Senior Director, Internal Audit

Forward Financing is a financial technology company based in Boston, Massachusetts with team members throughout the United States, Dominican Republic, and Canada. The company is on a mission to unlock the capital that fuels small businesses across America. Recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In Boston and certified as a Great Place To Work®, Forward is investing in its employees, technology, and customer experience – with long-term success in mind every step of the way.

As the first dedicated Internal Audit resource, you will report to the Chief Financial Officer (while also providing regular updates to the Board) and will lead and mature our internal audit function. This leader will design and execute a risk-based audit plan covering financial, operational, technology, and compliance risks across a multi-location organization that originates and services all revenue based financing (RBF) and lending products. The ideal candidate has internal audit leadership experience in lending, fintech, or broader financial services, and understands the complexities of U.S. financial services regulations, scalable credit operations, and a distributed workforce.

In this role you will:

• Audit Leadership & Strategy

  • Develop and execute a risk-based internal audit plan aligned with company strategy, risk appetite, and state and federal regulatory expectations.

  • Establish audit policies, methodologies, and a multi-year roadmap for a growing, multi-office organization.

  • Present annual audit plans, findings, and risk assessments to the CFO and audit committee.

• Financial & Operational Audits

  • Lead audits across the financing lifecycle, including:

    • underwriting and credit decisioning

    • funding and disbursement

    • portfolio monitoring and servicing

    • collections, recovery, and loss mitigation

    • accounting and financial reporting

  • Evaluate workflow, process, and control effectiveness across teams located in the U.S., Canada, and the Dominican Republic.

• Regulatory & Compliance Oversight (U.S. Market Focus)

  • Conduct audits focused on compliance with U.S. federal and state regulations, consumer protection laws (where applicable), fair lending expectations, and financial reporting requirements.

  • Partner cross-functionally to create multiple ways to ensure consistent application of U.S. and/or local regulatory standards across international employee locations, as applicable

• Technology, Data & Cyber Audits

  • Oversee IT audits related to cybersecurity, access management, data integrity, vendor oversight, and controls for proprietary systems and credit models.

  • Assess controls around the loan origination systems (LOS), CRM, data pipelines, and underwriting tools supporting operations.

• Risk Management & Advisory

  • Identify emerging risks and provide insights on operational efficiency, control gaps, and process improvements.

  • Serve as an independent advisor on major initiatives, including system modernization, automation, and process redesign projects tied to operations.

• Team Leadership & Management

  • Build and lead a high-performing audit team, including internal staff and strategic co-sourcing partners.

  • Establish consistent audit documentation, workpapers, testing standards, and quality assurance processes across globally distributed teams.

Role Requirements:

(Even if you don’t check every box, but see yourself contributing, please apply.)

• 10+ years of internal audit experience, including at least 5 years in a leadership role.

• Background in specialty lending, fintech, or financial services serving U.S. customers.

• Experience with specialty lending, revenue-based financing, or SMB-focused financial products with strong understanding of the credit lifecycle

• Prior experience establishing or scaling an internal audit function.

• Experience auditing teams spread across multiple countries while operating under a U.S.-centric regulatory and compliance framework.

• Deep familiarity with COSO, IIA standards, and risk-based audit methodologies.

• Strategic and analytical with strong business judgment with a track-record of demonstrating Independence and objectivity while maintaining strong partnership with business leaders.

• Strong operational understanding, especially in high-volume U.S. financing environments.

• Cross-border lea