Sr. Principal, Technical Assurance & Innovation

At F5, we strive to bring a better digital world to life. Our teams empower organizations across the globe to create, secure, and run applications that enhance how we experience our evolving digital world. We are passionate about cybersecurity, from protecting consumers from fraud to enabling companies to focus on innovation. 
 

Everything we do centers around people. That means we obsess over how to make the lives of our customers, and their customers, better. And it means we prioritize a diverse F5 community where each individual can thrive.

F5 delivers and secures applications across hybrid, multi-cloud, SaaS, and AI-enabled environments where availability, resilience, security, and trust are core to customer value.

The Sr. Principal, Technical Assurance & Innovation is a senior technical leader within Internal Audit, operating at a director-equivalent level of scope and influence. This role combines deep technical advisory with responsibility for modernizing how Internal Audit delivers assurance.

This leader will serve as a trusted advisor across cybersecurity, cloud, and AI domains, partnering with audit teams and business stakeholders to assess risk and strengthen controls. In parallel, they will lead the adoption of AI, automation, and data-driven capabilities to transform audit into a forward-looking, insight-driven function. 

This is a Seattle-based role to support close alignment with F5’s Engineering and Product leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Assurance & Advisory

• Serve as the lead technical advisor for Internal Audit across cybersecurity, cloud, platform environments, and AI/ML systems, including Responsible AI governance
• Partner with audit teams to scope, design, and execute complex technology audits
• Provide credible challenge and guidance to engineering and security stakeholders
• Translate technical risks into clear, actionable insights for executive leadership and the Audit Committee

Audit Innovation & Modernization

• Lead the modernization of Internal Audit through AI-enabled audit techniques, automation, and continuous auditing capabilities
• Identify and deploy solutions that increase efficiency, expand coverage, and elevate insight
• Help define the future-state audit model aligned to F5’s technology landscape

Data, Analytics & Reporting

• Enable data-driven auditing and control telemetry across the audit lifecycle
• Develop tools and approaches that deliver real-time and predictive risk insights
• Enhance executive and Audit Committee reporting to be forward-looking and decision-oriented

Strategic Partnership & Influence

• Build trusted relationships with Engineering, Product, Security, and Risk leadership
• Act as a thought partner on emerging risks, including AI and platform resilience
• Influence enterprise conversations on technology risk, governance, and innovation
• Operate with independence and objectivity while enabling business velocity

Capability Building

• Mentor and upskill audit team members on cyber, AI, and modern engineering practices
• Help elevate team capability in data-driven and technology-enabled auditing
• May lead initiatives or small teams aligned to innovation priorities

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in technology-focused Internal Audit, or in technical program management, engineering, or security roles with audit/advisory exposure
• Deep expertise in cybersecurity and cloud environments
• Experience with AI / Responsible AI risk management
• Strong understanding of modern SDLC, DevSecOps, and platform architectures
• Proven ability to translate complex technical risks into business insights
• Experience advising engineering and security stakeholders in a technology company
• Strong executive communication and influencing skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience developing or deploying AI or automation solutions for audit or risk functions
• Experience with data analytics or visualization tools (e.g., Python, SQL, Tableau, Power BI)
• Familiarity with Kubernetes, containerized environments, and major cloud platforms
• Relevant certifications (e.g., CISA, CISSP, CISM, CIA)
• Prior people leadership or team development experience

Travel Requirements

Up to 10–20%, including occasional international travel

The Job Description is intended to be a general representation of the responsibilities and requirements of the job. However, the description may not be all-inclusive, and responsibilities and requirements are subject to change.

The annual base pay for this positio