AUDITOR 3 - 80079

Executive Service

AUDITOR 3

Department of Safety and Homeland Security

Internal Audit - Operational Audit

Nashville, TN

Annual Salary: $54,744-$81,900

Closing Date: 08/25/2026

This position currently follows a hybrid schedule After onboarding, employees generally work two days per week in the Nashville office and three days remotely. Occasional travel within Tennessee is required for on-site work and stakeholder meetings. Hybrid expectations may change based on operational needs or leadership direction, and additional in-office days may be required with limited notice

Background Check:

This position requires a criminal background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Who We Are and What We Do:

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security is to serve, secure, and protect the people of Tennessee. The department is responsible for ensuring the safety and general welfare of the public through the operations of its six primary divisions: Tennessee Highway Patrol, Driver Services, Tennessee Highway Safety Office, Office of Homeland Security, Tennessee Advanced Communications Network (TACN), and Administrative Services. Headquartered in Nashville, the department maintains a strong presence statewide with approximately 2,500 employees working across the state.

How You Make a Difference in This Role:

Join the Department's Internal Audit Division and help protect public safety, resources, and trust. The Operational Audit team conducts risk-based operational audits and advisory engagements, along with special reviews across law enforcement operations, driver services, technology, and administrative programs. This is not a financial statement, tax, or SOX-focused audit role. The strongest candidates have relevant operational audit, compliance, performance-review, investigative, fraud-examination, or comparable process-evaluation experience.

Job Overview:

As an Auditor 3, you will learn unfamiliar operations quickly, take ownership of assignments, ask difficult questions respectfully, follow evidence, and turn complex information into clear conclusions and practical improvements. After onboarding, you should be able to manage assigned work with substantial independence while staying connected to audit leadership and teammates. Why Join Our Team:

• Make a direct public-service impact on operations that affect public safety, identity services, emergency preparedness, and responsible use of State resources.
• Build broad experience through varied operational, regulatory, investigative, data, and technology assignments rather than one narrow audit specialty.
• Work with a team that values independent thinking, respectful challenge, reliable follow-through, and practical recommendations.
• Professional development through coaching, continuing education, certification support as available, mentoring and lead opportunities, a hybrid schedule, and State of Tennessee benefits.

Key Responsibilities:

• Plan, scope, and lead or participate in complex operational audits and advisory engagements in accordance with The IIA's Global Internal Audit Standards (Red Book) and department methodology.
• Learn unfamiliar programs, processes, systems, and requirements quickly; identify the most significant risks and develop focused audit objectives and procedures.
• Gather and evaluate reliable evidence through interviews, walkthroughs, observation, document review, sampling, and testing; use Excel and other tools to identify trends, anomalies, inefficiencies, and indicators of fraud, waste, abuse, or noncompliance.
• Apply sound judgment and critical thinking to distinguish symptoms from root causes, assess significance and impact, and evaluate governance, risk management, controls, compliance, efficiency, and effectiveness.
• Prepare complete workpapers and concise reports that connect evidence, criteria, root cause, and risk to practical recommendations; communicate sensitive findings clearly and tactfully.
• Own multiple concurrent assignments, set priorities, communicate status and obstacles early, meet deadlines, and follow corrective actions through resolution without sacrificing audit quality.
• Support the annual department risk assessment process related to the Tennessee Financial Integrity Act.
• Guide junior auditors, share knowledge, collaborate on difficult issues, and improve audit methods, templates, analytics, and quality practices.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. Relevant fields may include accounting, criminal justice, public administration, information security, or another analytically focused discipline.
• One or more years of progressively responsible experience in operational, performance, internal, or external auditing; compliance reviews; investigations or fraud examination; risk management; or comparable process-evaluation work.
• New college graduates with relevant intern experience and strong academic records will also be considered.
• Experience that demonstrates evidence collection, interviewing, process and control assessment, root-cause analysis, and clear report writing is highly desired. Financial, tax, or SOX/ICFR experience is relevant only when paired with transferable operational or investigative work.
• Strong organization, attention to detail, written and oral communication, follow-through, collaborative problem-solving, and willingness to travel occasionally within Tennessee.

Desirable Qualifications:

• Experience completing end-to-end operational, performance, compliance, or investigative engagements, including planning, interviews, testing, reporting, and remediation follow-up.
• Experience handling allegations, investigating unusual activity, identifying fraud indicators, or conducting other sensitive fact-finding work.
• Advanced in Excel, Power BI, Diligent, SharePoint, or comparable audit, analytics, and collaboration tools.
• Knowledge of public-sector or regulated operations, including licensing and law enforcement operations, and COSO or related risk and control frameworks.
• CIA, CFE, CRMA, CISA, CPA, or another relevant certification, or a commitment to continuing education and pursuing an appropriate credential.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Initiative and ownership: identify the next useful step, raise issues early, and remain accountable for results.
• Adaptability and intellectual curiosity: learn new operations, systems, laws, and risks quickly and pursue the evidence needed to understand them.
• Sound judgment and attention to detail: form defensible conclusions, protect confidentiality, and know when to seek input or escalate.
• Independence, follow-through, and reliability: manage work with limited direction after onboarding and deliver accurate, timely work.
• Collaborative problem-solving: challenge respectfully, share knowledge, and develop practical recommendations with stakeholders and teammates.

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the State's policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that person's race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.