Principal: Internal Audit -Nigeria

About Cellulant:

• Cellulant
• is Africa’s leading payments company, providing seamless, secure and innovative solutions that empower businesses, banks, and global brands to thrive in a fast-changing global economy.

With a presence in over 24 countries and 200+ payment methods across cards, bank transfer and mobile money , our single API payment platform, Tingg , simplifies collections, disbursements, and reconciliations. It processes over 1 million transactions daily for market leaders across sectors such as Airlines, Telecoms, E-commerce, Ride-Hailing, Retail, and Remittances.

By simplifying how people pay and get paid, we drive trust, commerce and scale – and connect companies to their ambitions.

Our Mission:

To deliver seamless, secure and innovative payment solutions for businesses.

• Our Vision:
• To create a connected world where businesses move money as easily as they share ideas.

Our Story:

Across Africa, payments are more than transactions. They are gateways to prosperity, connecting people, businesses and communities to opportunities and growth.

From enabling a logistics company in Lusaka to pay suppliers across borders, to enabling a hospitality brand in Lagos to scale effortlessly, to supporting an airline in Nairobi to reconcile payments from multiple platforms, Cellulant is the bridge that makes it all possible.

Through trusted technology and customer-centric innovation, we build connections that inspire progress, strengthen economies and transform payments into a tool for progress.

Since our founding in 2003, we've continuously adapted and grown, leveraging our experiences to simplify payments for businesses. We are driven by an unshakable belief that seamless people-centred payments are the key to unlocking prosperity.

Today, Cellulant powers online and offline payment processing, allowing businesses to collect payments, send payouts, and accelerate business growth.

Role Overview:

The Principal Internal Audit will assist the Group Head of Internal Audit in providing assurance on the effectiveness of controls in place to address risks to the achievement of Cellulant’s strategic and operational objectives. In addition, the Principal Internal Audit has responsibility for performing audit engagements across the various functions and markets within Cellulant and ensuring that these are executed to achieve the objectives, timelines and value addition.

The Principal will be responsible for training and ensuring that the internal audit analysts are up to date with the knowledge and skills required as well as directly supervising, providing training, guidance and mentorship to the Internal Audit Analysts and ensuring that their work is up to the standards of the Group Internal Audit activities.

The Principal will also work collaboratively with management and the senior leadership team to achieve the company mission and goals and drive the company towards growth and sustainability.

What You'll do:

Assist the Group Head of Internal Audit in preparation and implementation of the risk-based internal audit plan.

Assist in the development, maintenance, implementation and update/review of the audit charter, audit manual, relevant policies and other frameworks for the Internal Audit Function.

Develop, recommend, and implement internal audit programs that evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of internal controls and test compliance with established policies and procedures.

Establish effective working relationships within the company and assist management in the understanding and application of and adherence to internal control, risk management, compliance and governance principles.

Plan, conduct, and review/ control audits, including financial, compliance, and operational audits

Lead the audit team in conducting audits through the review of physical and electronic records, evaluate the level of compliance with established control policies, processes, procedures, standards, laws and regulations in assigned functional areas/Channels, identify control weaknesses or process improvement opportunities and initiate workable solutions.

Identify internal controls issues and recommend risk mitigation measures in a timely manner to proactively prevent losses.

Document and review work papers and audit procedures performed by the internal audit team.

Prepare draft observations/ findings reports and review all audit work papers prepared by audit staff to ensure quality control, uniformity, and adherence to generally accepted practices.

Prepare draft audit reports that clearly state the internal audit conclusions and recommendations that are backed by evidence and documented audit processes in working papers/ Audit program

Conduct follow up audits to monitor management’s interventions as per the audit recommendations (both internal and external audit recommendations).

Coordinate with the external audit team.

Assist in the Implementation of the internal audit strategic initiatives relating to key responsibilities.

Review the back up (physical and electronic) of all internal audit materials for easy retrieval and reference.

Carry out other responsibilities as may be directed by the Group Head of Internal Audit.

What we are looking for:

Must have experience:

Commercial orientation with a focus on service issues and customer experience impact

Self-starter, entrepreneurial, passionate, and tech-savvy

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Ability to prioritize and manage workload to meet deadlines and OKRs

Patient, problem solver, ambitious, proactive/assertive, and dependable

Technical aptitude with the ability to absorb technical information and apply business solutions

Accuracy and detail-oriented

Strong analytical skills and aptitude for math

Experience that will count in your favour:

Experience in the fintech or payment industry.

Previous experience in a leadership role within an internal audit function.

Experience with cross-functional collaboration in a fast-paced environment.

Familiarity with emerging technologies and their impact on internal controls and audit practices.

Experience in conducting audits in a rapidly growing and evolving industry.

Demonstrated ability to implement and manage change within an organization.

Qualification:

Minimum of a university degree, preferably in a business-related discipline from a reputable and recognized institution.

A certified Public Accountant (CPA), CIA/CISA will be an added advantage.

Membership to relevant professional bodies e.g. ICPAK, IIA etc

A minimum of 8 years Internal Audit experience in high growth organizations

Experience in the payments services sector will be an added advantage

Skills:

Proven knowledge of auditing standards and procedures, laws, rules, and regulations

High attention to detail and excellent analytical skills

Ability to perform under pressure, handle heavy workloads, and meet stringent reporting deadlines

Must be able to demonstrate a broad technical knowledge and expertise covering conduct of business, corporate governance and regulatory risk and regulatory change matters.

Proven track record of delivering enhancements to process efficiency.

Excellent communication skills, ability to communicate and influence at all levels within the company (both verbally and written)

Experience in working with data and data manipulation tools may also be required

Ability to work as part of an effective dynamic team.

Ability to work unsupervised and maintain motivation.

Why Work for Us?

At Cellulant, we are more than a payments company: we are bridge-builders. We believe that by simplifying the way people pay and get paid, we are connecting companies to their ambitions, people to opportunities, and Africa to the global economy . Our work goes beyond payments—it’s about what people, businesses, and communities can do when the movement of money becomes