I was very happy there but ready for a new challenge as all my children had started school. I had a positive impression of the organization during my interview as my prospective colleagues were so welcoming. I accepted the offer, and a year later I had the opportunity to go on secondment to the role of Audit Lead. 

The performance audit work is extremely varied and I am proud to be able to contribute to giving assurance to the people of Wales regarding the expenditure of public money and the arrangements at audited bodies. Finding effective practices is also part of the work in order to inspire and empower organisations to continuously improve. Performance audit is conducted within a project structure and is carried out to recognized international guidelines and standards to ensure we produce high quality work. My background in compliance, investigations, project management and governance has been very useful and I have gained valuable experiences and further transferable skills through auditing.

Although there is a high level of trust in us to carry out our work independently, there is constant support and colleagues across the organisation are readily available to help. The coaching method used here means that I am constantly learning. The well-being of colleagues is particularly important to Audit Wales which is highlighted by the generous terms and conditions. I see how the individual contributions of colleagues are valued by managers here and the support is there to develop any gaps in our skills or experiences.

The highlight of my time at Audit Wales so far is when the First Minister of Wales quoted during the Senedd Plenary from a performance audit report I had worked on. I am confident that there will be further opportunities to have a positive impact on Welsh public bodies by working for Audit Wales.

About the author

Lora Gwawr Williams is a Senior Auditor at Audit Wales. She joined Audit Wales in 2023 following a career in the public sector and a year with a cooperative company since graduating in Modern Wales Studies. She is currently on secondment as an Audit Lead with the Audit Development and Guidance Team.