Company: Guardian Jobs
Location: Tottenham
Posted: May 5th, 2026
Contract type: Permanent
Location: London or Newcastle offices based with a minimum of 2 days a week attendance in either office.
Salary: Newcastle salary; circa £67,000 and London salary; circa £74,500 plus Civil Service Employer Pension Contribution of 28.9%. The NAO welcomes applications from candidates who work part-time and are keen to support colleagues to work flexibly, including on a job share basis.
Senior Audit Manager - Value For Money
Thank you for your interest in joining the National Audit Office (NAO) as a Senior Audit Manager. This job description outlines who we are, what you will do, and what we offer. We are independent of government and the civil service, and we play a critical role supporting Parliament scrutinise how effectively the government spends public money.
Our 2025-2030 strategy sets out our ambition to contribute to two outcomes – helping to improve productivity and resilience of public services and supporting better financial management and reporting in government. We tackle complex projects that inform debates and influence decisions that government makes, working with dedicated people toward shared goals. You will build a rewarding and challenging career.
We are looking to recruit Senior Audit Managers who have strong analytical and communication skills and experience in project and people management from diverse backgrounds, including experienced analysts, value for money auditors, the civil service and internal auditors. If you like what you see and can meet our requirements, we want to hear from you.
Each year we publish around 60 major value for money (VFM) reports examining government programmes and projects. VFM reports are multi-method and delivered at pace to achieve real impact. We write long form reports and other types of written communication on complex subjects for both non-specialist and technical audiences. Our work covers areas where government spends public money, from building hospitals to data analytics on fraud and error. Our lessons learned reports distill lessons to help others understand and apply them, such as government use of external consultants and findings from the NAO’s financial audits.
More about the NAO is available on our website www.nao.org.uk.
Senior Audit Managers are expected to develop expertise in one or more specialist areas through our networks (Hubs) across the office, providing analytical insight and support to others outside of the team on topics such as analytical techniques, commercial and regulatory issues, digital transformation and data use in the public sector, financial risk and management, major project delivery, and people and operational management.
You will manage a team to deliver value for money work to time and budget, and work with colleagues across grades. You will interact with Senior Auditors and/or Senior Analysts who lead teams of Analysts and accounting trainees. The Director is accountable for the overall quality and impact of the audit. You will commonly meet and interact with senior people in the NAO and in government bodies.
Our work responds to government plans with long-term implications for public spending. You’ll contribute to work that examines the cost, effectiveness and efficiency of government programmes and projects. Our recommendations and reports on good practice help government improve public services. In the last year our work led to:
You can find out more about us by visiting www.nao.org.uk.
Education / work Experience This role operates within the NAO’s hybrid working model, with a minimum expectation of two days per week in the office, or at an audited body. We support flexible working and encourage applications from part-time candidates. Based in either our London or Newcastle office, you’ll join a collaborative environment that values work-life balance, flexibility and professional development. A strong academic background and experience in managing audit projects and producing high-quality, accessible written outputs are required.
For individuals with an audit background this means:
• An ACA or other professional qualification (e.g., ACCA, CIPFA, CIA, MIIA, CIMA) with relevant experience.
For individuals with other backgrounds this means:
• A minimum of a 2:1 degree or a relevant postgraduate qualification and relevant experience.
We are keen to hear from people who have experience shaping and evaluating public policy, leading change, or making a difference through impactful projects, regardless of sector.
Essential capabilities include:
Candidates should demonstrate:
Please follow the instructions:
If you experience issues during the application process, please contact AuditManager.Recruitment@nao.org.uk.
Disability and Reasonable Adjustments: Applicants with a disability who wish to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme should indicate this when submitting their application. We guarantee an interview to an applicant with a disability who meets the minimum requirements. Please also inform us if you wish us to consider Reasonable Adjustments at any stage (HRServiceDesk@nao.org.uk).
Applicants will not be discriminated against on the grounds of any protected characteristic.
UK Nationals; Nationals of Commonwealth countries with right to work in the UK; Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with status under the EU Settlement Scheme (or eligible). Note: We do not provide sponsorship for work visas for this position. If you have questions on eligibility, contact the HR Service Desk (HRServiceDesk@nao.org.uk).
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