Senior Audit Manager/Associate Director

Sopher + Co; Borehamwood; Hybrid; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private Medical Insurance

Life Assurance

Group Income Protection

Cycle to Work

Discretionary rewards and wellbeing

Job summary

Sopher + Co seeks a Senior Audit Manager/Associate Director for its Borehamwood office. This senior, client-facing role combines technical audit and accounts expertise with leadership and business development, managing assignments from planning to completion while upholding standards.

You’ll lead and develop team members, allocate workflow, and maintain strong client relationships while ensuring timely delivery and adherence to budgets.

Qualifications

• Significant supervisory/managerial experience in professional practice.
• ACA or ACCA qualification.
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline.

Responsibilities

• Act as the first point of contact for allocated clients and obtain information to complete assignments.
• Develop relationships with clients and contribute to retention and growth of the portfolio.
• Identify opportunities to cross-sell the firm’s services where appropriate.
• Coordinate and delegate client work to supervisors and team members according to capability.
• Monitor workflow schedules and review progress with team members.

Skills

Audit management

Client relationship mgmt

Team leadership

Accounting software

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

ACA/ACCA

Job description

Location: Hybrid / Borehamwood, UK
job type: Permanent / Full-time
Sector and subsector: Accounting & Finance | Audit & Practice
Salary: Negotiable salary

About Us

Big decisions deserve clear thinking.

At Sopher + Co, we've spent more than 50 years helping entrepreneurs and high-net-worth individuals navigate complex financial and commercial challenges. From tax planning and private office services to business advisory and technology, we bring everything together to make life simpler and help our clients focus on what matters most.

We don't just solve problems. We build relationships, offer clarity, and give our clients the confidence to move forward. And it's our people who make that possible.

We started in Elstree in 1975, working closely with clients in the media, entertainment and music industries. Today, we support a diverse and prestigious client base across more than 20 sectors, with a continued strong and long-standing presence in entertainment and media.

While we've grown, our approach hasn't changed. We keep things straightforward and focus on advice that is practical, personal and easy to act on.

If something's complex, we simplify it. That's where we add value.

The Role

We're looking for an experienced Senior Audit Manager/Associate Director to join our successful Audit & Accounts team in our Borehamwood office.

This is a senior client-facing role combining technical audit and accounts expertise with leadership, relationship management and business development. You'll act as a key point of contact for an allocated portfolio of clients, managing assignments from planning through to completion while ensuring work is delivered accurately, efficiently and in accordance with relevant accounting and auditing standards.

You’ll also play an important role in leading and developing members of the Audit & Accounts team, allocating and monitoring workflow, reviewing work and supporting the continued development of your team.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the first point of contact for allocated clients and obtain the information required to complete assignments.
• Develop strong, ongoing relationships with clients and contribute to the retention and growth of the client portfolio.
• Identify and develop new client opportunities and build strong internal and external relationships to leverage opportunities for the firm.
• Identify opportunities to cross-sell the firm's services where appropriate.
• Keep clients informed of their reporting obligations and relevant changes in legislation.
• Prepare and review financial statements for a diverse range of client assignments.
• Ensure audit assignments are completed in accordance with all relevant accounting and auditing standards.
• Ensure audit files submitted to the Partner for sign-off are complete, meet Sopher + Co standards and clearly identify any irregularities or areas of risk.
• Effectively communicate job scope and fees to clients.
• Deal with fee queries and assist with the collection of outstanding debts.
• Maintain strong professional relationships with tax, legal and regulatory authorities.
• Respond to client queries promptly and within appropriate timescales.
• Research and develop appropriate solutions to client accounting problems and issues.
• Effectively allocate and manage workflow within the team.
• Coordinate and delegate client work to supervisors and team members according to their level of capability.
• Monitor workflow schedules and regularly review progress with team members.
• Ensure assignments are completed within agreed deadlines and budgets wherever possible.
• Review work in progress and ensure it remains within the firm’s specified acceptance levels.
• Comprehensively review team members’ work to ensure it meets firm standards and that review points are appropriately addressed.
• Communicate any outstanding review issues to the Partner.
• Monitor team members' performance and provide constructive feedback and support.
• Liaise with the Head of Audit & Accounts regarding team performance and development.
• Manage team member performance, including supporting the firm’s formal performance review procedures.
• Support the continuous development of team members through coaching, mentoring, challenging assignments and training where appropriate.
• Identify areas where the practice could improve and make appropriate recommendations.
• Keep up to date with current audit and accounting developments.
• Ensure timesheets are completed accurately and submitted within the required timescales.
• Discuss work-in-progress recoverability with the Head of Audit & Accounts and take appropriate action.
• Draft, review and approve client bills.
• Monitor client debtor positions and liaise with Debt Collection Officers where required.
• Prepare fee estimates and engagement proposals for new and prospective clients.
• Review and approve team members' leave requests and monitor leave entitlements.
• Monitor team resource requirements and highlight any issues where additional support may be required.

What You'll Bring

You're an experienced audit and accounts professional with strong technical knowledge and previous experience operating at a supervisory or managerial level within professional practice.

You’ll be confident managing client relationships, overseeing assignments and leading team members, while maintaining a high standard of technical accuracy and client service.

You’ll be organised, commercially aware and comfortable working autonomously, with the ability to manage competing priorities and deadlines effectively.

You'll Bring

• Significant professional practice experience in a supervisory or managerial role.
• Strong understanding of accounting and audit software.
• A Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline.
• ACA or ACCA qualified.
• Strong management, leadership and supervisory skills.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise effectively.
• Strong attention to detail and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels.
• Ability to work autonomously and take ownership of assignments.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• A proactive and self-motivated approach, with a willingness to identify and suggest improvements.
• Flexibility and adaptability in a changing professional environment.
• A strong work ethic and commitment to delivering a high standard of work.

What You’ll Get in Return

We offer a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing, financial security and career development.

Our benefits include, with some available from day one and others following probation or completion of a qualifying period:

• Private Medical Insurance
• Life Assurance (Death in Service)
• Group Income Protection (GIP)
• Employee Assistance Programme and 24/7 Digital GP access
• Reward Gateway, including employee discounts and cashback
• Generous holiday entitlement, with the option to buy and sell leave
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• Recognition and long-service milestones
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Discounted wills and LPAs
• Social committee and regular social events
• Fresh fruit in the office

Just as important is the environment. We're a friendly and supportive team where people enjoy working together and take pride in what they do.

You’ll have the opportunity to work with a well-known client base across a wide range of industries, gaining exposure that is genuinely unique and difficult to find elsewhere in a firm of our size.

Our Commitment

Sopher + Co strongly believes in staff development and continuously encourages internal progression, supporting you to grow and develop your career within the firm.

We are committed to equality of opportunity in employment and expect all employees to act in accordance with this principle, recognising its importance to the success of our business.

Sopher + Co with its registered office in Borehamwood, UK, WD6 1JD, at Elstree Way. The data is collected for the purposes of recruitment for the position given in the advertisement, it can also be processed in future recruitment processes with your additional consent. Providing personal information is voluntary. You have the right to access the data, correct or delete it. Detailed information on the processing of personal data by Sopher + Co can be found in the principles of data processing in Cezanne Recruitment and our Privacy Policy. I agree to the processing of my personal data by Sopher + Co for the purposes of this recruitment process for the position specified in the advertisement. I consent to the processing of my personal data by Sopher + Co for the purposes of future recruitment processes. By applying to this job you accept the Privacy Policy