Head of Audit, Risk, and Compliance

What You’ll Do

• Architect the Global Strategy: Define and execute a unified, multi-year roadmap for Navan’s global Audit, Risk, and Compliance function, balancing rigorous public-company requirements with rapid business innovation.
• Lead Audit & SOX Governance: Own the end-to-end SOX and ICFR readiness strategy, while designing a risk-based internal audit plan that delivers actionable insights on control health to the Audit Committee.
• Master Regulatory & Risk Oversight: Own the global regulatory compliance roadmap—including fintech/travel-specific requirements, sanctions (OFAC), KYC/KYB, and trade pre-clearance.
• Modernize Compliance & Audit Operations: Drive tech-forward solutions, leveraging automation and data analytics to streamline third-party due diligence, banking/ABL reporting obligations, and internal control monitoring.
• Champion Accountability & Remediation: Partner cross-functionally with Finance, Legal, Security, and Product to embed intuitive compliance controls into business workflows and drive durable, root-cause remediation.
• Build & Influence: Recruit and scale an elite, multi-disciplinary team, serve as the primary advisor to the C-suite and Board on strategic risk and governance, and build a strong relationship with the Audit Committee Chair.

What We’re Looking For

• Proven Leadership Scale: 12+ years of progressive leadership experience spanning internal audit, SOX, enterprise risk, and compliance—ideally gained within high-growth technology, fintech, or complex public-company environments.
• Technical Mastery: Deep foundational knowledge of SOX/ICFR, risk management frameworks (COSO/ISO), regulatory/sanctions compliance (OFAC, KYC), international travel compliance, and ITGCs.
• SaaS & Tech Fluency: Experience auditing automated controls, cloud infrastructure, and data flows. Understand how technology impacts financial data integrity and how to leverage automation for efficiency.
• Operational Execution: A proven ability to translate complex regulatory requirements into clear, automated software workflows and efficient operational processes.
• Exceptional Executive Presence: A proven track record of distilling highly technical risk and governance concepts into strategic, actionable narratives for the C-suite, Board, and external regulators.
• Pragmatic Builder Mindset: Design processes rather than just audit them. Balance rigorous compliance standards with operational speed, ensuring compliance acts as a guardrail rather than a blocker.

Education, Credentials & Background

We value exceptional capability, rigorous analytical skills, and proven outcomes above specific degree labels. A Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, business, or a related field provides a strong foundation. Active professional certifications (e.g., CPA, CIA, CISA, CRCM) or an advanced degree (MBA/JD) are highly valued as evidence of technical expertise, but equivalent real-world mastery in scaling fintech or tech-company governance is equally prioritized.