Senior auditor vs senior internal auditor

The differences between senior auditors and senior internal auditors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a senior internal auditor has an average salary of $80,920, which is higher than the $74,382 average annual salary of a senior auditor.

The top three skills for a senior auditor include CPA, internal audit and audit reports. The most important skills for a senior internal auditor are internal audit, process improvement, and compliance audits.

Senior auditor vs senior internal auditor overview

	Senior Auditor	Senior Internal Auditor
Yearly salary	$74,382	$80,920
Hourly rate	$35.76	$38.90
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	23,025	24,545
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

What does a senior auditor do?

Senior auditors have a vital role to play in the financial auditing process. They hold more responsibilities compared to staff auditors and report to an auditing manager directly. They have varied duties and responsibilities, including assigning tasks to staff auditors, overseeing compliant and precise auditing processes, and performing control and risk assessments. Senior auditors also are responsible for presenting audit findings, coordinating periodical audits, and submitting reports to the manager. If you are looking to apply for this role, you need to have a bachelor's degree in accounting or finance, strong analytical and mathematical skills, and proficiency in MS Office.

What does a senior internal auditor do?

A Senior Internal Auditor performs the planning and execution of regulatory, financial, and operational audits. They supervise auditors work and make recommendations through giving them review notes.

Senior auditor vs senior internal auditor salary

Senior auditors and senior internal auditors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Auditor	Senior Internal Auditor
Average salary	$74,382	$80,920
Salary range	Between $54,000 And $101,000	Between $62,000 And $105,000
Highest paying City	Washington, DC	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	New York	California
Best paying company	Microsoft	Netflix
Best paying industry	Technology	Finance

Differences between senior auditor and senior internal auditor education

There are a few differences between a senior auditor and a senior internal auditor in terms of educational background:

	Senior Auditor	Senior Internal Auditor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 79%	Bachelor's Degree, 78%
Most common major	Accounting	Accounting
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Senior auditor vs senior internal auditor demographics

Here are the differences between senior auditors' and senior internal auditors' demographics:

	Senior Auditor	Senior Internal Auditor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 62.7% Female, 37.3%	Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 14.2% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 12.3% White, 63.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between senior auditor and senior internal auditor duties and responsibilities

Senior auditor example responsibilities.

Conduct routine retrospective and prospective audits for ICD-10 CM/PCS, CPT and HCPCS for outpatient/inpatient facility and manage auditors.
Lead internal control reviews for an internationally own agriculture manufacturing company focuse on the inventory and payroll areas.
Create technology specific audit programs for SOX and operational audits ensuring that risks are clearly define and adequately test.
Enforce regulatory requirements and uphold Sarbanes-Oxley financial disclosure procedures to ensure accurate representation of internal and on-site audit assignments.
Guide clients with the compliance of the accounting standards (IFRS).
Prepare, and conduct all GxP (GMP, GLP, and GCP) in house and CMO training.

Senior internal auditor example responsibilities.

Schedule, plan, conduct fieldwork and report writing of audits using a COSO base audit methodology managing staff on audits.
Manage and coordinate annual external business evaluation in conjunction with CPA consultants.
Conduct audit reviews, document business processes, and evaluate internal controls base on Sarbanes-Oxley good governance standards and policies.
Execute or review Sarbanes-Oxley internal controls testing for various business processes and evaluate business systems to determine their efficiency and effectiveness
Enhance work paper standards according to IIA framework.
Confirm that internal controls are properly map to financial statement assertions to ensure that all COSO assertions are met.

Senior auditor vs senior internal auditor skills

Common senior auditor skills

CPA, 13%
Internal Audit, 7%
Audit Reports, 6%
Audit Procedures, 5%
Audit Engagements, 5%
Risk Assessments, 4%

Common senior internal auditor skills

Internal Audit, 12%
Process Improvement, 8%
Compliance Audits, 7%
SOX, 5%
Audit Reports, 4%
Risk Management, 4%

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Senior Auditor vs Senior Internal Auditor

Updated January 8, 2025

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