Trainee Auditor

publicjobs; Dublin; On-site; EUR 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General in Dublin is recruiting Trainee Auditors to join audit teams delivering annual financial statement audits for public bodies. The role involves reviewing internal controls, contributing to project audits, and supporting performance reviews and inspections across funded organisations.

Candidates must meet recognised accountancy qualifications quirements or hold an accounting degree with IAASA alignment, and may progress through professional exams

Qualifications

• Must have passed first level of recognised professional accountancy examinations in IAASA-regulated bodies or equivalent
• Hold a primary honours degree at minimum 2.1 in Accounting/Business/Finance
• Be a qualified accountant with full IAASA-recognised membership
• Accounting Technicians Ireland membership acceptable

Responsibilities

• Participate in audits, inspections or examinations as directed by the Line Manager
• Obtain background information for planning work assignments
• Plan and organise work to meet audit objectives and deadlines
• Develop and tailor audit programmes with standard templates and audited body information
• Carry out audit work to meet quality standards and evidence requirements
• Draft sections of audit reports
• Record time and task information in the information system
• Travel to audits away from headquarters as required (overnight)

Skills

Organisational skills

Analytical skills

Communication skills

English fluency

Teamwork

Excel / MS Office

Education

Accounting exams IAASA

Accounting degree 2:1

IAASA membership

Accounting Technicians Ireland

Tools

Excel

Word

IT systems knowledge

Job description

Employer: The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General

Location: Dublin

Closing Date: 3pm, Thursday, 17th September 2026

About the Employer:

The Comptroller and Auditor General (C&AG) holds office under Article 33 of the Constitution. His constitutional function is to audit on behalf of the State, all accounts of moneys administered by or under the authority of the Oireachtas. In addition, certain other functions have been conferred on him by law.

The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General (the Office), assists the C&AG to:

• Audit and report on the accounts of public bodies
• Establish that transactions of public bodies are in accordance with the legal authorities governing them and that funds are applied for the purposes intended
• Examine whether State bodies are using their resources economically and efficiently and have mechanisms in place to evaluate the effectiveness of their operations
• Authorise the release of funds from the Exchequer for purposes permitted by law.

Approximately 290 accounts of public bodies are audited by the C&AG. The primary purpose of audit work is to provide assurance on the accuracy of the accounts of these public bodies. In addition, the C&AG carries out a range of examinations of material programmes or areas of administration where there is a perceived risk that public funds may not be properly or efficiently utilised.

The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General is certified for the fifth consecutive year as a ‘Great Place to Work’. The Office was acknowledged on the 2026 list of Ireland’s Best Workplaces™ and was also recognised as one of Ireland's Best Workplaces for Health & Wellbeing™ 2026.

About the Role:

The Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General is now recruiting for suitably qualified and committed individuals to take up the role of Trainee Auditor. This is an exciting opportunity for talented and enthusiastic individuals who are looking to embrace new challenges, do purposeful work and make a real difference to the Irish State and its people.

The role of Trainee Auditor involves:

• Working as part of audit teams to carry out the audits of annual financial statements of public bodies such as government departments/offices and State-sponsored, health and educational bodies
• Reviewing the internal control systems in place in these audited bodies
• Participating in project audits of significant programmes or areas of expenditure
• Participating in performance measurement reviews in the Office’s Performance Audit Directorate
• Participating in inspections of other publicly funded organisations.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

The key duties and responsibilities of a Trainee Auditor include the following:

• Participating in audits, inspections or examinations as specified by the Line Manager
• Obtaining background information for planning work assignments
• Planning and organising work to meet audit objectives and deadlines
• Developing and tailoring audit programmes (for the recording of audit tests completed and evidence gathered) with reference to standard templates and relevant information on the operation of audited bodies
• Carrying out audit work in line with internal and external audit policies and guidelines to the required quality standards
• Evaluating financial information and reviewing financial statements against the evidence collected
• Raising audit concerns with the Line Manager and the client organisation, as appropriate
• Drafting sections of audit reports
• Participating in topic identification exercises on a wide range of performance areas in government departments and non-commercial state bodies
• Using specialised software to document audit work and analyse audit data
• Recording time and task information on the Office’s electronic information system
• Travelling to audits located away from headquarters including those outside Dublin, as required (this may require overnight travel)

About You:

Candidates must on or before 2nd November 2026*:

1.Have undertaken and passed at least the first level of recognised professional accountancy examinations in an accountancy body regulated by the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA) i.e. Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Association of International Accountants (AIA), Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)

OR

2.Hold a primary honours degree at minimum 2.1 (at least Level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications) (or NARIC Ireland Foreign Qualifications equivalent) in Accounting, Business or Finance

OR

3.Be a qualified accountant with full membership of a prescribed accountancy body supervised by the Irish Auditing and Accounting Supervisory Authority (IAASA) i.e. Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Association of International Accountants (AIA), Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)

OR

4.Have Accounting Technicians Ireland membership

Please note: Successful candidates must commit to undertake and complete professional accountancy exams and obtain full membership of a recognised professional accountancy body supervised by IAASA if appointed from this competition.

* Important: Candidates who anticipate that they will have, by 2nd November 2026, at the latest, a qualification as outlined in points 1 to 4 above are eligible to apply. However, if the required qualifications are not or cannot be produced by the date specified, their application for the role will receive no further consideration.

Candidates must also be able to demonstrate:

• Excellent organisational and planning skills with a demonstrated ability to prioritise, manage and progress tasks/projects in a fast-paced environment
• Excellent research and analytical skills with a proven ability to produce work of consistently high quality within specified deadlines
• Sound judgement and strong decision-making skills
• A high level of commitment including an ability to work under pressure to meet challenging deadlines
• Persistence in seeing tasks through to completion
• The ability to work on own initiative or under supervision, as part of a team
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with fluency in English
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain effective working relationships both internally and externally
• An ability to identify and obtain information relevant to the audit
• Confidence, tact and assertiveness in dealing with others at various levels in audited bodies
• A high degree of adaptability, flexibility and motivation, as it is often necessary for Trainee Auditors to move from one audit body to another or from one type of work to another
• An ability to develop and apply technical skills relevant to the work of the Office
• A commitment to continuous development of skills and professional qualifications relevant to the work of the Office
• Strong Information Technology (IT) skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Word and Excel.
• Experience in an auditing or accounting environment
• Skill/expertise in accountancy, book-keeping or financial systems and procedures
• Experience in quantitative and qualitative analysis
• Good knowledge of government/public sector financial systems and procedures
• An understanding of the functioning of IT systems and of the controls and security associated with this environment

Knowledge of the Irish language as the Office is responsible for the audit of the accounts of certain Irish language organisations

The closing date for receipt of completed applications is 3pm on Thursday, 17th September, 2026.

We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity and encourage applications under all nine grounds of the Employment Equality Act.