Audit & Assurance Manager

at  Armstrong Watson

ABOUT US

Armstrong Watson are a trusted and leading independent Accountancy and Business Advisory firm based in the North of England and Scotland. Our services and advice are all centred around our Quest to support our clients to achieve prosperity, a secure future and peace of mind, which cannot be achieved without the expertise of our dedicated and valued colleagues.
With approximately 700 colleagues situated across 19 offices, our people and our culture are at the heart of what we do. We recognise the unique impact we have on not only our clients, but also our colleagues, and the communities in which we operate. Our success is dependent on every colleague embracing all four of our core values: Honesty, Humanity, Trust and Passion.

THE ROLE

Our specialist teams aim is to enhance our clients’ audit experience through gaining a detailed knowledge and understanding of their business. We don’t see audit as a compliance exercise required by law; we go beyond this, exploring opportunities to benefit the business. Utilising our expertise in conjunction with our business knowledge enables us to offer relevant feedback or ideas, identify potential weaknesses or risks, and advise on remedial action.
We now have an exciting opportunity for a full-time Audit and Assurance Manager to join our Leeds office.

The main elements of this role will include:

• Ensuring the planning, prioritising and allocation of all relevant client work ensuring effective team workflow
• Ensuring establishment of scope and budget for each piece of client work and ensure adequate briefing to team members where relevant
• Ensuring full agreement of client for work to be undertaken and communicate likely fees prior to commencement to maximise fee recovery
• Monitoring work progress and ensuring appropriate levels of communication with all clients and internal stakeholders on progress for each piece of client work
• Monitoring individual and team performance versus original objectives and departmental KPI’s
• Providing regular feedback to all team members on their performance via informal ‘1-1’ meetings, on audit assignment there is a specific focus on post audit appraisals
• Conducting formal appraisals versus original objectives and job specification for each direct team member every six months
• Assisting Armstrong Watson students and trainees with ’on the job’ training
• Supporting the wider Audit & Assurance team in delivering the required departmental incremental fee target via networking, meeting attendance, business pitches and input into marketing strategy

In order to fulfil the responsibilities of the position, we would like candidates to be / have:

• ACA / ACCA / ICAS qualified
• A Full UK Driving Licence
• Sound knowledge and understanding of all relevant UK taxes such as Corporation Tax, VAT, PAYE etc in order to ensure amounts are accurately presented in the financial statements of a company
• Excellent knowledge and working experience of the International Standards on Auditing (UK and Ireland) variant
• Comfortable working within a fast paced working environment
• A dedicated team player and willing to assist colleagues within the team where possible
• Able to prioritise workloads under strict deadlines and work well under pressure
• Able to use initiatives and have great organisation / problem-solving skill