Associate Director (Audit - Banking)

OutsideCapital; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 1 200 000 - 1 500 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading professional services firm in South Africa is seeking an Associate Director to lead external audit engagements. This role requires over 10 years of experience in external audit and a CA(SA) designation. The successful candidate will drive audit delivery, develop strategic objectives, and maintain high-level client relationships in the financial services sector. This position offers an opportunity to work with TIER 1 banks and gain exposure to global best practices.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in external audit within the Financial Services sector.
• 3+ years in an Associate Director or Senior Manager role in a Big 4 environment.
• Proven track record leading audits for major banking groups.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex external audits for financial institutions.
• Develop strategic audit objectives and present findings to management.
• Conduct compliance reviews and uphold international standards.
• Manage relationships with key clients and stakeholders.
• Identify business development opportunities.
• Mentor and develop audit teams.

Skills

External audit experience

Technical proficiency with IFRS

Leadership and mentoring

Collaboration with multinational teams

Education

CA(SA) designation

Job description

Our client is a leading professional services firm recognized across Africa. They are at the forefront of innovation within the financial services sector, serving a diverse range of prominent institutions. Their commitment to excellence and strategic client partnerships drives their impact in the market.

Embark on a career-defining journey as an Associate Director within our client's prestigious Professional Services firm.This is a pivotal client-facing leadership role where you will drive external audit delivery, ensure engagement quality, and foster strategic client relationships across Africa's most influential financial entities. You will leverage your deep technical expertise in IFRS, group audits, and risk management to provide critical insights and solutions that shape the future of banking. This opportunity offers unparalleled exposure to TIER 1 banks and central banks, accelerating your career in a meritocratic, high-performance environment. You'll have access to global best practices, AI-enabled audit tools, and the potential for international secondments, making this a truly transformative career move.

Responsibilities

• Audit Engagement Leadership: Spearhead complex external audit engagements for prominent listed and multinational financial institutions, ensuring timely and high-quality deliverables.
• Strategic Oversight: Develop and execute strategic audit objectives, monitor engagement performance, and present critical audit findings and insights to Board, Audit Committee, and Executive Management levels.
• Global Compliance: Conduct global engagement compliance reviews, upholding firm methodology and international standards while acting as an Engagement Quality Control Reviewer (EQCR) on high-risk assignments.
• Client Relationship Management: Cultivate and maintain strong C-suite relationships with key players in the banking, insurance, asset management, and fintech sectors.
• Business Development: Proactively identify and pursue cross-selling opportunities across assurance, advisory, and combined assurance services, while representing the firm in client steering committees and regulatory discussions.
• Team Development: Mentor and develop high-performing audit teams, driving performance management, training, and talent pipeline development to foster a culture of service excellence and critical thinking.

Requirements

Must-Haves

• Experience: 10+ years in external audit within the Financial Services sector, with a minimum of 3 years in an Associate Director or Senior Manager role within a Big 4 environment or similar institution.
• Audit Specialization: Proven track record leading audits for major banking groups, fintech & digital banks.
• Technical Proficiency: Hands‑on experience with IFRS technical accounting (including complex instruments and consolidations), risk-based auditing, internal controls, governance, and combined assurance models.
• Qualifications: CA(SA) designation.
• Leadership Skills: Demonstrated ability in board-level communication, stakeholder influence, strategic thinking, business development acumen, and people leadership (team building, coaching, performance management).
• Problem Solving: Proven capability in complex problem-solving under tight deadlines.
• Collaboration: Experience working effectively with multinational teams.

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