Digital Audit Team, Associate Director

at  Grant Thornton UK LLP

R1033133
More than you expected
Grant Thornton UK LLP is part of a global network of independent audit, tax and advisory firms, made up of some 73,000 people in over 150 countries. We’re a team of independent thinkers who put quality, inclusion and integrity first. All around the world we bring a different experience to our clients. A better experience. One that delivers the expertise they need in a way that goes beyond. Personal, proactive, and agile. That’s Grant Thornton.
Job Description:
The Digital Audit Team’s provides products and services to equip Grant Thornton’s auditors with the skills and technology to deliver top quality, digitally enabled audits.
Our innovation team focuses on product development, and our increasing suite of apps, housed within our proprietary Appstore, improve audit efficiency and audit quality, making the Grant Thornton audit more valuable and the life of the Grant Thornton auditor better.
We’re happy to talk flexible working and consider reduced hours and job shares, we’ll support you to balance your work and life.
Grant Thornton UK LLP is part of a global network of independent audit, tax, and advisory firms, made up of some 73,000 people in over 150 countries. We’re a team of independent thinkers who put quality, inclusion, and integrity first. All around the world we bring a different experience to our clients. A better experience. One that delivers the expertise they need in a way that goes beyond. Personal, proactive, and agile. That’s Grant Thornton.
Job Description:
Transforming the audit practice, one step at a time
The Digital Audit Team’s Innovation team designs, builds and maintains self-serve products to automate existing tasks and audit tests, as well as creating completely new audit approaches. The increasing suite of apps in our Appstore improve audit efficiency and audit quality, making the Grant Thornton audit more valuable and the life of the Grant Thornton auditor better.
We’re happy to talk flexible working and consider reduced hours and job shares, we’ll support you to balance your work and life.
A look into the role

As an Associate Director within the Innovation quadrant of our Digital Audit Team, you will:

• Lead on the planning and delivering self-serve solutions, shaping products working with developers within the team
• Shape and influence our digital audit strategy to take advantage of advances in technology, such as Grant Thornton’s responsible use of AI/ML techniques on client work
• Lead on managing effective stakeholder relationships across the whole of the audit service line, including with specialist functions such as audit methodology, financial reporting and ethics specialists
• Continually review the skillset and talent within our team, identify gaps and support the recruitment of additional talent to grow our digital offering
• Develop proficiency in Python, working as part of a team to write and review quality source code that is consistent with the firm’s best practice and PEP 8 (Python’s style guide). Python expertise is not a pre-requisite as we provide all of the support to build tailored learning programmes relevant to role and that complement other expertise
• Support the continuous improvement of our products through identifying and leading improvements to UX/UI across our existing product suite
• Use your own initiative to identify risks and opportunities that lead to future products
• Support the integration of our technology stack by identifying opportunities to maximise the value of our use of Microsoft (such as Azure, Power Platform and Copilot) and identifying opportunities to grow our API library
• Follow the firm’s risk and quality control processes, for example the app development checklist and the New Initiatives Process, and as a leader provide feedback on where they can be improved
• Consider the needs of the audit practice and opportunities for digital improvement as the driving force behind all your activities
• Join the senior leadership group within the Digital Audit Team, working with our Methodology, Support, Implementation and Operations teams to shape our future strategy

Knowing you’re right for us

Joining us as an Associate Director, the minimum criteria you’ll need is to be driven, self-motivated and with a passion to deliver meaningful change not just for Grant Thornton, but change that will benefit the profession as a whole, for internal and external stakeholders. and determined to find solutions to audit challenges regarding data and analytics. It would be great if you had some of the following skills, but don’t worry if you don’t tick every box, we’ll help you develop along the way.

• Experience in Python, the primary programming language of the department, would be ideal, but we have established a comprehensive training program to support any candidate who has not worked with Python before
• Some prior expertise in low-code platforms such as Alteryx and KNIME is again beneficial but not essential – many good ideas start life as low code prototypes before they become fully coded solutions
• Subject matter expertise in the audit field to identify and drive change that will be meaningful to end users
• Expertise with the challenge of working with other products and in particular the process by which UX/UI improvements are delivered to end users
• Expertise in SQL and database architecture to help build the infrastructure for future ML models and Copilots
• A systematic, analytical approach to work, being able to take a task or problem and turn it into a digital solution
• A passion for lifelong learning working with a team committed to providing everyone with time and space for personalised skills development

Knowing we’re right for you
Embracing uniqueness, the culture at Grant Thornton thrives on the contributions of all our people, we never settle for what is easy, we look beyond to deliver the right thing, for everyone. Building an inclusive culture, where we value difference and respect our colleagues helps our people to perform at the best of their ability and realise their potential.
Our open and accessible culture means you’ll interact with leaders who are interested in you and everything you bring to our firm. The things that set you apart, we value them. That’s why we give you the freedom to bring your whole self to work and pursue your passions inside and outside of work.
Beyond the job
Life is more than work. The things you do, and the people you’re with outside of work matter, that’s why we’re happy to look at flexible working options for all our roles, and we’ll always do our best to keep your work and life in balance.
The impact you can make here will go far beyond your day job. From secondments, to fundraising for local charities, or investing in entrepreneurs in the developing world, you’ll be giving back to society. It’s that drive to do the right thing that runs through our every move, grounded in our firm’s values – purposefully driven, actively curious and candid but kind.
We’re looking for people who want to contribute, spark fresh ideas and go beyond expectations. People who want to be able to proudly do what’s right, for the firm, our clients, our people and themselves. It’s how it should be. #LI-CL

• Experience in Python, the primary programming language of the department, would be ideal, but we have established a comprehensive training program to support any candidate who has not worked with Python before
• Some prior expertise in low-code platforms such as Alteryx and KNIME is again beneficial but not essential – many good ideas start life as low code prototypes before they become fully coded solutions
• Subject matter expertise in the audit field to identify and drive change that will be meaningful to end users
• Expertise with the challenge of working with other products and in particular the process by which UX/UI improvements are delivered to end users
• Expertise in SQL and database architecture to help build the infrastructure for future ML models and Copilots
• A systematic, analytical approach to work, being able to take a task or problem and turn it into a digital solution
• A passion for lifelong learning working with a team committed to providing everyone with time and space for personalised skills developmen