Assurance Experienced Senior

Overview

This Experienced Senior Assurance role coordinates the day-to-day “in-charge” activities of planning, fieldwork, and “wrap-up,” including preparing financial statements with disclosures. The position applies most areas of GAAP as necessary and documents, validates, tests, and assesses various control systems. It also serves as the client contact for basic questions and information and may participate in reviews and agreed-upon procedure engagements.

Responsibilities

Control Environment

• Apply knowledge of the collective effect of factors on establishing or enhancing the effectiveness of policies and procedures, or on mitigating the risks of specific policies and procedures.
• Act as auditor in charge and coordinate with the engagement manager to ensure fieldwork is executed and completed as planned, in accordance with the timetable, firm policies and procedures, and to budget.
• Apply knowledge of transactional flow and key transactional cycles to complete audit work.
• Document, validate, and assess the effectiveness of internal control systems.
• Determine and communicate improvements to client internal controls and accounting procedures.
• Supervise audit staff, review workpapers and conclusions, and explain any shortcomings.

GAAP

• Apply governing principles, apply them to client transactions, and document and communicate the understanding and application.
• Understand and effectively communicate financial statement disclosure requirements to clients.
• Identify and apply new pronouncements to client situations.
• Identify, analyze, and discuss alternative generally accepted accounting principles for the client, when necessary, with the Manager, Senior Manager, and engagement partner.
• Identify complex accounting issues and elevate to superiors for resolution.

SEC and PCAOB

• Apply knowledge of SEC regulations and PCAOB guidelines; document and communicate their application.
• Read and review clients’ SEC filings to ensure accuracy and completeness; ensure financial information is supported in workpapers and appropriately tested.
• Prepare required communications to the client and the Audit Committee.
• Plan and execute Section 404 internal control audits, including obtaining an understanding of the control environment, designing test plans, evaluating deficiencies, and assessing the overall financial reporting control environment.

GAAS

• Apply professional standards and document and communicate an understanding and application of professional standards on an engagement.
• Formulate and communicate the audit plan.
• Apply GAAS to a variety of complex issues and consult others as appropriate.
• Apply audit skepticism and determine when to reduce or expand testing.
• Use audit manuals as appropriate for the situation.
• Document deviations from firm policy with approval.
• Identify opportunities to suggest improvements to internal controls and prepare draft communications required by professional standards.

Methodology

• Apply standards and methodologies that guide effective and efficient delivery of quality services and products.
• Apply audit approach and methodologies, including tools and technology, to execute audits with quality, efficiency, and completeness despite deadline pressures.
• Identify and propose outcomes to critical issues.

Research

• Use methodology to obtain or maintain information from authoritative sources and draw conclusions for a target issue.
• Apply knowledge of internal and external research tools and select methodology for routine research requests.
• Research more complex accounting areas, form an initial opinion independently, and consider and document the impact on the client and audit engagement.
• Document and organize complicated findings in a usable format, based on information gathered using appropriate sources.
• Assist the engagement manager in gathering sufficient appropriate information about the business and information system (including the accounting system) to form an adequate basis for preparing the audit strategy.

Project Management

• Coordinate timing of planning, fieldwork, and review with the audit team and client; assist engagement executives in developing the audit engagement budget and identify appropriate resources.
• Develop the draft Audit Engagement Planning Memorandum, audit programs, and budgets.
• Establish with the engagement manager the responsibilities of individual audit staff for specific audit areas.
• Monitor and report engagement budget versus actuals and advise engagement executives of possible overruns.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Supervise a team of audit professionals ranging in size from 1 to 5.
• Provide verbal and written performance feedback to associates.
• Teach and coach associates to support on-the-job learning.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics or Statistics, required
  • OR Bachelor’s degree in other focus area and CPA certification, required
• Master’s degree in Accountancy, preferred

Experience

• Three (3) or more years of prior relevant audit experience and/or public accounting, private industry accounting, or consulting/professional services experience, required
• Prior basic supervisory experience, preferred

License/Certifications

• Eligible to sit for the CPA exams upon starting employment, required, and actively pursuing completion of the exams, required
• CPA, preferred

Skills & Abilities

• Proven solid verbal and written communication skills.
• People development and delegation skills.
• Executive presence and ability to be the primary contact for the client.
• Ability to run all stages of the audit, including planning, fieldwork, and “wrap-up.”
• Ability to complete audits of complex companies.
• Ability to prepare and/or review financial statements with disclosures in accordance with GAAP requirements.

Software

• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite, preferred
• Experience with assurance applications and research tools, preferred

Compensation & Benefits

• Washington Range: $85,000 - $105,000
• Individual salaries are determined after consideration of numerous factors including qualifications, experience, skills, and geography.
• Benefits may be subject to eligibility requirements.

Location

Washington (salary range provided for Washington).

Equal Opportunity Employer

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/vets. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.