Head of Global Payments Technology Audit - Internal Audit

Internal Audit is a global function providing independent assurance and evaluating the company's risk management, governance, and internal control processes to determine whether they are designed and operating effectively. We plan and execute audit projects against a risk-based audit plan, evaluating operational, compliance, IT, and financial processes and controls, and we work with business functions to address risks and improve the control environment, tracking remediation through to completion. In a fast-moving global business, we navigate complex and emerging risks across TikTok products including TikTok Shop, payments, artificial intelligence, and emerging technologies, as well as evolving regulatory environments. We work at the intersection of innovation, scale, and risk, helping the company move quickly while maintaining the controls and resilience that sustainable growth requires. You will take on high-impact, real-world challenges and provide the insights that help a global business manage risk and scale responsibly, learning constantly by working on complex audits alongside a strong global team. Internal Audit at TikTok gives you a global vantage point across a diverse and fast-evolving portfolio of businesses, products, technologies, and markets. Our teams work across various businesses, technologies, data, and risks to connect the dots on complex issues and deliver independent insights with real-world impact at global scale. We are pioneering innovative assurance delivery models by embedding core capabilities including data analytics, automation, and AI into how we perform audits and identify impactful observations. Our high-performing, collaborative teams have direct access to leadership and value open communication and the exchange of ideas. People are encouraged to challenge existing approaches, help shape how the function evolves, and build breadth and expertise. We are seeking an experienced Global Payments Technology Audit Leader to join the Global Technology Audit team. The role will primarily support TikTok and other ByteDance businesses operating outside China and will be responsible for developing and implementing technology audit strategies and plans for payment compliance, lending, and other regulated financial products across TikTok and ByteDance businesses in APAC and EMEA. The individual will lead audits and risk reviews across the company’s global payment and financial technology ecosystem. The successful candidate will serve as the Technology Audit subject-matter expert for regulated payment and financial products. This individual will evaluate the technology, security, operational resilience, data, and regulatory risks associated with payment processing, digital wallets, merchant and creator payments, lending products, and supporting financial infrastructure. The role provides an opportunity to shape the audit strategy and assurance approach for rapidly evolving financial products operating across multiple jurisdictions. Responsibilities: - Audit Strategy: Develop and implement technology audit strategies and plans for payment, lending, and other regulated financial products across TikTok and ByteDance payment entities in APAC and EMEA. - Audit Delivery: Lead complex, risk-based technology audits and advisory reviews from planning through reporting, including risk assessment, scoping, control evaluation, testing, issue development, and executive communication. - Payment Regulators Collaboration: Act as the primary Technology Audit Leader with regulators and supervisory authorities, maintaining constructive, transparent relationships with relevant authorities in APAC, EMEA, LATAM etc. - Payments and Financial Product Coverage: Lead or support reviews covering areas such as: - Payment Technology Architecture and Platforms: Payment system architecture, including infrastructure, data flows, application controls, digital wallets, and stored-value products. - End-to-End Payment Processing: Payment acceptance, authorization, clearing, settlement, reconciliation, and disbursement across consumer, merchant, and platform payment flows. - Payment Security and Integrations: Encryption, tokenization, secure data transmission, API security, service-to-service authentication, and third-party integrations. - Technology Risk Assessment: Develop practical, risk-based recommendations that address root causes while considering product, engineering, regulatory, and business requirements. Ability to grasp complex, home grown technology stack, comfortable speaking with engineers and product teams. - Stakeholder Relationships: Develop and maintain collaborative working relationships with management, understand the business to provide value-added services, and establish credibility as a management consultant and internal controls resource. Partner with engineering and product teams to advise on design and implementation of technology solutions. - Quality Assurance: Ensure the overall quality and consistency of audit work, adhering to department and professional standards. Continuously seek opportunities for audit process improvement. Minimum Qualifications: - Extensive years of progressive compliance or technology auditing experience within payments companies, fintech platforms, lending businesses, professional services firms, or regulatory bodies. - Strong understanding of payment regulations, and performing reviews of payment systems, technology architecture, and supporting control environments for compliance. - Experience building audit plans for payment / FinTech entities in APAC or EMEA, and leading complex technology audits or risk reviews independently from planning through executive reporting. - Prior experience working with regulators responsible for payment or money transmitter-related regulations. - Proven analytical ability to assess complex technology environments against risk assessment outcomes, industry best practices, internal standards and external regulatory requirements. - Excellent problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills combined with the ability to provide a credible technical challenge to the business. - Strong professional judgment and the ability to make risk-based decisions in complex and evolving environments. Preferred Qualifications: - Experience with global or multi-jurisdictional payment and lending products. - Familiarity with payment regulatory requirements from Payment Services Directive (PSD2), Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), Payment Services Regulation (PSR), Anti-Money Laundering Directive (AMLD) - strong customer authentication, operational resilience, outsourcing, consumer lending, open banking, and financial data protection. - Familiarity with payment regulatory requirements from Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), Bank Indonesia (BI), State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). - Experience with data analytics, automated audit testing, SQL, Python, or other technology-enabled audit techniques. - Relevant professional certifications such as CISA, CISSP, CRISC, CAMS, or CIA. - Experience working in a fast-paced, global technology company or rapidly scaling financial technology environment across different time zones.