Head of Internal Audit for Student Loans Company (SLC) Grade 6


Company:	Government Internal Audit Agency
Salary:	£73,142 to £79,550 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	London, SW1H 0NB
Working pattern:	Hybrid - 2 days remote
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	14 Sept 2026
Closing date:	4 Oct 2026

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Summary

The Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) is driven by its unparalleled access across government to build ‘better insights, better outcomes’ for our clients.

This role offers a strong platform for career progression within the Agency and the wider civil service, providing opportunities to develop leadership, stakeholder engagement and strategic relationship management skills across government.

The Agency’s unique access across the public sector exposes you to different risk and control environments, allowing you to gain insights, apply experience, contribute meaningfully, and continue developing professionally.

You will be the Head of Internal Audit for SLC, leading a team to deliver our audit programme of around 460 days of activity at the SLC. The SLC is a non-profit making government-owned company that processes 1.5 million student finance applications worth £20 billion in loans and grants annually to new and returning students in colleges and universities across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. It has 8.5 million customers and manages a loan book in the region of £178bn.

This role requires a deep understanding of the client’s operations, key risks and priorities whilst building strong, productive relationships at all levels. You will be an experienced, confident and strategic leader providing portfolio direction and alignment, adept at fostering a culture of continuous improvement, upholding quality assurance, championing innovation and driving professional development and learning for our people. You will identify key risks and engage with stakeholders with credibility and impact, working closely with colleagues including Group Chief Internal Auditors (GCIAs) to shape and drive the implementation of an audit strategy and plan.

The impact of this role is at the Board, CEO and Executive Director levels within SLC, and it has wide-reaching and long-term impacts on governance, risk management, control and assurance arrangements.

Given the dynamic nature of GIAA, your portfolio of work may vary in size over time. This brings the opportunity to work more widely as a Grade 6 Senior Audit Manager either within the Department for Education Group (which the SLC team forms part of), or across other departments. All Senior Audit Managers have a strategic leadership and delivery role within the Agency and are responsible for high quality, impactful audit work.

The role offers a strong platform for career progression within the Agency and the wider Civil Service, providing opportunities to develop leadership, stakeholder engagement and strategic relationship management skills across government. GIAA’s unique access across the public sector exposes you to different risk and control environments, allowing you to gain insights, apply experience, contribute meaningfully, and continue developing professionally.

Fulfil the role of Head of Internal Audit (the equivalent of the Chief Audit Executive in the Global Internal Audit Standards in the UK Public Sector) for SLC.

Shape and drive the implementation of an audit strategy and plan for SLC. Identifying key risks, you will engage SLC stakeholders at all levels with credibility and impact.

You will report progress to SLC and its ARC and deliver opinion in accordance with the agreed timetables, culminating in providing an annual opinion on the effectiveness of governance, risk management and internal control.

Take a strategic leadership and delivery role leading and managing a portfolio of audit delivery from planning through to reporting. Act as the engagement supervisor for all audits within your agreed allocation. You will drive the continuous professional development of our people including supporting the effective allocation of audit resources based on skills, capacity, and priorities to optimise overall Agency delivery.

Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and learning, ensuring audit services remain responsive to risk priorities.

Have a key role in upholding quality assurance and strengthening the function, including championing the development of a risk-orientated culture. You will ensure timeliness of each review in line with budget and compliance with GIAA audit methodology and systems.

Lead the strategic management of client relationships, including regular engagement with senior client management, the risk and control functions, finance, transformation and technology team leadership and ARCs, and work closely with colleagues including Group Chief Internal Auditors (GCIAs).

A smaller proportion of your time will focus on delivering audits and advice in the highest risk or most complex areas.

Provide leadership and oversight as a People Manager and/or Engagement Manager in a matrix model for a team of auditors across multiple regions. (Specific training will be given if you are allocated a People Manager role due to the Line Management responsibilities).

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