Senior Internal Auditor

Senior Internal Auditor – Establish and Lead SVAX’s Comprehensive Audit Function

Join SVAX, a pioneering biologics and biosimilars biopharmaceutical company based in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as we scale our operations to align with Saudi Vision 2030 and the National Biotechnology Strategy. As a Senior Internal Auditor, you will play a pivotal role in designing and implementing SVAX’s Internal Audit function from the ground up, ensuring robust governance, risk management, and compliance as we expand into GMP manufacturing, clinical trials, and strategic partnerships. Reporting directly to the Board of Directors and administratively to the Chief Operating Officer, this high-impact role demands a strategic blend of internal audit expertise and deep sector-specific knowledge of GxP quality systems, regulatory compliance, and biopharmaceutical operations within Saudi Arabia’s regulatory landscape.

In this foundational position, you will not only establish the framework for SVAX’s audit function but also drive operational excellence by identifying risks, fortifying controls, and ensuring alignment with international best practices and local regulatory requirements. Your leadership will be instrumental in safeguarding financial integrity, operational efficiency, and compliance—critical enablers for SVAX’s growth as a trusted biopharmaceutical leader.

Key Responsibilities

Your role will encompass a broad spectrum of responsibilities, ensuring SVAX’s audit function is both proactive and adaptive to the company’s evolving needs:

• Designing a Robust Audit Framework
  - Develop and formalize the Internal Audit Charter, methodology, and risk-based annual audit plan, ensuring alignment with the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) International Professional Practices Framework (IPPF) and Saudi Corporate Governance Regulations.
  - Establish internal audit policies, procedures, and reporting templates that meet the highest standards of governance and transparency.
  - Build a comprehensive company-wide risk register, encompassing financial, operational, regulatory, clinical, manufacturing, and third-party risks to proactively mitigate vulnerabilities.
• Strengthening Financial and Operational Controls
  - Conduct financial control audits across revenue recognition, procurement-to-pay, treasury, payroll, fixed assets, and grant/loan compliance to ensure asset protection and financial reporting integrity.
  - Assess the design and effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting, adhering to SOCPA standards and best practices tailored to SVAX’s growth stage.
  - Audit procurement, contracting, and business development activities, including joint ventures, licensing agreements, and distribution partnerships to mitigate operational risks.
  - Support compliance with Zakat, Tax, and Customs Authority (ZATCA) obligations, ensuring alignment with regulatory requirements.
• Ensuring GxP, Quality, and Regulatory Compliance
  - Collaborate with Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs to perform internal audits of GMP, GCP, and GLP compliance, data integrity, and quality management systems (QMS) in preparation for SFDA inspections.
  - Lead inspection-readiness assessments for manufacturing facility licensure, clinical trial execution, and product registration submissions.
  - Monitor the closure of CAPAs (Corrective and Preventive Actions) arising from audits, inspections, and quality deviations, ensuring continuous improvement.
• Driving Risk Management and Corporate Governance
  - Serve as a key contributor to the enterprise risk management (ERM) framework, identifying and escalating emerging risks in clinical, regulatory, financial, cybersecurity, and third-party domains.
  - Provide independent assurance to the Procurement Committee, Board, and National Risk Committee (NRC) on governance processes, related-party transactions, and conflict-of-interest matters.
  - Lead or coordinate fraud risk assessments and investigations, ensuring ethical integrity and regulatory compliance.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a seasoned Internal Auditor to shape SVAX’s audit function, drive operational excellence, and contribute to the company’s mission of advancing biopharmaceutical innovation in Saudi Arabia. If you are passionate about governance, risk management, and compliance in a dynamic biotech environment, we invite you to be part of SVAX’s journey.