Senior/Lead Auditor || onsite 4 days in Houston, TX

Job Summary:

CenterPoint Energy is seeking a Lead, Internal Audit with a strong risk-based and continuous improvement mindset. The Internal Audit team’s mission is to provide independent assurance and advisory services that add value, strengthen governance, and improve company operations, internal controls, and processes, while supporting the Company’s strategic and business objectives.

Under the direction of an Internal Audit Manager, the Lead, Internal Audit independently plans, leads, and executes internal audit and advisory engagements, including risk and control assessments, financial, operational, and compliance audits, internal control validations, process reviews, and other management-requested projects. This role serves as the primary engagement lead, coordinating day-to-day activities, overseeing audit execution, and ensuring quality, timeliness, and alignment with departmental standards.

The Lead, Internal Audit also plays a key role in developing audit staff, reviewing workpapers, and providing coaching and guidance to Auditors and Senior Auditors, while maintaining strong working relationships with audit clients and key stakeholders.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities:

Under the supervision and guidance of the Manager, the Lead Auditor will be responsible for the following:

•             Independently leading assigned audit and advisory engagements from planning through reporting, including development of objectives, scope, risk assessments, and audit programs

•             Oversee and perform risk-based testing to evaluate design and operating effectiveness of controls.

•             Serve as primary point of contact for audit clients and foster an open, collaborative relationship while maintaining independence

•             Review engagement workpapers to ensure accuracy, completeness, and compliance with methodology and professional standards

•             Identify issues, perform root-cause analysis, and collaborate with management to develop value-added recommendations

•             Draft clear, concise audit observations and reports that articulate risks, impacts, and corrective actions

•             Communicate engagement status, risks, and issues to Audit Management in a timely manner

•             Leverage data analytics and automated tools to enhance audit coverage and efficiency

•             Assist Audit Management in enterprise risk assessments and annual audit plan development by identifying emerging risks within assigned areas

•             Provide coaching and informal mentoring to Auditors and Senior Auditors

•             Stay current on regulatory, industry, and emerging risks including cybersecurity and ESG

•             Participate in investigations, advisory engagements, and special projects as assigned

Basic Qualifications:

Education: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or business-related field is required. 
• MBA, CPA, CIA or other relevant professional certification preferred or plan to pursue.

Experience:

• 5–7 years of progressive experience in audit, accounting, finance, compliance, risk, or operational disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience leading audit engagements or acting as engagement in-charge.
• Public accounting and/or utility industry experience preferred.
• Experience with SAP, IDEA, Tableau, TeamMate+ or similar tools is a plus

Additional Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Self-motivated and the ability to work with minimal supervision
• Ability to learn quickly and apply new concepts.
• Ability to complete analytical reviews, develop customer inquiries and evaluate customer responses
• Strong ability to develop issue identification
• Ability to work on multiple projects at the same time meeting deadlines
• Strong interpersonal and team-oriented skills
• Ability to prioritize tasks and change focus as new information becomes available
• Ability to show willingness to learn leveraging insights and data to support the internal audit plan through the identification of critical business areas and continually assessing risks and gap
• Effective oral and written use of the English language
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (Access, Excel, Word, Visio, and PowerPoint) 

Competencies:

1. Business and Financial Acumen – Understand the impact actions and decision have on the bottom line of the enterprise.

• Understand drivers of profitability.
• Use resources efficiently.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how day-to-day activities impact CNP bottom line.
• Proactively look for and implement ways to reduce or contain costs where appropriate.
• Knowledgeable of technology enhancements and the efficiencies it brings to company operations

2. Coaching and Development – Develop others’ capabilities to empower them to reach their potential.

• Seek opportunities to get input from others for continuous improvement.
• Provide honest and courageous feedback to others.
• Seek out and be open to feedback from others.
• Inspires, motivates and guides others toward achievement of growth and development goals

3. Collaboration – Eliminate boundaries and drive common goals.

• Shares information proactively with others in order to achieve shared goals.
• Collaborates openly with others as a team player to accomplish company/organization objectives.
• Demonstrates understanding of the impact of own actions on other team members and/or other departments.
• Demonstrates behavior that allows others to contribute to their full potential.

4. Connecting, Listening, and Sharing – Maintain open, active, two-way communication

• Proactively share and seek out ideas with others.
• Demonstrate openness and accessibility to others.
• Share thoughts and feelings in a direct, genuine, and respectful way.
• Demonstrate you have listened to and understand others’ points of view.
• Actively seek diverse perspectives.

5. Customer Focus Through Service – Understand and exceed the expectations of internal and external customers

• Deliver customer-focused strategies that build and sustain customer commitment and loyalty.
• Exceed internal and/or external customer''s expectations.
• Accept responsibility for the quality of service delivered.
• Demonstrate commitment to continuous improvement of services.
• Readily readjust priorities to pressing and changing customer demands.

6. Enterprise Mindset – Act in way that are best for the company as a whole

• Clearly understand the impact and implications of decisions to the company.
• Place organizational success above individual and team gain.
• Focus on efforts that add significant value and align according to priorities. 
• Understand the big picture and the impact when executing plans and making decision.

7. Results Orientation – Reject the status-quo, find opportunities to improve and drive outstand business results

• Drive for results consistent with the organization''s vision, mission, and strategies.
• Demonstrate curiosity by challenging assumptions and questioning processes.
• Assess individual performance against a set of measurable criteria.
• Hold self and others accountable for verifying results and living the values.
• Demonstrate willingness to examine successes and failures in order to apply what was learned to improve individual performance.
• Perform the duties and responsibilities of his or her position efficiently and effectively.
• Manages one''s own time, energy and abilities and leverages the use of technology for maximum performance.

8. Steadiness—Demonstrate strength, poise, and an appropriate presence.

• Project credibility in adversarial situations.
• Make decisions confidently and wisely, after considering alternative courses of action.  
• Handle conflict effectively.
• Remain focused and positive during periods of transition or uncertainty.
• Act to preserve relationships, even under difficult or heated circumstances.
• Publicly model behavior that supports the vision and values.

Working Conditions:

Physical Requirements

• Able to operate a personal computer, either desktop or laptop.
• Must have the ability to operate a copy machine, fax machine, calculator, telephone, and other office equipment. 
• Must be able to bend and stoop.
• Able to sit and view a personal computer display for long periods of time
• Able to travel long distances domestically in a motor vehicle or airplane
• Able to travel domestically 5-10% of work time (typically 1 week trips)

• Able to travel to various Company locations, attend industry or professional association conferences and/or other meetings, and stay overnight as required
• Work may require managing multiple concurrent assignments and adjusting priority based on changing business needs.