Chief Audit Officer

About the Role

The Chief Audit Officer will serve as a key point of contact for partner banks and regulators, ensuring that Mercury's internal oversight is rigorous and proactive. This role requires a strong understanding of the regulatory landscape and the ability to navigate it with confidence. You will be responsible for driving a culture of audit readiness, where excellence is the baseline and regulatory exams result in no surprises.

Mercury is a fintech company that aims to deliver a magical experience to its customers. Behind this magic lies a lot of rigor, and internal audit is a key part of keeping Mercury safe, resilient, and worthy of its customers' trust. As the Chief Audit Officer, you will play a critical role in maintaining this trust and ensuring that the company's growth is anchored in integrity.

What You Will Do

• Own the Audit Vision — evolve the risk-based internal audit strategy and ensure alignment with the company's growth, regulatory expectations, and emerging risks.
• Provide Independent Assurance — deliver objective evaluations to the Board and Audit Committee on the effectiveness of risk management, internal controls, and governance.
• Ensure we Audit the Stack — own the audit universe; ensuring completeness of Audit coverage across Mercury.
• Oversee the audit program to ensure the plan includes the appropriate mix of technical and operational audits that dive deep into the business, automated movement of funds, and cloud infrastructure to ensure data integrity and security.
• Validate the 'Magic' — ensure the audit program includes timely validation that new and existing product workflows and financial controls are operating exactly as intended, identifying potential friction before it impacts the customer.
• Bridge the Regulatory Gap — act as a key point of contact for partner banks and regulators, providing them with the confidence that Mercury's internal oversight is rigorous and proactive.
• Automate Oversight — design and implement continuous monitoring systems that replace manual checklists with real-time, data-driven audit insights.
• Champion Sustainable Remediation — serve as the senior escalation point to partner with Engineering, Product, and Risk leads to ensure audit findings result in structural improvements, not just temporary fixes.

What We Are Looking For

• Proven leadership in audit — you've built or scaled internal audit functions within high-growth banking or financial services, ideally at the intersection of traditional finance and fintech innovation.
• Technical fluency — you are comfortable in a cloud-native, remote-first environment and can discuss API integrity and automated controls as easily as you can discuss balance sheets and reconciliations.
• Strong understanding of the regulatory landscape — you know what regulators expect, you're comfortable engaging directly with them, and you can help Mercury anticipate and adapt to a changing environment.
• Ability to maintain strong and effective independence — you have the fortitude to deliver difficult news and the diplomacy to ensure those insights lead to positive change.
• Excellent communication skills — you can communicate clearly and simply, whether you're talking to technical or non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience with data-driven continuous monitoring — you can design and implement systems that provide real-time audit insights.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills — you can analyze complex data sets and identify potential risks and areas for improvement.

Nice to Have

• Experience with cloud-based audit tools and technologies.
• Certification in internal audit or a related field (e.g., CIA, CISA).
• Experience working in a fintech company or a similar industry.

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive compensation package.
• Opportunity to work with a high-growth fintech company.
• Flexible working hours and remote work options.
• Professional development opportunities.
• Access to cutting-edge technologies and tools.
• Collaborative and dynamic work environment.
• Comprehensive health insurance.
• Retirement savings plan.
• Paid time off and holidays.

• Tip: Highlight your experience with data-driven continuous monitoring and your ability to design and implement systems that provide real-time audit insights.
• To stand out, emphasize your technical fluency and your ability to discuss API integrity and automated controls.
• When preparing for the interview, review the regulatory landscape and be ready to discuss how you would navigate it with confidence.
• Make sure your resume and cover letter are tailored to the role and highlight your relevant experience and skills.
• Don't be afraid to ask about the company culture and values during the interview, and be prepared to discuss how you would contribute to them.
• Be prepared to provide examples of how you have maintained strong and effective independence in previous roles and how you would handle difficult situations.