Senior Manager, Financial Services Audit (Statutory, CASS & Safeguarding)

ICAEW; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

35-hour working week

Hybrid working policy

Pension scheme

25 days annual leave

Life Assurance

Profit-Sharing Plan

Discretionary bonus

Job summary

Saffery LLP's Financial Services Audit team in London is seeking an experienced professional to lead external audits for FCA-regulated businesses, with emphasis on CASS and safeguarding engagements. You will mentor colleagues, develop client relationships, and contribute to growing the FS practice.

The role offers opportunities to work closely with Partners and Directors, manage complex engagements, and shape the evolution of our FS service offering. Hybrid work model is available.

Qualifications

• Significant external audit experience in a professional services environment.
• Strong experience working with financial services clients.
• Practical experience delivering CASS audits and/or safeguarding engagements.
• Strong understanding of FCA regulation and client assets requirements.
• Proven experience managing complex audit engagements and multiple client relationships.
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience leading and developing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of external FS audits, ensuring work meets high technical and professional standards and regulator deadlines.
• Manage and deliver CASS audits and safeguarding engagements for FCA-regulated businesses, including investment firms and e-money entities.
• Act as a trusted adviser on audit, assurance and regulatory matters for clients.
• Serve as main point of contact and liaise with internal teams to ensure delivery and high client service across the portfolio.
• Review complex audit work and provide technical leadership on FS and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and maintain relationships with clients and key stakeholders at senior management level.
• Coach and develop managers and junior staff to foster a high-performing team culture.
• Support business development and growth of the FS team through networking and proposals.

Skills

External audit experience

FS client experience

CASS & safeguarding

FCA regulation knowledge

Project management

Communication skills

Team leadership

Education

ACA, ACCA or equivalent

Job description

The role

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Financial Services Audit professional to join our growing Mid-market and Not-for-profit team.

Working closely with Partners and Directors, you will lead the delivery of external audits for regulated financial services businesses, while also taking a prominent role in managing and delivering CASS and safeguarding engagements.

The role will provide significant opportunity to develop client relationships, support the growth of the financial services practice, mentor and develop colleagues, and contribute to the continued evolution of our service offering within this specialist sector.

The responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of financial services audit engagements, ensuring work is completed to the highest technical and professional standards in line with regulator deadlines.
• Manage and deliver CASS audits and safeguarding engagements for FCA-regulated businesses, including investment firms, payment institutions and e-money firms.
• Act as a trusted adviser to clients, providing practical insight on audit, assurance and regulatory matters.
• Be the main point of contact and client manager communicating with other internal teams to ensure delivery and a high level of client service across the portfolio you manage.
• Review complex audit and assurance work, providing technical leadership and guidance to engagement teams on financial services and regulatory requirements.
• Build, develop and maintain strong relationships with clients, becoming a key point of contact for senior management and compliance stakeholders.
• Lead, coach and develop managers and junior team members, fostering a collaborative, inclusive and high-performing team culture.
• Support the continued growth of the Financial Services team through business development activities, networking, proposals and identifying opportunities within existing client relationships.
• Work closely with Partners and Directors to develop and enhance Saffery's financial services offering, contributing to the growth of our CASS and safeguarding capabilities.

The team

Saffery's Financial Services Audit team sits within our wider Mid-Market and Not-for-Profit Audit practice in London, providing specialist audit and assurance services to a growing portfolio of FCA-regulated businesses. Working closely alongside our broader audit team, the Financial Services group delivers external audits, CASS audits and safeguarding engagements to clients ranging from entrepreneurial and owner-managed firms through to established regulated entities.

The team combines deep sector expertise with the collaborative and partner-led culture for which Saffery is known. As part of the wider London Audit practice, team members benefit from working across a diverse client base while developing specialist knowledge of the evolving regulatory landscape affecting financial services businesses.

You

• ACA, ACCA or equivalent professionally qualified.
• Significant external audit experience gained within a professional services environment.
• Strong experience working with financial services clients.
• Practical experience delivering CASS audits and/or safeguarding engagements.
• Strong understanding of FCA regulation and client assets requirements.
• Proven experience managing complex audit engagements and multiple client relationships.
• Strong project management and organisational skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience leading and developing teams.

Reward and benefits

• A 35-hour working week with a hybrid working policy with the flexibility to work from home for up to three days per week (our core hours are 10-4)
• Excellent benefits including; contributory pension scheme, 25 days annual leave, Life Assurance cover and great flexible benefits and family friendly policies,
• Eligibility for the firm's Profit-Sharing Plan. Paid in December.
• Eligibility for the discretionary bonus scheme.

About us

Saffery LLP is an adviser to individuals and businesses across a range of sectors, providing market-leading accountancy, audit, business advisory, tax and VAT services. Founded in 1855, we are the UK's 15th largest accountancy firm.

When you work with us at Saffery, you work with people who know your name, not just a job title. We're a place shaped by friendly, intelligent people who are individually excellent and collectively exceptional. We're committed to our clients, but also to our greatest asset - our people.

As a proud member of Nexia, a leading, international network of independent accounting and consulting firms, we've got access to local insight on a global scale.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Equality, diversity and inclusion is a top priority for us. With our ED&I strategy, Everyone Belongs, we are building on our positive work culture and implementing initiatives to improve diversity and strengthen our equitable culture of inclusion, led from the top.

We hope you will apply to us, whatever your background, ethnicity, gender, age, sexuality, disability or neurodivergence, because individual differences equal collective strength. Built on values of excellence, integrity, enthusiasm and collegiality, Saffery is where Potential meets Personal.