Senior Assurance Manager

Talnt; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Talnt is seeking a Senior Assurance Manager to lead our most complex audits and provide strategic advice to clients. You will oversee multiple engagement teams, drive technical excellence, and partner with firm leadership to grow the assurance practice.

The role requires extensive public accounting experience, deep GAAP/GAAS expertise, and a proven track record of building strong client relationships. You will mentor staff, manage budgets, and leverage data analytics to improve engagement

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Active CPA license required.
• 7+ years of progressive public accounting experience, including managing audit and assurance engagements.
• Strong technical knowledge of GAAP/GAAS and related standards.
• Proven ability to lead complex client engagements and multiple teams.
• Leadership experience mentoring junior staff and developing talent.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building with executives and boards.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex financial statement audit, review, and assurance engagements from planning through issuance.
• Serve as primary relationship manager for a portfolio of clients and advise on accounting and controls.
• Oversee multiple engagements, manage staffing, budgets, and timely delivery.
• Review workpapers and disclosures for GAAP/GAAS compliance and accuracy.
• Provide technical leadership on accounting matters and emerging standards.
• Develop engagement strategies, assess risks, and respond to internal control matters.
• Mentor, coach, and develop Managers, Seniors, and Staff.
• Collaborate with partners to drive growth, cross-sell, and proposals.
• Identify process improvements and leverage audit tech and analytics.
• Ensure ethics, independence, and information security adherence.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Communication

Project management

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Client relationship

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance

CPA license

Tools

Audit software

MS Office

Audit technology platforms

Job description

About the Role

The Senior Assurance Manager is responsible for leading the firm's most complex audit and assurance engagements while serving as a strategic advisor to clients and a key leader within the assurance practice. This role oversees multiple engagement teams, drives technical excellence, develops future leaders, and partners with firm leadership to support practice growth. The ideal candidate brings extensive public accounting experience, deep expertise in GAAP and GAAS, exceptional client relationship skills, and a proven track record of leading high-performing teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex financial statement audit, review, and assurance engagements from planning through issuance, ensuring compliance with professional standards, regulatory requirements, and firm quality standards.
• Serve as the primary relationship manager for a portfolio of clients, acting as a trusted advisor on accounting, financial reporting, internal controls, risk management, and business operations.
• Oversee multiple concurrent engagements while managing staffing, budgets, scheduling, profitability, and timely delivery of client services.
• Review audit workpapers, financial statements, disclosures, and engagement documentation for technical accuracy, completeness, and compliance with GAAP, GAAS, and firm methodology.
• Provide technical leadership on complex accounting, auditing, and financial reporting matters while consulting with engagement teams on emerging standards and challenging issues.
• Develop engagement strategies, evaluate audit risks, and ensure appropriate responses to significant accounting, operational, and internal control matters.
• Mentor, coach, and develop Managers, Seniors, and Staff through ongoing feedback, technical training, performance management, and career development initiatives.
• Partner with Assurance Partners to drive practice growth through business development, client retention, cross-selling opportunities, and proposal development.
• Identify opportunities to improve client operations, strengthen internal controls, and enhance financial reporting processes through value-added recommendations.
• Monitor engagement economics, including realization, budgets, write-ups/write-downs, utilization, and overall profitability.
• Lead quality control initiatives, implement best practices, and leverage audit technology, automation, and data analytics to improve engagement efficiency and effectiveness.
• Collaborate with Tax, Advisory, and other service lines to deliver integrated solutions that address clients' evolving business needs.
• Ensure adherence to professional ethics, regulatory requirements, independence standards, and firm information security policies.
• Contribute to recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and retaining top assurance talent while fostering a collaborative, high-performance team culture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Active Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license required.
• 7+ years of progressive public accounting experience, including significant experience managing audit and assurance engagements.
• Strong technical knowledge of GAAP, GAAS, risk assessment, internal controls, financial reporting, and audit methodology.
• Demonstrated success managing complex client engagements, engagement economics, and multiple teams simultaneously.
• Proven leadership experience mentoring Managers, Seniors, and Staff while developing future firm leaders.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, project management, and decision-making skills.
• Outstanding communication and relationship-building skills with the ability to advise executives, owners, boards, and audit committees.
• Proficiency with audit software, financial reporting applications, Microsoft Office, and audit technology platforms.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced public accounting environment while delivering exceptional client service.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience serving privately held companies, middle-market businesses, nonprofit organizations, manufacturing, construction, real estate, healthcare, or other complex industries.
• Experience leading audits involving complex accounting transactions, consolidations, revenue recognition, business combinations, and technical accounting matters.
• Strong background in internal controls, enterprise risk management, fraud risk assessment, and regulatory compliance.
• Demonstrated success in business development, client retention, proposal development, and expanding professional service offerings.
• Experience driving firm initiatives involving audit technology, data analytics, process improvement, AI, or workflow automation.
• Passion for developing high-performing teams, mentoring future leaders, and contributing to firm strategy and long-term growth.
• Commitment to continuous professional education and staying current on evolving accounting standards, auditing guidance, and industry trends.