Senior Internal Auditor

About the role

SVAX, a fast‑growing biologics and biosimilars biopharmaceutical company in Jeddah, is creating a new Internal Audit function. Reporting functionally to the Board of Directors and administratively to the COO, the Senior Internal Auditor will design and launch the audit charter, methodology and annual risk‑based audit plan to support the company’s expansion toward GMP manufacturing, clinical trials and strategic investments.

Key responsibilities

• Draft and formalise the Internal Audit Charter, methodology and risk‑based annual audit plan for Board approval.
• Establish internal audit policies, procedures and reporting templates aligned with the IIA International Professional Practices Framework.
• Build a company‑wide risk register covering financial, operational, regulatory, clinical, manufacturing and third‑party risks.
• Plan and execute financial control audits (revenue recognition, procurement‑to‑pay, treasury, payroll, fixed assets, grant/loan compliance) and assess internal controls over financial reporting in line with SOCPA standards.
• Conduct operational audits of procurement, contracting, joint‑venture, licensing and distribution activities.
• Support compliance with ZATCA obligations and Saudi corporate governance regulations.
• Partner with Quality Assurance to perform GxP, quality and regulatory compliance audits.

Required profile

• Extensive experience in internal audit, financial controls and corporate governance within a growth‑stage organization.
• Strong knowledge of GxP quality systems, clinical and regulatory compliance in the biopharmaceutical sector.
• Familiarity with Saudi regulatory frameworks such as CMA Corporate Governance Regulations, SOCPA and ZATCA.
• Ability to design audit frameworks, risk registers and risk‑based audit plans from scratch.

Required skills

• Internal audit methodology (IIA IPPF)
• Risk management and risk‑based audit planning
• Financial control testing and SOCPA standards
• GxP quality and regulatory compliance auditing