Audit Associate

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate the day-to-day execution of audit engagements from planning through completion.
• Develop an understanding of each client’s operations, risks, accounting policies, internal controls, significant estimates, and reporting requirements.
• Prepare and update audit planning documentation, risk assessments, materiality calculations, audit programs, and engagement timelines.
• Identify significant accounts, disclosures, assertions, fraud risks, and areas requiring heightened audit attention.
• Assign work to audit staff and provide clear instructions regarding the purpose, scope, timing, and documentation expectations for each audit area.
• Review staff workpapers for accuracy, completeness, technical sufficiency, cross-referencing, consistency, and support for the audit conclusions.
• Ensure that audit work addresses relevant assertions, including existence or occurrence, completeness, cutoff, classification, accuracy, valuation, and rights and obligations.
• Perform and supervise testing over complex audit areas and subsequent events.
• Evaluate whether audit conclusions are supported by the evidence inspected and whether contradictory or incomplete documentation requires additional procedures.
• Monitor outstanding client requests and follow up professionally to obtain documentation needed to complete the engagement.
• Prepare or review financial statements, footnotes, adjusting journal entries, passed-adjustment schedules, and required supplementary information.
• Ensure that financial statements agree with the trial balance, audit leads, supporting schedules, and proposed adjustments.
• Monitor engagement hours, budget-to-actual results, and completion deadlines and communicate variances promptly to the manager.
• Maintain accurate engagement-status information and ensure the binder is substantially complete before manager or partner review.
• Clear review comments promptly and ensure that responses are reflected directly in the related workpapers when documentation updates are required.
• Communicate audit issues, proposed adjustments, control observations, and unresolved matters to the manager or partner.
• Coach and support audit staff through timely guidance, constructive review notes, and technical explanations.
• Assist with client meetings, planning discussions, audit-status calls, and closing or exit meetings.
• Maintain compliance with professional standards, ethics and independence requirements, firm policies, and quality-control procedures.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting or a related field.
• Relevant professional audit experience, preferably involving financial statement audits.
• Working knowledge of U.S. GAAP and U.S. generally accepted auditing standards.
• Experience preparing and reviewing audit workpapers and financial statements.
• Ability to supervise, coach, and review the work of audit staff.
• Strong understanding of audit documentation, risk assessment, materiality, substantive testing, and financial statement assertions.
• Strong analytical, project-management, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple engagements and meet competing deadlines.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and electronic audit-workpaper systems.
• CPA designation, CPA exam progress, or another relevant professional qualification is preferred but not required.