Internal Audit Manager

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Your Platform

Activision Blizzard plays a centralized role in the creation of epic entertainment by supporting our interactive gaming brands and studios with a diverse range of career opportunities across corporate functions such as Marketing, Communications, Legal, Human Resources, Finance and Supply Chain. Located in our global headquarters in Santa Monica, we encompass equal parts agility, creativity and rigor to enhance the employee and player experience. To learn more, check us out at www.activisionblizzard.com or on Twitter at @ATVI_AB .

Your Mission

The Activision Blizzard Internal Audit group is a global function with team members in North America and Europe, responsible for business and IT operational audits as well as Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance across all Activision Blizzard entities.

The Internal Audit Manager role is based at the global headquarter in Santa Monica, CA and will be responsible for leading and executing the year-round SOX program as well as operational audits per Internal Audit’s annual Audit Plan. In addition, the Internal Audit Manager will actively support Internal Audit’s initiatives in data analytics, audit procedure automation and continuous monitoring. While this role’s primarily responsibilities cover Activision Blizzard’s North American operations, the Internal Audit group is highly integrated and values team collaboration and enterprise-wide exposure for all team members.

Specific duties and responsibilities include:

• Assist team leadership in planning and performing annual internal audit risk assessment and benchmarking/rationalization exercise and deliver in-depth assessment results.
• Assist team leadership in developing annual audit plan, aligning the company’s strategic initiatives to key risks identified during risk assessment.
• Actively identify, contribute to, and drive initiatives in audit procedure automation and continuous monitoring.
• Lead and execute the year-round SOX program as well as operational audits designated in the Audit Plan. Typical activities include:
  • Audit planning and scoping:
    • Including performing 1) audit-based risk assessment and 2) analyses of financial/transactional data to identify process/control weaknesses and inform audit approach and testing.
  • Developing and monitoring budget and staffing
  • Conducting effective process walkthroughs with business stakeholders and developing high-quality narratives and flowcharts
  • Assessing the design and effectiveness of internal controls, including key reports/IPC
  • Identifying and evaluating control weakness and process improvement opportunities
  • Communicating results/findings to team leadership and business stakeholders and working with management to develop pragmatic solutions to issues.
  • Following up on the implementation of management’s action plans and provide ongoing support to management in timely remediation/implementation of action plans.
  • Acting as the go-to liaison for external audit coordination.
• Prepare high-quality audit workpapers and reports. Review staff auditors’ deliverables for quality control and communicate feedback.
• Assist management in the preparation and ongoing maintenance of control and process documentation (policies, procedures, narratives, control matrices, etc.).
• Establish and maintain strong working relationship within Internal Audit, with external audit and the wider business.
• Advise business stakeholders and leadership on key company initiatives and critical changes, e.g., system implementations, accounting policy changes, and regulatory and compliance changes.
• Maintain current understanding of gaming industry trends as well as company changes and incorporate such knowledge in delivering the audit plan throughout the year. Research technical accounting, auditing, and operational matters as needed.
• Coach, mentor and continuously support staff auditors for their individual development and team success.
• Contribute actionable insights to improve Internal Audit’s strategy execution and operations. Positively support knowledge sharing and thought leadership within the Internal Audit department, and with external networks.
• Identify development opportunities and drive positive changes within Internal Audit to improve audit efficiency and add value.

Player Profile

• CPA, CIA or equivalent. Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or a related field. 5-8 years of professional working experience required; 2-3 years of Big 4 experience strongly preferred.
• Can demonstrate strong project management skills and in-depth knowledge of risk assessment, internal controls, SOX methodology, and operational audit (planning, fieldwork, reporting). Familiar with AuditBoard a plus.
• Strong presence and communication skills (verbal and written), with the ability to adapt to the audience across all levels of the organization.
• In-depth understanding of the integrated audit that considers the relationship between IT/system, financial and operational controls in establishing an effective and efficient internal control enviornment.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills combined with solid business and financial acumen. Experience in the use of data analytics for audit (e.g., ACL/IDEA, Microsoft Access Database, advanced Excel Pivoting) and RPA for audit strongly preferred. Familiar with Galvanize HighBond a plus.
• Working knowledge of Oracle R12 preferred. Hands-on experience with its report-writing module (OBIEE) a plus.

• Working knowledge of PowerBI dashboarding and similar tools preferred.
• Self-motivated, highly organized and detail oriented. Must be capable of working on multiple projects with minimal supervision and consistently delivering quality audit work by agreed deadlines.
• A dependable and effective manager who leads by example, demonstrates strong personal credibility and integrity and mentors a team to achieve high profile and dynamic objectives.

• Take a collaborative approach, building robust relationships with stakeholders, and challenging stakeholders with confidence and gravitas where necessary.
• Must be able to think critically and methodically about problems and bring a business perspective to the role in order to be effective and recommend pragmatic solutions.
• Always stay curious and embrace opportunities for professional development.
• An understanding and passion for the gaming industry a plus.

Our World

Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty ®, World of Warcraft® , Overwatch ®, Diablo ®, Candy Crush ™ and Bubble Witch ™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Our ability to build immersive and innovate worlds is only enhanced by diverse teams working in an inclusive environment. We aspire to have a culture where everyone can thrive in order to connect and engage the world through epic entertainment. We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for ‘Every World’ - we’ve got our employees covered!

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

Activision Blizzard is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.