Audit Manager Tops List of Best Jobs in the U.K.

It’s good to be an audit manager in Britain these days…very good!

In fact, it’s so good that online jobs and recruiting site, Glassdoor, has named audit manager the best job in the United Kingdom in its annual 25 Best Jobs in the U.K. for 2019 survey. The title finished first in front of finance manager,which placed second, and marketing manager at three.

The ranking was based on median base salary, job satisfaction ratings, and the number of current job openings. Audit manager has been rising in the survey in each of the last two years. After failing to make the list in 2016, it finished fourth in 2017 and third in 2018, behind operations manager and marketing manager.

Risk manager finished as the sixth best job in the Best Jobs in the U.K. for 2019 survey, with a median base pay of £60,000 ($78,000), a satisfaction rating of 3.9 out of 5, and 1,100 open jobs. It was followed by data scientist as the seventh best job.

The move to number one is surprising given the fact that the median base salary has been flat or even declining for U.K. audit managers in recent years. According to Glassdoor, the median base pay for audit managers was £59,500 ($78,000) in 2017, but slipped to £55,000 ($72,000) in 2018, and is expected to be £52,000 ($68,000) this year. What propelled it to number one was its satisfaction rating of 4.5 out of 5, and the number of open positions, which Glassdoor currently puts at 1,124. Median base pay, job satisfaction, and the number of open positions are equally weighted in its ranking.

Why Choose Internal Audit?
Internal auditors have been saying for years, though, that the profession is among the most rewarding job in the office. They site the fact that every day is different, they get to interact with people from across the company and learn more about how many parts of the company work, and that it relies heavily on building valuable communication skills. (See, “Five Reasons Talented Candidates Choose Internal Audit.)

“We have the ability to drive our own success on our own timelines—within reason, of course. That freedom, and the variety of what we get to do, drew me to the profession and has kept me here for nearly four decades,” Robert Rudloff, senior vice president of internal audit at MGM Resorts International, said in a recent interview. “On top of that, no one gets to see all the inner workings of the organization the way we, as internal auditors, get to see it.”

Not So in the U.S.
It’s important to note that Glassdoor did not distinguish between internal audit and external audit in its survey. It’s likely it combined the two since the link it provided from the title goes to a listing of jobs in both areas. Glassdoor also excludes C-suite and intern level jobs in its report.

No audit titles were featured in a similar U.S. survey by Glassdoor that ranked the top 50 jobs in the United States for 2019. Data scientist took the top spot on that survey, followed by nursing manager. Risk manager finished 35^th, with a median base pay of $100,500, a satisfaction rating of 3.7 of 5, and nearly 4,000 open jobs on Glassdoor.

Internal audit manager could soon be cracking the list of best jobs in the United States too, however, or at least a list of those in high demand. A recent search for “internal audit manager” jobs on Glassdoor found 4,744 openings. So, it’s not so bad to be an internal auditor in the United States either.