Digital Innovation Internal Audit Lead – Madrid or any major Syngenta Offices

About Syngenta

Syngenta Group is one of the world's leading agricultural technology companies, with 56,000 people across 90 countries working to improve farm productivity while protecting the environment. With a 250-year legacy and a forward-looking digital agenda, we combine deep agronomic expertise with cutting-edge innovation to help farmers feed a growing world sustainably.

The Opportunity

Internal Audit at Syngenta is on a transformation journey. We are building a tech-enabled, insight-driven audit function - one that moves beyond traditional sampling and reporting to deliver real-time risk intelligence, continuous monitoring, and genuine business partnering value across the organization.

To make this happen, we're hiring for strategic and hands on role of Internal Audit Digital Lead: a connector, an enabler, and a pragmatic innovator who bridges the world of internal audit with Syngenta's growing digital ecosystem and drives digital transformation of internal audit function.

This is not a pure technology role. It's a role for someone who thinks like an auditor and speaks the language of data - someone who can walk into a business function, understand how they're managing risk digitally, identify the gaps, and help close them. Collaboratively.

You'll work directly with the Head of Group Internal Audit, as well as IT, Finance, Compliance, and business unit leaders - driving the adoption of AI, advanced data analytics, automation and deployment of digital tools into how we plan, execute and report audit results. in a fundamentally more intelligent way.

What You'll Do

Lead digital transformation for Internal Audit

• Own and evolve the Internal Audit digital strategy and roadmap, translating it into practical priorities and concrete outcomes
• Be an integral part of internal audit transformation: execute on internal audit vision and operating model for technology-enabled assurance;

Build the Audit Analytics Gallery

• Map existing analytics and data tools already in use across Syngenta's business functions
• Identify which are most relevant and accessible for audit purposes - and make them available to the audit team in a structured, user-friendly way
• Over time, develop additional analytics where gaps exist, in collaboration with IT and functional teams

Enable better audit fieldwork

• Support audit teams in using data analytics during engagements: transactional analysis, process flow reviews, benchmark comparisons, anomaly identification
• Work with process mining tools (e.g., Celonis) where already deployed, reviewing how functions are using them and advising on improvement or coverage gaps, and facilitate the development of process mining tools for the areas where they are not developed by the business.
• Help auditors expand from sample-based testing toward broader data coverage

Build toward continuous risk monitoring and continuous auditing

• Drive the development of a Risk Control Tower: a risk-sensing capability that monitors key indicators across financial, operational, and production areas with the focus to enhance risk anticipation
• Start small, prove the concept, and build from there

Digitalize internal audit processes

• Identify and implement AI and digital tools that streamline how the team works: planning, testing, documentation, workpaper management, reporting
• Help the team adopt AI-assisted drafting tools (e.g., Austyn/Copilot) for report writing and communication - practical, low-effort wins that free up time for higher-value work

Coach and upskill the audit team

• Be the go-to person within the audit team for all things digital - setting direction, building capability, and creating early wins that demonstrate value
• Coach, supervise, and develop team members on deploying digital tools; champion digital mindset, digital, data analytics and AI upskilling and contribute to modernizing audit methodology, and knowledge assets
• Help colleagues become more data-literate and comfortable with analytical tools

Collaborate, not build in isolation

• Build a close working relationship with Syngenta's IT and Digital team - your key partner in navigating the data landscape and sourcing the right tools and data
• Engage with business functions in a partnering spirit: understanding their controls, learning from what they already do well, and recommending improvements rather than auditing from a distance

What We're Looking For

The mindset matters most:

• You're pragmatic: you start with what exists, prove value, and build step by step
• You collaborate naturally. You know that the best insights come from working with teams, not around them
• You communicate clearly with both auditors and IT engineers, as well as business leaders

Your background:

• Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Accounting/Finance, Economics, Information Systems, Data Science, Data/Analytics, Engineering).
• Experience in internal audit, external audit (Big 4 or equivalent), risk, or compliance - ideally in a large, international and complex organization
• Experience leading digital transformation, analytics, automation, or technology enablement in Internal Audit, Risk, Compliance, Finance Transformation or similar assurance functions.
• Hands-on exposure to data analytics in an audit or assurance context: building or using dashboards, running data queries, working with financial or operational datasets
• Hands of experience with at least one BI or visualization tool (Power BI, Tableau, SAP Analytics Cloud, or similar)
• Experience and strong understanding of ERP systems - SAP/S4 HANA experience is a strong plus
• Experience and familiarity with process mining concepts (Celonis, SAP Signavio) is advantageous - you don't need to be a developer, but you need to know what these tools can do and what is needed to develop them. The developer skills would be an advantage.
• Good knowledge and experience of AI and GenAI tools and their practical applications in audit or finance contexts
• Understanding of continuous monitoring concepts and experience defining rules/thresholds/alerts for ongoing risk sensing and risk monitoring
• Excellent communication skills, advanced stakeholder management skills, able to work with both executives and frontline teams
• Advanced analytical thinking and problem-solving skills
• High standards of quality, integrity, and governance
• Curiosity and innovation mindsetFluent English; additional languages are a plus

What is not a must have for the role

• A software developer or data engineer
• An expert in building data pipelines or modifying semantic layers
• A one-person IT department

Why This Role

• Shape something from the ground up - this digital roadmap is live and evolving, and you'll have real influence over its direction and implementation
• Work at the intersection of audit, technology, and business strategy - a rare combination
• Grow with the function - as the team's digital maturity increases, so will the scope and impact of this role
• Be part of Syngenta's broader digital transformation - working alongside IT, Data, and AI teams, not in a silo

What We Offer

• Hybrid working model (2 office days/week, adjusted for travel)
• Approximately 30% international travel
• A culture that promotes work/life balance, celebrates diversity and offers numerous events throughout the year.
• Flexible working arrangements.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• A role that contributes to valuable and impactful work in a stimulating and international environment.
• Learning culture and a wide range of development options, including access to learning platforms (Degreed and LinkedIn Learning)

Location: Madrid, Spain. Other locations where Syngenta has a legal entity will be considered.

Syngenta is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in recruitment, hiring, training, promotion or any other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. 

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