Director, Internal Audit

About Clear Street: 

Clear Street is modernizing the brokerage ecosystem. Founded in 2018, Clear Street is a diversified financial services firm replacing the legacy infrastructure used across capital markets.

We started from scratch by building a completely cloud-native clearing and custody system designed for today’s complex, global market. Clear Street’s proprietary prime brokerage platform adds significant efficiency to the market, while focusing on minimizing risk, redundancy, and cost for clients. Our goal is to create a single source-of-truth platform for every asset class, in every country, and in any currency.

By combining highly-skilled product and engineering talent with seasoned finance professionals, we’re building the essentials to compete in today’s fast-paced markets.

The Team:

This role will report directly to the Chief Financial Officer of Clear Street.  Given this is a new function, we’re looking for someone that is excited about walking into an individual contributor role to begin with.  While initially there will not be direct reports to manage, the role will manage the ongoing and future engagements with third party professional services firms completing audits as well as provide management and leadership of critical programs to mitigate risk. As we evolve, we envision the function operating in a hybrid model, with a small team conducting a portion of the audit program, with greater reliance on a third party firm conducting the majority of the program, particularly where unique or technical experience is warranted. 

The Role:

The Director, Internal Audit is a senior-level position responsible for overseeing Clear Street’s  independent audit and risk assessment approach across all of our businesses and corporate functions.  As Clear Street continues to grow, we are building an internal audit function and this role will be the first hire to help build our processes and lead the function while managing relationships with key stakeholders.   This position offers extensive opportunities for leadership, building and developing a strategic business plan, and the ability to influence the future of Internal Audit practices.  Further, our ultimate objective is to be SOX compliant and this function will play a vital role in identifying control gaps, areas for improvement, and recommendations for enhancements and remediation.

Responsibilities will include:

• With the input of executive leadership and risk assessments, design and manage the audit program and create the methodology to ensure compliance with policies, procedures and our control framework, while also operating within industry best practices, applicable accounting and business regulations, and internal and external professional practice expectations
• Develop a cohesive approach with an eye on the quality of procedures, processes, and assessments needed to maintain sound practices
• Identify operational efficiencies and opportunities within all business areas as well as our corporate functions (Finance, Operations, Compliance, Engineering etc..)
• Directly oversee audits across the firm including risk assessment, continuous monitoring, annual planning, and execution of the audit plan
• Collaborate with other teams to ensure appropriate coverage and assessment within end-to-end process reviews
• Establish the criteria and roadmap for fact finding meetings and interviews with business stakeholders to develop understanding of business processes and potential gaps.
• Drive discussions with business stakeholders throughout the duration of audit engagements to communicate status or concerns.
• Strategic advisor to leadership team on the management of the audit portfolio, with deep industry, external/internal, enterprise knowledge, recognizing and anticipating emerging trends and; identifying operational efficiencies and opportunities with other business areas and corporate functions
• Identify potential risks and controls and lead development of audit scope and work programs
• Evaluate design and operating effectiveness of internal controls and identify control weaknesses
• Lead various projects/ division initiatives as needed
• Complete work on a timely basis and deliver work products that meet objectives and standards of methodology, applicable standards, and regulatory requirements
• Lead development of audit reports using appropriate business and technical language

Requirements:

• At least ten (10) years of professional experience with at least five years in an Internal Audit function within a global financial services firm
• Minimum bachelor’s degree; advanced degree and/or certification (CPA, MBA, etc…) preferred
• Deep experience and understanding of the prime brokerage, securities lending and broker-dealer businesses 
• A comprehensive understanding of financial products including Equities, Fixed Income, Derivatives, and Futures
• Experience across multiple functions including Finance, Operations, Compliance, IT / Engineering, Risk and Information / Cyber Security
• Excellent analytical skills as it relates to assessing the probability and impact of an internal control weakness
• Relationship building skills; ability to partner with key stakeholders, learn quickly and possess the desire to be flexible and strategic
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to present complex and sensitive issues to senior management
• Strong presentation skills when conducting interviews, delivering presentations at the leadership level
• Proven ability to multitask as well as assess and change priorities.
• Ability to work well individually, and in teams, share information, support colleagues and encourage participation
• Demonstrates Clear Streets values

We offer:

• The opportunity to join a small and growing team of good people, where you can make a difference.
• A meritocratic philosophy that champions collaboration
• Room to innovate, solve complex business problems, and build new products.
• Competitive compensation, benefits, and perks

The Base Salary Range for this role is $175,000 - $225,000. This range is representative of the starting base salaries for this role at Clear Street. Where a candidate falls in this range will be based on job related factors such as relevant experience, skills, and location. This range represents Base Salary only, which is just one element of Clear Street's total compensation. The range stated does not include other factors of total compensation such as bonuses or equity.

At Clear Street, we offer competitive compensation packages, company equity, 401k matching, gender neutral parental leave, and full medical, dental and vision insurance. Our belief has always been that we are better as a business when we are all together in person. As such, beginning on January 2, 2023, we are requiring employees to be in the office 4 days per week. In-office benefits include lunch stipends, fully stocked kitchens, happy hours, a great location, and amazing views.

Our top priority is our people. We’re continuously investing in a culture that promotes collaboration. We help each other through challenges and celebrate each other's successes. We believe that modern workplaces succeed by virtue of having high-performance workforces that are diverse — in ideas, in cultures, and in experiences. We put in the effort to make such a workplace a daily reality and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. #LI-Hybrid