Audit and Control Advisor

Legal Aid Ontario; Toronto; On-site; CAD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Legal Aid Ontario is seeking an experienced Audit and Control Advisor within the Internal Audit Unit. You will execute audits, develop criteria, assess processes and controls, and promote effective risk management across LAO.

The role requires leadership, collaboration with internal clients, and adherence to auditing standards, with opportunities to influence operational excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or professional certification (CPA, CA, CGA, CMA, CIA, CISA).
• Ten (10) years audit experience across performance, compliance and financial audits with strong leadership.

Responsibilities

• Plans, executes and leads a diverse portfolio of audits.
• Develops audit criteria to assess processes, controls and records.
• Manages risk-based audit projects and mentors junior staff.
• Ensures working papers support conclusions and comply with standards.
• Coordinates audit activities with client workload and schedules.

Skills

Risk assessment

Audit criteria

Project management

Communication

Independence & objectivity

Team player

Education

Bachelor's degree or CPA/CISA

10 years audit experience

Tools

Caseware

PowerBI

Job description

Legal Aid Ontario employees are committed to making a difference in the lives of our clients.

As an integral partner in the Justice system, working at Legal Aid Ontario is more than just a job. It's an opportunity to help people who need it the most; to ensure each client receives the access to justice afforded to them under the law.

If you are looking for a new challenge in your already meaningful career with a team dedicated to justice, and innovation in a flexible and supportive work environment consider this opportunity below.

Primary function

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) employees are committed to making a difference in the lives of our clients. As an integral partner in the Justice system, working at LAO is more than just a job. It's an opportunity to help people who need it the most; to ensure each client receives the access to justice afforded to them under the law.

The Internal Audit Unit (IAU) provides expert internal control and risk management and advice to its organization. Reporting to the IAU Management, the Audit and Control Advisor is accountable for executing internal audit projects, ensuring that audits comply with applicable standards and guidance, results are value-added and advance operational excellence on LAO. As a member of the IAU team, you will build and maintain strong relationships with internal audit clients, promoting the value of effective risk management and internal controls while leveraging their business knowledge and experience to enhance audit insights.

Secondary Location:

n/a

Reports to:

Chief Audit Officer

If you are looking for a new challenge in your already meaningful career, with a team dedicated to justice and innovation, in a flexible and supportive work environment consider this opportunity below

Key accountabilities

• Plans, executes and leads where required, a diverse portfolio of audits
• Develops audit criteria to assess business processes, performance, internal control systems and accounting records for adequacy and accuracy.
• Manages the risk-base approach to audit projects and provide support to less experienced team members.
• Ensures working papers contain adequate evidence to support conclusions and maintains a system of quality control to ensure compliance with applicable auditing standards.
• Provides advice, expertise and recommendations regarding the functioning and adequacy of the control strategies and systems. Maintain objectivity on all assignments.
• Coordinates audit activities with audit client’s workload and schedule.
• Prepares draft and submits reports for team lead’s or audit manager’s review; and discuss reports with clients.
• When leading a project, provides input on team member performance for evaluation purposes.
• Manages relations and network with audit clients including fostering alliance across business units and transfer knowledge risk and controls.
• Addresses sensitive situations resulting from audit, resolve and if required, escape.
• Monitors the status recommendations from prior audit reports and perform follow up reviews to assess the strength of implemented controls.
• Interacts with the Management to support ongoing oversight of audit projects.
• May support the manager in briefings and other communications with the CAE, executives and the Board.
• Facilitates information exchange with colleagues from the Ontario Public Service (OPS), the Broader Public Sector (BPS) and other areas.
• Performs other work as assigned.

Required Skills & Experience

• Ability to quickly understand business processes and their risk implications and develop audit criteria and corresponding test steps.
• Knowledge of business, programs, policies and legislative authorities unique to public/ social service sector.
• Project management methodology to handle concurrent projects and tasks, with changing priorities, evolving issues.
• Oral and written communication skills including consultative and customer service skills.
• Generally accepted auditing standards, accounting principles, audit practices and methodologies.
• Generally accepted risk management frameworks and principles, practices, standards, methodologies, and contemporary advancements in the field.
• Proficient knowledge and use of technology tools for business including Caseware and PowerBI.
• Ability to deal with sensitive and confidential issues using developed discretion and judgement, while maintaining independence and objectivity.
• Strong team player.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field or professional certification in one of the following CPA, CA, CGA, CMA, CIA, CISA.

Ten (10) years audit experience in a combination of performance, compliance and financial audits; experience should include being a high performer displaying strong leadership qualities.

What do we offer?

At Legal Aid Ontario, we are committed to fostering a supportive and rewarding work environment for our employees. Our comprehensive benefits package reflects our commitment to enhance employees’ professional and personal well-being, reflecting our values of equity, inclusion, diversity and belonging.

Your health and wellness

Our Health And Wellness Program Includes

• Dental, health and life insurance
• Short-Term Disability and accidental death & dismemberment insurance
• Permanent employees are eligible for long-term disability insurance
• A Health Spending Account (HSA) and Personal Spending Account (PSA) which is an allotment of funds geared to supporting your mental, physical and financial well-being as well as for health and dental expenses, above what the regular plan provides.
• An employee assistance program (EAP) that offers professional, confidential counselling services to employees and members of their immediate families. The EAP operates programs that address common life issues such as childcare, smoking, financial difficulty, and more.

Your work-life balance

• 17 vacation days at hire,
• Sick days
• Discretionary days
• Three paid days for religious or cultural observances
• Statutory holidays and The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Remembrance Day and Easter Monday

Your career

LAO supports your career development by offering professional development and networking through several programs, including training to support a positive culture of equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging (EDIB), and lunch and learns to build client service skills

• Informal Employee Networks for staff with shared identities to connect, support each other and build professional networks
• Law Society of Ontario (LSO) accredited training to support learning and professional development for all employees
• EDIB-focused training
• Mentorship programs, including an Indigenous-focused mentorship program

Your future

Employees are eligible to enroll in the Public Service Pension Plan which provides financial security during retirement.

Equity Statement

Building a diverse workforce that represents the communities we serve while promoting a safe culture and work environment that dismantles systemic barriers, welcomes fresh perspectives and embraces differences as a priority is a core value at LAO. LAO encourages applicants from equity-seeking groups, including but not limited to individuals who are First Nations, Inuit or Métis, Black and racialized, as well as persons with disabilities, women and members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

We recognize the value of equity, diversity and inclusion and are committed to addressing systemic barriers, and prioritizing, attracting and retaining diverse staff. All interested and eligible people will be considered, with due consideration to all protected grounds under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

Legal Aid Ontario values integrity, respect, responsiveness, excellence, independence, accountability, openness and consistency. Our recruitment process reflects our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Accommodations are available throughout the recruitment process as well as during employment at LAO. Please direct any accommodation requests to our recruitment team.