Senior Associate, External Audit – Insurance

Jobtailor; Manama; On-site; BHD 14,000 - 22,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor in Bahrain seeks a Senior Audit Associate to join our Financial Services team. You will analyze financial statements, assess internal controls, and deliver high-quality audit services to clients.

The role requires strong communication in English and Arabic, experience with ISAs and IFRS (IFRS 9, 17), and the ability to coach junior staff and manage engagement risk.

A degree in accounting or finance and progress toward ACCA/CA/CPA are preferred.

Qualifications

• A degree in accounting, finance or related major.
• Progressive experience at Senior Associate level with external audit clients in a Big 4 firm.
• ACCA/CA/ACA/CPA qualification pursued or completed preferred.
• Experience auditing Banking/Insurance clients is a plus.
• Strong communication and bilingual (Arabic/English) is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Analyze client financial statements and ensure adherence to financial regulations.
• Examine accounting records, documents, and inventories as needed.
• Coordinate with clients and engage managers/partners on progress and risks.
• Review junior staff work and provide coaching and feedback.
• Assist in business development and maintain client relationships.
• Ensure compliance with risk, quality and independence standards.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

Client relationship building

Project management

ISAs & IFRS knowledge

Auditing experience

Data analytics

Education

Accounting/Finance degree

ACCA/CA/ACA/CPA qualification in progress

Tools

Audit software

Data analytics tools

Job description

Responsibilities

• Analyzing the client's financial statements and ensure they adhere to financial regulations
• Examining financial and accounting records, other documents, and tangible items such as inventory, or plant and equipment
• Asking a range of questions to a range of individuals at our client organizations
• Testing the client organization's internal controls and processes
• Building trust and credibility with the clients by understanding their expectations and delivering high quality services
• Taking accountability for researching and understanding key facts on the client;s industry information before the engagement begins
• Communicating with the Manager and/ or Partner in a timely manner with respect to engagement progress – risks, issues, variances from plan in terms of time, budget, etc.
• Taking full ownership of external file completion
• Analyzing engagement economics of self and field staff and explaining variances from the budgets
• Reviewing the work of the associate levels and providing them on-job training, coaching and timely constructive feedback to help them grow in their career
• Ensuring you are adhering to compliance with the risk, quality and independence matters
• Having an understanding in business development activities to help identify and research opportunities on new/existing clients along with building and maintaining strong relationships with clients
• Engaging and dealing effectively with diverse teams from the planning through the completion phase of the audit as well as closely following up on the progress of the requested tasks to ensure meeting the timeline and the firm’s internal KPI’s
• Taking part in the digital initiatives and upskilling areas which aligns most with your team’s business needs
• Performing other procedures as necessary to support issuance of the assurance deliverables

Requirements

• A degree in accounting, finance or any other related academic major
• Completed or pursuing a professional qualification, such as ACCA, CA, ACA, CPA (preferably)
• Progressive experience at the Senior Associate level working with a range of external audit clients in a Big 4 professional services firm
• Experience in auditing Banking / Insurance clients is considered an asset
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills that allow you to thrive in a team environment
• Bilingual proficiency in Arabic and English (oral and written) is a plus
• Business development and client relationship building skills
• Willingness to challenge the ‘norms’ and to create a cohesive and effective working team
• Excellent project management skills
• Experience in applying the international standards on Auditing (ISAs) on the external audit of financial services with excellent IFRS knowledge relevant to the FS practice (such as IFRS 9, 17) and financial services regulations
• Knowledge in any Audit technologies, and experience using Data Analytics tools is a plus
• Commitment to valuing differences and working alongside diverse people and perspectives
• Thorough technical skills and experience regarding applicable accounting reporting and auditing standards, with demonstrated exceptional performance
• Experience in the design of engagement procedures based on risk and materiality
• Previous experience in coaching and leading engagement teams
• Strong technical knowledge and having the ability to research issues, present alternatives and conclusions to client/Manager.