Audit Executive - Preston

Ambition; Preston; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

25 days' annual leave

Competitive salary

Employee recognition schemes

Structured succession planning

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Ambition seeks an Associate Director - Audit, Accounts & Tax in Preston. You will lead a varied portfolio of audit clients, mentor junior staff, and act as a trusted adviser, balancing technical excellence with strong relationship-building and commercial insight.

In this hybrid role, you will collaborate with managers, directors and partners to ensure timely delivery aligned with regulatory requirements, while developing client relationships across multiple sectors.

Qualifications

• ACA or ACCA qualified with solid practice experience.
• Strong current technical knowledge of accounting standards and developments.
• Confident with Microsoft Excel, Word and Sage.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with clients and stakeholders.
• Well organised with ability to manage workloads across deadlines.
• Client-focused and commercially aware approach.

Responsibilities

• Manage a varied portfolio of audit clients across multiple industries, ensuring timely and compliant delivery.
• Act as primary client contact, organise assignments, and coordinate timelines.
• Produce planning memoranda, identify key risk areas and efficient audit approaches.
• Supervise and review junior staff and resolve review points.
• Coordinate with internal departments to ensure compliant planning of work.
• Summarise project data into clear, review-ready formats and reports.
• Monitor filing deadlines including tax and Companies House submissions.
• Conduct on-site client visits and provide advisory support.

Skills

ACA/ACCA qualification

Accounting technical knowledge

Excel

Word

Sage

Client communication

Time management

Education

ACA/ACCA qualification

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Sage

Job description

Associate Director - Audit, Accounts & Tax

If you're a qualified auditor ready for a role that genuinely invests in your growth and recognises your contribution, this could be the move you've been looking for.

Our client is a well-established and highly regarded UK accountancy firm with a strong regional presence and international reach. Based in Preston, this Audit Senior position offers you the chance to manage a varied client portfolio, mentor junior colleagues, and act as a trusted adviser to businesses across a wide range of sectors.

This is a role where technical excellence matters just as much as building relationships and delivering real commercial insight.

If you're a qualified auditor ready for a role that genuinely invests in your growth and recognises your contribution, this could be the move you've been looking for. Our client is a well-established and highly regarded UK accountancy firm with a strong regional presence and international reach. Based in Preston, this Audit Senior position offers you the chance to manage a varied client portfolio, mentor junior colleagues, and act as a trusted adviser to businesses across a wide range of sectors. This is a role where technical excellence matters just as much as building relationships and delivering real commercial insight.

What You'll Be Doing

• Managing a varied portfolio of audit clients across multiple industries, ensuring work is completed on time and in line with regulatory requirements, with direct reporting to Managers, Directors and Partners


• Serving as the primary point of contact for clients, organising assignments, agreeing timescales and coordinating scheduling effectively


• Producing planning memoranda, identifying key risk areas and determining the most efficient approach to gathering audit evidence


• Supervising and reviewing the work of junior and semi-senior team members, ensuring files are complete and review points resolved before escalation


• Liaising with relevant internal departments to ensure compliance work is appropriately planned and coordinated


• Collating and summarising project data into clear, review-ready formats, including first-draft reports and projections


• Monitoring and managing filing deadlines, including corporation tax and Companies House submissions


• Undertaking on-site client visits, building strong professional relationships and providing trusted advisory support

What We're Looking For

• ACA or ACCA qualified, with solid practice experience


• Strong, current technical knowledge of accounting standards and recent developments


• Confident working with Microsoft Excel, Word and Sage


• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to engage clearly with a range of clients and stakeholders


• Well organised, with the ability to manage a varied workload across competing deadlines


• A client-focused and commercially aware approach to your work

Nice to Have

• Experience supervising junior members of staff (six to twelve months or more)


• Working knowledge of tax computation preparation


• Familiarity with CaseWare

Why Join

Our client puts its people first and fosters a culture where your development, wellbeing and ambitions are taken seriously. Here's what's included:

• Hybrid working with core hours of 10am to 2pm and two home working days per week, giving you genuine flexibility


• 25 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell up to five additional days


• Competitive salary, negotiable depending on your experience


• Employee recognition schemes, including an Outstanding Performance Award Bonus


• Structured succession planning and a supportive management framework designed to help you progress


• Employee Assistance Programme offering free, confidential 24/7 support, unlimited counselling sessions, and virtual GP access for you and your family