Northwestern Mutual

Senior IT Audit Specialist

Posted 2 Hours Ago

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Milwaukee, WI, USA

Hybrid

70K-121K Annually

Senior level

Fintech • Insurance • Financial Services

Start-Up Vibes with The Stability of a Fortune 100 Company.

The Role

Supports planning, testing, and reporting for IT, cybersecurity, and integrated audits. Evaluates technology controls, documents evidence and conclusions, identifies control gaps, drafts audit observations, and communicates risks and recommendations to technical and business stakeholders. The role manages concurrent audit assignments, applies audit frameworks and risk concepts, and uses data and reporting tools to improve testing and insight.

Summary Generated by Built In

About the Job:
The IT Audit Senior Specialist will be responsible for supporting the planning, execution, and reporting of information technology and cybersecurity audits. This role contributes to risk-based audit work by evaluating IT processes, assessing control design and operating effectiveness, documenting results, and communicating observations and recommendations in a clear, accurate, and professional manner.
What You'll Do:

Serves as a contributing team member on technology, cybersecurity, and integrated audits under the direction of more experienced audit professionals.
Supports audit planning by helping understand business and technology processes, identify relevant risks, develop audit objectives, and define appropriate testing procedures.

Evaluates the design and operating effectiveness of controls that manage technology, cybersecurity, operational, regulatory, and financial reporting risks.
Performs audit testing across common IT control areas, such as access management, change management, system development, configuration management, data integrity, backup and recovery, business continuity, logging and monitoring, and third-party or cloud-related controls.
Prepares clear, logical, well-supported, and accurate workpapers that document procedures performed, evidence reviewed, conclusions reached, and any identified exceptions.
Drafts audit observations and issue content that clearly explain the condition, risk, root cause, and recommended corrective action, consistent with department guidelines.
Applies working knowledge of audit standards, risk and control concepts, and technology processes to evaluate control gaps and support audit conclusions.
Communicates audit status, testing results, potential issues, and recommendations to audit team members, business stakeholders, and IT management in both technical and non-technical terms.
Demonstrates effective interviewing, inquiry, and note-taking skills to understand processes, clarify assumptions, validate evidence, and support audit conclusions.
Manages assigned audit work across one or more concurrent audits by meeting deadlines, escalating questions or concerns timely, and adjusting to changing priorities.
Builds business, technology, cybersecurity, and project management knowledge through audit work, stakeholder interaction, self-directed learning, and professional development.
Uses data, reporting, and analytic tools, where applicable, to support audit testing, improve efficiency, and develop deeper insight into risk and control effectiveness.

What You'll Bring to the Role:

Bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Risk Management, Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field.
Three or more years of experience in IT audit, cybersecurity audit, internal audit, compliance, technology risk, technology operations, or a related field.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to document audit work clearly and communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Working knowledge of IT audit concepts, risk and control principles, and common audit standards or frameworks, such as COBIT, NIST, ISO, ITIL, IIA Standards, or similar frameworks.
Solid understanding of general IT control topics, including logical access, change management, system development, configuration management, data integrity, encryption, retention and disposal, backup and recovery, business continuity and disaster recovery, logging and monitoring, and vulnerability or security management.
Ability to analyze information, identify control gaps, support conclusions with evidence, and communicate the business or technology risk in a practical and understandable way.
Strong organization and time management skills, with the ability to manage multiple assignments, meet deadlines, and produce high-quality work.
Demonstrated curiosity and willingness to continue developing technical knowledge, audit skills, business acumen, and project management capabilities.
Ability to work effectively in a team environment, receive feedback, collaborate with audit colleagues, and build productive relationships with stakeholders.
Willingness to obtain or actively work toward a relevant professional certification, such as CISA, CISSP, CIA, CRISC, CISM, CPA, or a similar credential.
Experience with a large corporate internal audit function, public accounting firm, consulting firm, financial services organization, or regulated environment preferred.
General understanding of Model Audit Rule, SOX, IT general controls, cybersecurity controls, or regulatory-driven audit work preferred.

Compensation Range:
Pay Range - Start:
$70,320.00
Pay Range - End:
$105,480.00
Geographic Specific Pay Structure:
Structure 110:
$77,360.00 USD - $116,040.00 USD
Structure 115:
$80,880.00 USD - $121,320.00 USD
We believe in fairness and transparency. It's why we share the salary range for most of our roles. However, final salaries are based on a number of factors, including the skills and experience of the candidate; the current market; location of the candidate; and other factors uncovered in the hiring process. The standard pay structure is listed but if you're living in California, New York City or other eligible location, geographic specific pay structures, compensation and benefits could be applicable, click here to learn more.
Grow your career with a best-in-class company that puts our clients' interests at the center of all we do. Get started now!
Northwestern Mutual is an equal opportunity employer that welcomes talented individuals of all backgrounds. We are committed to creating and maintaining an environment in which each employee can contribute creative ideas, seek challenges, assume leadership and continue to focus on meeting and exceeding business and personal objectives.
FIND YOUR FUTURE
We're excited about the potential people bring to Northwestern Mutual. You can grow your career here while enjoying first-class perks, benefits, and our commitment to a culture of belonging.

Flexible work schedules
Concierge service
Comprehensive benefits
Employee resource groups

Skills Required

Bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, Risk Management, Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field
Three or more years of experience in IT audit, cybersecurity audit, internal audit, compliance, technology risk, technology operations, or a related field
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Working knowledge of IT audit concepts, risk and control principles, and common audit standards or frameworks such as COBIT, NIST, ISO, ITIL, or IIA Standards
Understanding of general IT controls, including access, change management, system development, configuration, data integrity, encryption, backup and recovery, business continuity, logging, monitoring, and vulnerability management
Ability to analyze information, identify control gaps, support conclusions with evidence, and communicate business or technology risk
Strong organization and time management skills
Ability to manage multiple assignments, meet deadlines, and produce high-quality work
Ability to work effectively in a team environment, receive feedback, collaborate, and build stakeholder relationships
Willingness to obtain or actively work toward a relevant professional certification such as CISA, CISSP, CIA, CRISC, CISM, or CPA
Experience with a large corporate internal audit function, public accounting firm, consulting firm, financial services organization, or regulated environment
General understanding of Model Audit Rule, SOX, IT general controls, cybersecurity controls, or regulatory-driven audit work

What the Team is Saying

Northwestern Mutual Compensation & Benefits Highlights

Retirement Support — Corporate materials describe automatic 401(k) company contributions alongside a separate, company‑funded cash balance pension with a guaranteed interest credit. This dual‑plan design is highlighted as a standout element for corporate roles.
Leave & Time Off Breadth — PTO is outlined as starting in the low‑20s of days per year and increasing with tenure, with paid parental and caregiving leave and volunteer time included. This structure signals generous time‑off support for different life stages.
Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision coverage is paired with Lyra mental health services, fertility and family‑building support, and company‑paid disability and life insurance. On‑site health centers, virtual primary care, and fitness centers or reimbursements enhance everyday access and wellbeing.

Learn more about Northwestern Mutual's Compensation & Benefits →

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The Company

HQ: Milwaukee, WI

8,400 Employees

Year Founded: 1857

What We Do

You’ll Like It Here At Northwestern Mutual, we believe that our lives and our work matter. And that doing what’s right is good for everyone. We follow through by designing tech that improves the community and cultivating creative ways to make finance accessible anywhere. These guiding principles have allowed our company to grow for more than 160 years. Here, you’ll be with a team who emphasizes integrity and prioritizes security to design experiences that better everyone. You’ll work in cross functional teams to create optimal solutions that are rooted in innovative strategy and thoughtful execution. And you’re provided development tools and opportunities to become a leader all with the support of a collaborative team. You’ll be surrounded in a culture that values innovation and works to always evolve to stay ahead of trends and client needs. We are intentional in seeking out team members who will challenge us. Our employees choose us for the career opportunities, commitment to philanthropy and desire to have a meaningful impact in the lives of our clients. You have career passions and goals. We have ambition and opportunity for you to grow your future in tech. Discover today: https://careers.northwesternmutual.com/

Why Work With Us

We invest in our people. We know careers are about choices, so we provide intentional opportunity. Here you can build creative ways to make finance accessible anywhere and revolutionize traditional processes. As a mutual company, our focus is our people — whether professional development or investments in the community.