Senior Auditor - Field Compliance & Investigations at New Incentives

Job Summary

• The Senior Auditor - Field Compliance & Investigations supports field compliance, investigation oversight, and audit quality across assigned NI-ABAE states.
• The role combines field audits, investigation review, evidence validation, report review, and auditor supervision.
• This is a field-facing role requiring up to 3 field days per week, focused on high-risk clinics, priority operational issues, investigations, and gaps identified through audit trends or report reviews.
• The successful candidate must be able to assess whether field findings are supported by evidence, identify missed risks, and provide clear, actionable feedback to improve audit quality and program accountability.

Key Responsibilities
Risk-Based Field Audits & Compliance:

• Conduct field audits and investigations across assigned states.
• Prioritize high-risk clinics based on audit trends, unresolved issues, dashboard indicators, staff performance gaps, and operational risks.
• Review clinic operations, conditional cash transfer compliance, and adherence to NI-ABAE protocols.
• Validate findings using field observations, caregiver interviews, staff interviews, dashboards, records, and supporting documentation.
• Identify operational risks affecting compliance, retention, coverage, fraud prevention, and program quality.

Investigation Review & Fraud Risk:

• Support confidential investigations involving staff conduct, clinic operations, caregiver payments, and suspected fraud.
• Conduct field validation where necessary to assess allegations and gather supporting evidence.
• Review investigation reports for missing evidence, unsupported conclusions, inconsistencies, and weak validation.
• Distinguish between fraud, protocol violations, performance gaps, training gaps, and operational control weaknesses.
• Escalate serious concerns with clear evidence and recommended action.

Report Review & Evidence Quality:

• Review Staff Work Day, audit & investigation reports, and related field outputs.
• Identify weak validation, missed risks, unclear recommendations, and unsupported conclusions.
• Provide clear and actionable feedback to auditors to improve field validation, evidence quality, and reporting standards.
• Ensure reports clearly explain the findings, the evidence reviewed, the actions taken, and the required follow-up.

Team Supervision & Coaching:

• Provide technical supervision and guidance to auditors across assigned states.
• Review auditor work plans to ensure field activities are prioritized based on risk.
• Coach auditors on investigation quality, field validation, escalation standards, and report writing.
• Identify repeated performance gaps and support auditor development through follow-up and coaching.

Risk Monitoring & Continuous Improvement:

• Use dashboards, audit trends, field reports, and investigation findings to identify high-risk clinics, staff, or operational processes.
• Support improvements to audit tools, protocols, and training materials.
• Contribute to fraud prevention, compliance monitoring, and audit quality improvement initiatives.
• Support ongoing training for auditors, managers, and field teams on compliance and investigation standards.

What Success Looks Like in This Role: 
A strong Senior Auditor will be able to:

• Plan field audits based on risk, not routine clinic rotation.
• Identify high-risk clinics, unresolved issues, and operational gaps requiring follow-up.
• Review reports critically and identify unsupported conclusions or weak evidence.
• Conduct field validation and investigations professionally and objectively.
• Escalate serious concerns with clear evidence and recommended next steps.
• Improve the quality of auditor submissions through coaching and feedback.
• Maintain strong follow-up and support issue resolution through closure.
• Balance field presence, investigation quality, and timely reporting.

Requirements
Required Experience:

• 3-5 years of experience in field audit, compliance, internal control, fraud investigation, program assurance, field verification, monitoring and evaluation, or related roles.
• Experience conducting field audits, investigations, or operational reviews.
• Experience reviewing field reports, validating evidence, and assessing operational compliance.
• Experience using data or audit trends to prioritize high-risk field visits.
• Experience working in NGO, donor-funded, health, public sector, humanitarian, or field operations environments is strongly preferred.
• Prior experience supervising or coaching auditors or field teams is an advantage.

Education & Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Social Sciences, Public Health, Development Studies, Criminology, Statistics, or a related field.
• Professional certification, such as ICAN, ACCA, ACA, CIA, CFE, or relevant compliance/investigation training, is an added advantage.

Required Skills & Competencies:

• Technical Skills:
  • Strong field audit and investigation judgment.
  • Risk-based audit planning and operational review.
  • Evidence validation and report review.
  • Fraud risk and compliance assessment.
  • Strong written reporting and documentation skills.
  • Ability to review dashboards, records, and operational data.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Sheets, Google Docs, and smartphones.
• Behavioral Competencies:
  • Strong accountability and follow-up.
  • Clear communication and feedback skills.
  • Ability to handle confidential matters professionally.
  • Independent thinking and sound judgment.
  • Ability to work under pressure and adapt in field environments.
  • Strong organizational and time management skills.

Language Requirement:

• Proficiency in the English Language (conversation, reading, and writing) is required
• Knowledge of the Hausa Language (conversation and reading) is preferred.
• Ability to speak local languages in NI-ABAE operating states is an added advantage.

This Role May Not Be a Good Fit If:

• You are looking for a mainly desk-based audit role.
• You are not comfortable spending up to 3 days per week in the field.
• You prefer routine checklist audits over risk-based field reviews.
• You are uncomfortable visiting high-risk clinics or following up on sensitive issues.
• You prefer to rely only on what staff or stakeholders say without independently validating information.
• You are uncomfortable reviewing other auditors’ reports and giving clear feedback.
• You avoid escalating serious concerns because they are sensitive or difficult.
• You struggle to write clear, evidence-based reports.
• You are uncomfortable handling confidential investigations or sensitive staff issues.