What it is
The Nestlé Audit Group is a world-class Audit Department. It forms part of the Finance & Control Division at the Nestlé Headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland. In order to maintain its independence, it reports directly to the Board Audit Committee (composed of members of the Nestlé S.A. Board of Directors).
As business consultants, their objective is to provide value-adding quality services – by performing effective audits, and by improving profitability while ensuring effective controls and analysing the Company’s risks. The overall quality and performance of our internal control has a direct impact on our management reporting. It crucially impacts on the operational efficiency and the application of best practices throughout the Group.
The Nestlé Audit Group provides vital assistance to Management. For example, our Nestlé auditors independently assess our internal control systems, as well as the information used for decision-making, and compliance with Corporate Standards, Policies and Ethics.
Throughout the company, they check our operational efficiency to ensure that resources are used in the most efficient way.
If you correspond to this profile, search and apply for "Nestlé Audit Group - Graduate Programme" through Job Opportunities.
How it works
The Nestlé Audit Group comprises a number of audit teams, all staffed by top graduates. Each team consists of up to six members. These teams carry out audit assignments throughout the world – with each assignment lasting about three months. The team-members rotate for each project.
The audit process at Nestlé is very interactive. It is based on the principle of actively involving staff at the audited unit. It therefore includes interviews with all levels of staff, so that the audit team becomes familiar with the systems and processes. It includes risk analysis and determination of specific audit tests; it involves identifying weaknesses and developing solutions. All this, of course, has to be done in line with existing corporate instructions, policies, standards and governance principles.
Our auditors know that Nestlé does not favour short-term profits at the expense of long-term business development. While short-term accountability is important, we need also to have a long-term view – and know how to balance these factors. This means combining analytical work with strategic insight. It’s not just a matter of measuring performance, but of enhancing it and ensuring Nestlé’s long-term success.
The Nestlé Audit Group is therefore a very important function. Vitally, it acts as an early warning system for Management.
Typical areas of activity
Our audits cover all operational, administrative and computerized functions (Purchasing, Finance and Control, Costing, Manufacture, Sales and Marketing, Supply Chain, etc.) in all the Nestlé units (Head Offices, Factories, Sales Offices, Distribution Centres and Research & Development Centres) worldwide.
Career development
When you join Nestlé as an auditor, you will start as an assistant and then will be promoted to team leader as soon as your performance reaches the required level. Due to the challenging nature and complexity of the job, we aim for our auditors to stay in the Audit Group for a period of about four years.
The experience and knowledge you gain as an auditor at Nestlé is an excellent springboard for operational positions in many areas such as Finance & Control, Marketing & Sales, Supply Chain Management etc. These opportunities can be anywhere in the world, depending on your particular interests and talents. Nestlé’s objective is to have new auditors learning and acquiring experience as quickly as possible. That’s why we believe in on-the-job training. But the high standards that we have set ourselves demand high performance, so a number of additional training courses and seminars are also provided:
Initial training: a few weeks in Vevey to become familiar with our Company culture, corporate standards and policies.
Technical training: participating in a factory high-performance project for two to three months.
Annual workshop: two weeks at the Nestlé International Training Centre, in Switzerland, for an update on new developments within Nestlé as well as on the economic environment. This is also an opportunity to exchange experiences gained in audit during the previous 12 months, and to meet General Management.
A course to update auditors’ knowledge in costing and IS/IT (SAP)
Additional training is provided on subjects such as Communication, Managing People Skills, and Project Management.
Is a career as a Nestlé auditor right for you?
Our best auditors have an affinity for other cultures and genuinely enjoy working with people from different countries and backgrounds. They are extremely flexible and mobile, adapt easily to different working conditions, and are able to “live out of a suitcase”. They like travel – and they tend to like good food too!
They enjoy working in a team. They have an entrepreneurial spirit, a strong personality and good leadership qualities. They are able to negotiate and communicate with tact and diplomacy. They have proved to be very capable at taking the initiative and meeting deadlines, and have excellent analytical and organizational skills.
If all this sounds like you, then you could be the right person for us; and our Nestlé Audit Group may be just what you are looking for.
You need to have an excellent academic/technical background, and be a graduate in Economics, Business Administration or Engineering.
You must be fluent in English, and have a sound knowledge of two other major languages.
You’ll need to be willing to spend 36 weeks a year on assignment outside your home country. Some previous international experience is an asset. You should have already accomplished some Internships or have some professional experience.
If you are interested in a highly challenging and exciting job, and if you are an ambitious individual and a good team-player, then we are looking forward to hearing from you.