Internal Control Manager

Buuch Energy

Internal Control Manager

Location: Lagos

Job Summary

• Buuch Energy is seeking a commercially astute, detail-oriented and independent Internal Control Manager to strengthen its internal control environment, safeguard company assets, improve operational efficiency and ensure compliance with approved policies, procedures and applicable regulatory requirements.
• The successful candidate will establish and monitor effective internal controls across the company's financial and operational activities, identify control weaknesses, investigate irregularities, and provide management with actionable insights to mitigate risk, prevent losses and promote accountability.
• This role requires a professional who combines strong financial and operational control expertise with sound judgement, analytical thinking and the confidence to challenge established practices where necessary.

Role Purpose

• The Internal Control Manager will design, implement and continuously improve the company's internal control framework, ensuring that transactions, business processes and operational activities are properly authorised, accurately recorded, adequately documented and aligned with approved policies.
• The role will also provide independent oversight of key business risks, support fraud prevention and detection, monitor compliance, and drive timely resolution of control deficiencies across relevant departments and business locations.

Key Responsibilities

Internal Control Framework & Governance:

• Develop, implement and maintain a comprehensive internal control framework aligned with the company's operational model, risk exposure and business objectives.
• Review existing policies, standard operating procedures (SOPs), approval limits and delegated authorities to identify gaps and recommend improvements.
• Establish clear control ownership, accountability structures and escalation protocols across departments.
• Conduct periodic control assessments to evaluate the design and operating effectiveness of key controls.
• Support management in strengthening governance, transparency and accountability across the business.

Financial Controls & Transaction Monitoring:

• Review financial and operational transactions to ensure compliance with approved budgets, policies, authorisation limits and supporting documentation requirements.
• Monitor revenue recognition, invoicing, collections, payments, expenditure, reconciliations and other material financial processes.
• Review bank reconciliations, cash management, inventory records, vendor payments and other relevant financial control activities.
• Assess the effectiveness of segregation of duties, maker-checker controls and access permissions within financial and operational systems.
• Identify unusual transactions, unsupported expenditure, duplicate payments, revenue leakages and other indicators of potential control failure.
• Work with Finance to improve the accuracy, completeness and integrity of financial records and management reports.

Operational Controls & Asset Protection:

• Assess operational processes to identify inefficiencies, control gaps, process deviations and opportunities for loss prevention.
• Ensure adequate controls exist over company assets, inventory, equipment, consumables and other resources.
• Monitor compliance with procurement procedures, vendor onboarding requirements, contract approval processes and purchase authorisation limits.
• Review stock movement, receipts, dispatches, asset transfers and physical verification processes, where applicable.
• Evaluate controls over operational documentation, service delivery, third-party activities and business continuity arrangements.
• Recommend practical improvements that strengthen operational discipline without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

Risk Management & Compliance:

• Maintain a risk and control register identifying key risks, existing controls, control owners, residual risk ratings and remediation actions.
• Conduct risk-based internal control reviews across business units, projects and locations.
• Monitor compliance with applicable laws, regulatory obligations, contractual commitments and internal policies.
• Partner with Legal, Compliance, Finance and Operations to assess emerging risks and implement preventive controls.
• Support the development of business continuity, incident reporting and risk escalation procedures.
• Track regulatory or policy changes that may affect the company's control environment.

Fraud Prevention, Detection & Investigation:

• Establish mechanisms for identifying red flags, suspicious transactions, policy breaches and potential fraudulent activities.
• Conduct preliminary reviews and investigations into suspected fraud, financial irregularities, asset misuse and control circumvention.
• Preserve relevant documentation and maintain confidentiality and appropriate evidence-handling procedures.
• Recommend corrective actions and control enhancements following investigations.
• Escalate material incidents promptly to the appropriate management authority and support disciplinary or recovery processes where required.
• Promote an ethical environment in which employees understand reporting channels and consequences for deliberate policy violations.

Internal Reviews & Audit Coordination:

• Develop a risk-based internal control review plan with defined scope, frequency, testing procedures and reporting timelines.

• Conduct walkthroughs, sample testing, reconciliations, documentation reviews and physical verification exercises.

• Prepare clear reports detailing control deficiencies, root causes, risk implications and recommended corrective actions.

• Coordinate with external auditors, regulators and other assurance providers where required.

• Maintain a central register of audit findings, agreed actions, responsible owners and target closure dates.

• Verify that corrective actions have been implemented effectively rather than relying solely on management confirmation.

• Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Economics or a related discipline.

• Professional qualification such as ICAN, ACCA, CIMA, CIA or CISA is an advantage, depending on the candidate's area of expertise.

• Minimum of 6–8 years' relevant experience in internal control, internal audit, risk management, financial control in an Oil and Gas company

• At least 2–3 years in a supervisory or managerial capacity.

• Demonstrable experience designing or improving internal controls, conducting risk-based reviews and following up on audit findings.

• Experience in energy, oil and gas, downstream petroleum, trading, logistics, distribution or another asset-intensive, transaction-driven industry is highly desirable.

• Strong understanding of financial processes, procurement controls, inventory management, reconciliations and fraud-risk indicators.

• Experience working with ERP systems, accounting software, spreadsheets and data-analysis tools.

Application Closing Date

Not Specified.