Internal Audit Specialist

Excited to grow your career?

BBVA is a global company with more than 160 years of history that operates in more than 25 countries where we serve more than 80 million customers. We are more than 121,000 professionals working in multidisciplinary teams with profiles as diverse as financiers, legal experts, data scientists, developers, engineers and designers.

At BBVA, we are transforming banking for more than 80 million customers around the world. With over 160 years of history and a strong focus on innovation, data and technology, we combine global scale with local expertise to help individuals and businesses make better financial decisions.

For more than 50 years, BBVA Switzerland has been serving international private banking clients from Zurich, combining Swiss standards of excellence with the global capabilities of one of the world’s leading financial institutions.

Internal Audit plays a key role in BBVA’s governance and risk management framework. As the Group’s third line of defence, we provide independent assurance and strategic insight on the risks that matter most. We are a global function of nearly 670 professionals across 16 countries, working at the intersection of business, risk, regulation, technology and innovation. We are also actively transforming the profession through the use of advanced analytics, automation and artificial intelligence.

Joining Internal Audit in Switzerland means becoming part of both a local team and a global community of professionals with extensive opportunities for learning, collaboration and career development.

About the job:

Functions (duties and responsibilities):

This is not a typical analyst position. This role offers a unique opportunity to accelerate your learning and professional development through direct exposure to the full breadth of a bank's activities, risks and decision-making processes.

Working directly alongside the Head of Internal Audit, you will be involved in every aspect of the function, from identifying emerging risks and shaping the audit plan to executing reviews, presenting conclusions and engaging with senior stakeholders. The breadth of the role, combined with the visibility and responsibility it provides, creates a learning experience that is rarely available at this stage of a career.

From day one, you will be expected to contribute actively, think critically and progressively take ownership of increasingly complex challenges.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Identifying and assessing emerging risks across the bank and contributing to the annual audit planning process.
• Proposing audit reviews and developing risk-based approaches to evaluate key processes, activities and controls.
• Assessing the effectiveness of governance, risk management and internal control frameworks.
• Preparing clear, concise and impactful audit reports for senior management and governing bodies.
• Presenting findings, recommendations and risk assessments to senior stakeholders.
• Monitoring the implementation of agreed actions and evaluating their effectiveness.
• Maintaining regular interaction with management, control functions, external auditors and other key stakeholders.
• Collaborating with colleagues from the global Internal Audit function on cross-border initiatives and audits.

One of the most exciting aspects of the role is its breadth. Internal Audit reviews the entire bank. This means that one project may focus on liquidity and interest rate risk, another on anti-money laundering and compliance, another on technology and cybersecurity, and another on credit risk, operational resilience, balance sheet management or strategic initiatives. As a result, no two projects are the same, and every engagement offers the opportunity to develop expertise in a new area of the Bank.

We are therefore looking for someone who genuinely enjoys learning, feels comfortable stepping into unfamiliar topics and sees complexity as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

Your profile:

You already have some professional experience in Internal Audit, Risk Management, Compliance, Financial Crime, External Audit or other control-related functions, and you are looking for a role that will accelerate your development and broaden your perspective of banking.

More importantly, you are someone who:

• Demonstrates exceptional critical thinking and is comfortable challenging assumptions in a constructive manner.
• Learns quickly and enjoys understanding complex topics in a short period of time.
• Combines analytical rigour with sound judgement and a pragmatic mindset.
• Is able to structure complex ideas and communicate them clearly, concisely and persuasively.
• Takes ownership, thrives in dynamic environments and enjoys assuming responsibility.
• Is curious, proactive and motivated by continuous learning.
• Feels comfortable working with data, analytics and artificial intelligence tools to solve problems and improve efficiency.
• Enjoys collaborating with people from different backgrounds, disciplines and cultures.

We welcome candidates from a wide range of academic backgrounds, including Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Law, Engineering, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science or related disciplines.

Professional certifications such as CFA, FRM, CIA, CISA, CAMS or similar (completed or in progress) will be highly valued as they demonstrate both relevant knowledge and a strong commitment to professional development.

Exposure to or interest in technology-related topics such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, infrastructure, data management or artificial intelligence is also highly valued, as technology risk forms an increasingly important part of the audit universe.

Fluent Spanish and professional working proficiency in English are required. Additional languages, particularly German, are considered an advantage.

Finally, you should be attracted by an environment that offers a high degree of flexibility and autonomy, while maintaining exceptionally high standards. The work produced by Internal Audit is reviewed by senior management, the Board of Directors and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), making quality, professionalism and attention to detail essential in everything we do.

Skills: