regulations in Japan, with exposure of regulations in APAC desired

•    Proficient in written and spoken English and Japanese
•    Excellent knowledge of Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Access) and/or Data Analytics Software (e.g. Python, R, SQL, SAS).
•    Data analytics experience a plus, with track record in adopting data analytics for risk assessment, scoping and testing

Preferred

•    Professional certification in either CPA, CA, CIA or CISA

•    External Audit experience with a Big 4 with exposure to (re)insurance audits, or internal audit experience in an (re)insurance organisation