Assistant Audit Manager

A fantastic opportunity for a recently qualified accountant with a strong desire to become a specialist in the advertising and media industry, working with senior marketers and procurement managers at some of the world’s best-known brands and their agencies.

• Recently qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA/CA/ACCA) with prior audit experience obtained in a large firm
• Experience leading the planning, execution and reporting on audits
• Experience in delivering audit and assurance engagements
• A confident communicator with an ability to present complex issues in a simple, clear, and concise manner, both to an audience and in writing (e.g. in a report)
• A self-starter who can manage their time effectively and takes the initiative to go above and beyond
• Comfortable working remotely full-time

You possess an enquiring yet logical mind, the ability to adapt to changing requirements, and a strong academic record (including minimum 2:1 University Degree and grade 7 / A in Maths and English at GCSE). You hold honesty and integrity as core values, and possess excellent interpersonal and listening skills. You are pro-active, resilient, confident with people, able to manage multiple audits at different stages of their delivery, like to contribute during group discussions and actively seek to take on responsibility. Although an accountant, you enjoy expressing yourself in writing, have a strong command of syntax and grammar in English and wish to learn how to write specialist audit reports. In addition, you have a strong desire to learn and be part of the advertising and media industry.

This is an exciting opportunity for ambitious individuals who prefer to take the road less travelled. The firm is growing steadily and you will have the opportunity to be part of its journey and shape its future. The successful candidates will become part of team that operates more like one in industry / internal audit than in a Big 4 / traditional accountancy practice. We believe that the experience you will receive at Financial Progression will be more practical than you will have experienced to date at a large accountancy firm and more rounded and technically challenging than at a media or advertising agency.

Reporting directly to our Founder and Director, our on-boarding programme will enable you to understand how agencies work from a commercial, contractual and financial perspective, equipping you to assess what is good practice and what is not, both commercially and ethically. You will be supported by the Director and an Audit Manager to help you acquire the knowledge you need to be effective, while at the same time taking responsibility for that learning yourself.

You will be expected to lead audit engagements on a day-to-day basis, plan and undertake the necessary work and draft client-ready audit reports for review. You do not need to have any previous experience in the advertising or media industry – we will provide you with comprehensive training with the aim that you will be a nationally recognised expert in the field yourself within five years.

• Lead contract compliance audit engagements of media and advertising agencies based anywhere in the world
• Liaise with clients (advertisers) and their agencies (the subjects of our audits)
• Roll up your sleeves and get stuck in to the audits
• Conduct audit work remotely or, occasionally, on the agency’s UK premises (normally in London)
• Document your work in accordance with our quality assurance standards
• Lead audit close meetings with senior agency stakeholders present
• Draft client–ready Powerpoint-based audit reports for internal review
• Support the Audit Managers and Director in client debrief presentations
• Take the initiative – if you see something that could work better, we expect you to present your ideas and, once approved, get cracking!

If you want to bring your whole self to work and be respected for who you are; value high quality output for clients; want a career in the advertising and media industry; are seeking a healthy work / life balance; are open about yourself; and take ownership of and responsibility for your career, we would like to meet you.

Competitive annual salary, benefits and bonus.

• British, EU, EEA or Swiss passport holder; and
• Already hold the right to work indefinitely in the UK (we are not in a position to provide sponsorship for visas); and
• UK resident (we will not pay relocation expenses if you choose to relocate to the UK).
• Provide evidence of academic and professional/qualifications
• Attend team meetings in Reading or London (in total 6-7 times per year)
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint
• Proficiency / fluency in English and another international business language (e.g. Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Russian etc.) will be looked upon favourably.