Audit Senior, Mazars, Poole

The successful Audit Senior will deliver professional services of the highest standard, through the supervision and organisation of staff and the performance of audit services to all clients across a range of industry sectors. Turnover typically is in the range £10m - £100m. Assignments are across a range of sectors including Owner Managed Businesses, Public Interest Entities and Not For Profit Organisations. Work would be expected to be performed under the supervision of the Audit Managers and Audit Partners.

Clients

Within the Poole office there is a diverse range of clients including large overseas owned businesses to smaller family owned companies and charities. This gives you the benefits of working within a global firm but also ensures that you work across an interesting and varied portfolio of clients across a range of sectors.

Job Role

• Full responsibility for the Management of the Assignment. This includes all aspects of planning including budgeting and resourcing, coordinating the manager and partner, +Vantage completion (Mazars audit software), client meetings and client visits.
• Perform an assessment of the systems and controls and identify risks as a result of this review.
• Perform preliminary analytical review and highlight risk areas for further audit investigation. Consider expected trends and ensure the analytical review addresses this. Communicate expected trends and relevant ratios that should be included in this review to other seniors and assistants.
• In light of the above, produce a costed work programme for the assignment tailored to the risks associated with the client.
• Draft the budget and assign audit areas to team members so as to manage the audit risks and develop the team members.
• Produce the Client Audit Plan (“CAP”) to detail the above strategy to the client. Be involved in the delivery of the CAP to the client.
• Where applicable, prepare draft statutory financial statements based on the information provided by the client.
• Organise, prepare agenda for and chair team meeting and communicate the strategy to the other members of the team. This is to include all team members not just audit.
• Ensure team member’s objectives have been set and are monitored throughout the assignment
• Ensure all Manager and Partner review points noted and cleared.

Controlling the Assignment

• Where appropriate, allocates work to team members based on skill and knowledge of team members, ensuring meet development objectives: in particular assigning more responsibility to more junior staff.
• Completes the complex and more risky areas of the assignment.
• Provides on the job training and support to assistants and seniors
• Reviews the work of assistants and provide informal feedback throughout the fieldwork stage. Encourages other seniors to provide feedback to assistants.
• Ensures work of assistants has been reviewed and any issues highlighted and resolved before manager review (to allow manager to concentrate on key risk areas).
• Act as a point of contact for both manager and client, ensuring both are kept fully informed of any issues arising and the progress of the audit.
• Review actual to budgeted time and inform manager of any issues immediately.
• Build strong working relationships with the client, ensuring any problems or requests are dealt with promptly.
• Communicate with other departments (e.g. tax) and pass on all relevant information.
• Be aware of developments concerning client’s affairs and any opportunities to provide additional services.

Completion

• Ensure completion of Financial Statements and closedown of audit files.
• Ensure standards and procedures maintained by whole team and complete audit file presented with review points cleared.
• Draft the audit opinion summary for the Manager and Partner and draft management letter and any other reporting documents, including group reporting and audit committee papers.
• Provide constructive feedback for the completion of staff appraisals on the assistants and seniors and 360 degree feedback on managers and partners.

Administration

• Keep technically up to date.
• Ensure awareness of firm’s specialist services and publications.
• To maintain time records and appraisal records.
• Complete assignment reviews within two weeks of the end of engagement and ensure partner sign off (for both own and other members of the team).

Person Specification

• Demonstrates and applies advanced technical, commercial and industry knowledge to the role, identifying issues and solutions.
• Actively seeks to enhance expertise and knowledge.
• Pro-actively identifies client needs and keeps them informed of project status as appropriate.
• Develops and maintains relationships with internal and external contacts at all levels.
• Begins to develop a network of client contacts and contacts in the wider market
• Takes ownership of projects, effectively delegates to others within the team and takes responsibility for quality control.
• Acts as a role model for the team and values others expertise.
• Provides assistance, shares experiences, provides meaningful feedback and proactively supports the development of others.
• Demonstrates commitment to self-development.
• Participates in meetings, providing information and ideas with clarity and persuasiveness.
• ACA or ACCA qualified or equivalent.