Senior Associate, Internal Audit

Job description

Over the last 20 years, Ares’ success has been driven by our people and our culture. Today, our team is guided by our core values – Collaborative, Responsible, Entrepreneurial, Self-Aware, Trustworthy – and our purpose to be a catalyst for shared prosperity and a better future. Through our recruitment, career development and employee-focused programming, we are committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment where high-performance talent of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can build careers within this exciting and growing industry. Job Description A Senior Associate in Internal Audit at Ares is expected to bring a strong combination of risk and control expertise, financial services knowledge, and end ‑ to ‑ end audit execution capability. The role requires the ability to assess the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls, perform risk assessments, and proactively identify and communicate emerging risks, while maintaining a deep understanding of financial markets, investment strategies, and asset management operations. Candidates must be comfortable leveraging data analytics and technology to enhance audit efficiency and insights, alongside strong analytical and critical thinking skills to identify root causes and provide practical, value ‑ adding recommendations. Equally important are communication and stakeholder management abilities, as the role involves presenting findings clearly to global business, operations, and compliance teams and driving remediation. A high level of professionalism, independence, and ethical judgment is essential, along with strong organizational, project management, and follow ‑ up skills. Experience of working of Global Asset Management audits with understanding of regulatory requirements from key regulators like SEC, FCA, MAS etc is preferred. Overall, top performers distinguish themselves by combining technical audit strength with business insight, a data ‑ driven mindset, and the ability to translate audit findings into meaningful actions that support governance, risk management, and strategic decision-making. Primary functions & responsibilities Key Responsibilities Audit Execution Plan and execute internal audit engagements across financial, operational, and compliance Perform risk assessments, process walkthroughs, and design and operating effectiveness testing of controls Prepare high-quality audit documentation, including work papers, findings, and reports Risk Assessment & Control Evaluation Identify and evaluate key risks and assess the adequacy and effectiveness of internal controls Highlight control gaps, root causes, and business impacts, and recommend practical improvements Proactively identify emerging risks and communicate them in a timely manner Stakeholder Engagement Partner with business, operations, and compliance teams across geographies Present audit findings and recommendations clearly to management Track and support remediation of audit findings to closure Data & Technology Enablement Leverage AI, data analytics, and automation techniques to enhance audit effectiveness, improve risk coverage, and deliver data-driven assurance across complex business processes. Design and execute analytics-based audit procedures to identify emerging risks, control deficiencies, anomalous transactions, and operational inefficiencies. Translate large and complex datasets into meaningful risk insights, root-cause analyses, and actionable recommendations for management. Evaluate risks and controls associated with AI-enabled business processes, including data governance, model reliability, and regulatory compliance considerations. Champion the adoption of AI and analytics within the Internal Audit function by identifying innovative use cases, improving audit methodologies, and sharing leading practices with team members. To summarize, advanced proficiency in AI-enabled productivity tools and intermediate-to-advanced proficiency in data analytics techniques preferred. Demonstrated ability to incorporate AI and analytics into audit planning, testing, risk assessment, and reporting is highly desirable. Team Contribution Review work and ensure adherence to internal audit standards and quality expectations qualifications Education: Related certifications (CPA, CA, CIA or similar) preferred. Experience Required: Understanding of the operation of financial markets, financial instruments and strategies. 5 – 10 years of internal audit experience in the Financial Services Industry with an emphasis in the Investment Management industry. Subject matter expertise in auditing and enterprise risk management concepts (e.g., risk assessment/prioritization, process & internal controls, root cause analysis) General Requirements: Strong managerial skills, written and verbal communication skills, analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and interpersonal skills Experience with AI, data analytics and comfortable with manipulating large data sets. Enthusiastic/ self-motivated/ strong interest in learning/ effective under pressure and willing to take personal responsibility/accountability. Reporting Relationships Principal, Internal Audit There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.