Global Royalty Audit Lead — Contract Compliance

Grant Thornton (US); Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 138,000 - 173,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

In-person 3 days/week at office or on‑

Discretionary annual bonus

Job summary

Grant Thornton (US) is seeking a Royalty Audit Manager (Contract Compliance) to lead complex royalty, licensing, participation, and contract compliance audits for diverse clients. You will guide multi-region engagements, manage risk, and drive improvements in compliance programs with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities include planning, fieldwork, reporting, and settlements, plus supervision of audit staff.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Information Technology, MIS, or a related field is required
• Minimum 5+ years of related work experience in a similar consulting practice or function servicing cross-industry clients at a national level
• Certification required, CPA, CISA, CISSP, CIA or CISM preferred
• Experience of using Microsoft packages (particularly Microsoft Excel) and preferably experience utilizing advanced data analysis tools (for example Alteryx, Python, SQL etc), data visualization tools (for example Power BI and Tableau) and Generative AI
• Experience managing a global team with diverse backgrounds
• Experience performing and managing multiple audits concurrently
• Ability to execute multiple engagements and completing priorities in a rapidly growing team environment
• Experience with analytics and/or automation software and an understanding of the impact of technology
• Exceptional client service, communication, analytical, organizational and project management skills
• Can travel as needed

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple domestic and international royalty and contract compliance audits from planning through reporting, including risk-based audit selection, scoping, budgeting, staffing, scheduling, and milestone management.
• Be responsible for the oversight and delivery of third-party reviews and management of a diverse portfolio of reviews.
• Interpret licensing, distribution, content, talent, participation, merchandising, and royalty agreements; assess contractual risks; and identify potential recovery opportunities.
• Direct fieldwork and review financial, operational, and contractual testing of sales, royalties, deductions, reserves, advances, guarantees, controls, calculations, and supporting records, while managing complex, forensically focused projects and providing clear verbal and written status updates to clients and third parties.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with internal teams, clients, and third parties while serving as the primary client contact, coordinating with licensees and legal, finance, licensing, internal audit, and operational teams, and leading kick-off meetings and discussions of findings and supporting documentation.
• Familiarity with the intellectual property and licensing industry including typical royalty structures, licensing agreements, and intellectual property rights.
• Use data analytics and business intelligence tools to analyze large datasets, identify anomalies and non-compliance, and develop dashboards, performance metrics, and transparent reporting.
• Preparing reports and the ability to articulate findings related to complex matters in a format suitable for c-suite stakeholders.
• Prepare and present audit reports and executive summaries, quantify findings and recoveries, support negotiations and settlements, and ensure compliance with professional standards, firm methodologies, and quality review requirements.
• Supervise, coach, and develop audit staff; review workpapers and performance; support recruiting and onboarding; and advance knowledge sharing, methodology enhancements, and continuous improvement.

Skills

Project management

Analytical skills

Client service

Communication

Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Information Technology, MIS, or related field

CPA/CISA/CISSP/CIA/CISM certifications preferred

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Alteryx

Python

SQL

Power BI

Tableau

Generative AI

Job description

Grant Thornton (US) is seeking a Royalty Audit Manager (Contract Compliance) to lead complex royalty, licensing, participation, and contract compliance audits for diverse clients. You will guide multi-region engagements, manage risk, and drive improvements in compliance programs with cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities include planning, fieldwork, reporting, and settlements, plus supervision of audit staff.