Internal Audit Leadership Course: Running the Function, Team, Budget and Audit Plan

Programme overview

Introduction:

Internal audit leadership, running the function, the team, the budget and the audit plan, is a 5-day course for audit managers, audit team leaders and newly appointed heads of internal audit, ending with a One-Year Internal Audit Function Plan. Audit functions lose credibility when the plan outruns the headcount, supervision is uneven, budgets are argued line by line and the audit committee hears about problems late. Nominees already lead engagements or small audit teams, and the course runs as case study work on an audit function from several sectors. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this internal audit leadership course.

Course Objectives:

• Define the chief audit executive's accountabilities, the charter mandate and the reporting lines that protect the function's independence
• Translate a risk-based audit plan into auditor hours, skill needs and a structure for the audit team
• Decide between in-house hiring, co-sourcing and outsourcing using a competency framework and skills gap analysis
• Supervise engagements and review work papers while coaching auditors through development plans and rotation
• Manage stakeholder and audit committee relationships, including difficult conversations with auditees over findings and delays
• Prepare an internal audit budget, KPI scorecard and one-year function plan for audit committee approval

Target Audience:

• Audit managers responsible for allocating auditors across engagements and reviewing their work
• Audit team leaders responsible for supervising fieldwork and developing junior auditors
• Newly appointed heads of internal audit responsible for the function's plan, budget and headcount
• Deputy heads of audit responsible for audit committee papers and stakeholder relationships
• Assurance managers in risk or compliance units moving into leadership of an audit team

Course Outline:

Day 1: The Chief Audit Executive Role and the Function's Current State

• Chief Audit Executive Accountabilities Across Board, Management and Team
• Audit Charter and Mandate Read as a Leadership Brief
• Functional and Administrative Reporting Lines Mapped for Independence
• Assurance Map of Second-Line Functions and External Auditors
• Function Maturity Self-Diagnostic on People, Plan and Budget

Day 2: Leadership Models for Planning, Structuring and Resourcing the Function

• Domain IV Plan Strategically and Manage Resources Principles
• Risk-Based Annual Audit Plan Converted into Auditor Hours
• Audit Team Structure Options Centralised, Hub and Specialist Pods
• Competency Framework and Skills Gap Heat Map for Auditors
• Co-Sourcing and Outsourcing Decision Matrix for Specialist Reviews

Day 3: Running the Team Day to Day: Supervision, Coaching and Stakeholders

• Engagement Supervision Checkpoints and Work Paper Review Notes
• Coaching Conversation Structure for Developing Junior and Senior Auditors
• Individual Development Plans and Auditor Rotation Through Business Units
• Stakeholder Map for Executives, Process Owners and External Auditors
• Audit Committee Relationship Plan With Private Sessions and Briefings

Day 4: Budgets, Performance Measures and Difficult Leadership Situations

• Internal Audit Budget Build From Headcount, Travel and Tools
• Audit KPIs Balanced Across Coverage, Timeliness, Impact and Feedback
• Difficult Auditee Conversations Over Disputed Findings and Delays
• Data Analytics and Audit Software Roadmap at Overview Level
• Function-Level Quality Signals and Escalation of Independence Threats

Day 5: Case Study Build of the One-Year Internal Audit Function Plan

• Case Organisation Brief With Risk Profile and Current Team
• Team Structure and Staffing Plan for the Case Function
• Annual Budget and KPI Scorecard for the Case Function
• Audit Committee Reporting Calendar for Four Quarterly Meetings
• One-Year Internal Audit Function Plan Completion and Peer Challenge

Skills You Will Gain:

• Audit Resource Planning
• Audit Team Structuring
• Co-Sourcing Evaluation
• Work Paper Supervision
• Auditor Coaching
• Audit Committee Relationship Management
• Audit Budgeting
• Audit Performance Scorecards

Why Attend This Course:

• Deliver a One-Year Internal Audit Function Plan, with team structure, budget and reporting calendar, to the audit committee chair for approval
• Decide when a specialist review should be co-sourced rather than staffed from the existing team
• Avoid plan slippage, unreviewed work papers and late escalation of independence threats that weaken audit committee confidence
• Share the staffing model, KPI scorecard and coaching conversation structure with fellow audit managers

Conclusion:

Back at work, the participant presents the One-Year Internal Audit Function Plan to the chief audit executive and the audit committee, who use it to approve the audit plan, headcount, co-sourcing spend and the meeting calendar for the year. Audit managers can apply the same supervision checkpoints and coaching structure across every engagement team. After the first quarter, the function should compare actual auditor hours, budget use and KPI results against the plan, then rebalance staffing and adjust the reporting calendar where meetings were missed.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

What do participants need before the internal audit leadership course?

Participants should already lead audit engagements, supervise auditors or manage part of an audit function. Bringing an anonymised audit plan, team chart or budget lets them build the one-year function plan around their own situation rather than the case alone.

How does internal audit leadership differ from a course on audit standards conformance or risk-based audit methodology?

This course centres on leading people, resources, budgets and stakeholders across the whole function. Standards conformance and quality assessment, engagement scoping and testing, and audit report writing are covered in depth by neighbouring courses and appear here only as context.

Why does co-sourcing matter in internal audit leadership?

Co-sourcing lets a function add specialist skills, such as IT audit or data analytics, without permanent headcount. Leaders weigh cost, knowledge transfer, independence and supervision of external staff before deciding which reviews to co-source and which capabilities to build in-house.

What do participants take back from the internal audit leadership course?

Participants take back a One-Year Internal Audit Function Plan covering team structure, staffing, budget, KPI scorecard and audit committee reporting calendar, together with supervision checkpoints and a coaching conversation structure for their own team.