Skip to main content

This job has expired

Audit Principal

Recruiter
National Audit Office (NAO)
Location
London
Salary
£52,629 - £63,868
Closing date
30 Jan 2022

Job Details

Location: Our new ways of working will include a mix of time at your assigned office, time at client sites across the UK as required and working from home. We are currently following Government's advice and taking all necessary steps to minimise the risks to our colleagues, their families and the wider public. Our systems are designed to be operated remotely and the majority of our staff are working from home at present.

Full time / part time: We have a number of positions available and strongly encourage individuals wishing to work with us on a part-time basis to apply and take advantage of our flexible working arrangements

The closing date for applications is 30 January 2022.

Please do not wait until the closing date to apply as initial interviews will be conducted throughout the process. We expect interviews to take place in late January and February 2022. Further details of the selection process will be given to shortlisted candidates.
 

Job description 

Financial audit has never mattered more. NAO Audit Principals make a real difference – leading and motivating financial audit teams to deliver audit work that is both high quality and delivers insight to help improve public services.

We are the UK’s independent public spending watchdog. We support Parliament in holding government to account and we help improve public services through our high-quality audits. We carry out external audit work on all central government bodies and other organisations such as the BBC. In challenging times, it remains vital that Parliament is well supported in scrutinising the performance of government – and rarely have there been more challenging times.

Our position is unique, and our work is extraordinarily influential. Our work auditing nearly £2 trillion of public expenditure and income gives us great insight into how government manages its money. Our ambition is to make greater use of this insight to help improve the management of public finances and risks to delivering public services. You will work with your Director and Manager to draw on the NAO’s knowledge hubs and centres of expertise to identify opportunities to add real value for the organisations in your portfolio.

Our people are proud to be part of our diverse, inclusive and healthy workplace. We attract talented people and support them to become even better at what they do, enhancing their careers and ensuring they have the skills and capabilities they need. We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds; we value the ideas, energy and diversity this brings us. We would particularly welcome applications from female and ethnic minority candidates. More information about what we do is available on our website.
 

Responsibilities

Our Audit Principals lead our most complex engagements and manage our smaller engagements to deliver a portfolio of work which leads to the certification of our clients’ annual reports and accounts. They deliver high quality and cutting-edge audit work to international auditing standards. Their insights and the value they add not only benefits the bodies they audit directly but also informs our other work – including our value-for-money studies and investigations.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Working in accordance with the NAO’s values and championing our diversity and inclusion strategy.
  • Demonstrating a strong commitment to their own self development, to delivering the NAO’s strategic objectives, and keeping themselves up to date on office initiatives and information relevant to their work and specialism.
  • Demonstrating an ability to balance tasks and priorities to lead a complex, challenging portfolio of work including supporting the work and development of others.
  • Using their technical knowledge and ability to manage tasks and projects to deliver high quality work across our financial audit practice.
  • Using professional judgement and scepticism to assess the quality and validity of audit evidence and challenge where greater assurance is needed.
  • Collaborating internally and externally to both offer and access expertise from across the office and to use our knowledge to create greater impact.
  • Contributing to the development of our approach to financial audit, supporting improvements in our audit methodology, audit software, use of financial data, and operational working practices.
  • Influencing and adding value by building their understanding and insight into the challenges and perspectives of their clients.
  • Complying with corporate responsibilities and support others to do so.

Skills required

Our people strive for excellence, act with courage and integrity, are curious and seek to learn, and are inclusive and respectful.

Essential skills and experiences:

  • Experience of IFRS and international standards on auditing
  • Relevant financial qualification (CCAB) with recent post-qualification experience in leading external audit engagements
  • Exceptional project management skills, able to deliver high quality audit work while protecting the welfare of your teams
  • A proactive approach to problem solving and relationship building to maximise the influence of our work with government bodies and other stakeholders
  • Collaborative, engages well with colleagues at all levels, and invests in their development and the wider success of the organisation.
  • The ability to lead, develop and motivate diverse teams and support all colleagues to deliver great work and achieve their potential

Desirable skills and experience:

  • Experience of public sector or charity audits
  • Experience in implementing and embedding transformational change in financial audit methodologies, software and use of data
  • Working in a Centre of Expertise that provides assurance over complex transactions and balances
  • Experience in supporting a firm’s second and third line of defence work to improve the quality of their work
  • Auditing Shared Service or complex IT environments

Educational requirements:

  • CCAB qualified, or international equivalent

Company

The National Audit Office (NAO) scrutinises public spending for Parliament. Our public audit perspective helps Parliament hold government to account and improve public services.

We audit the financial statements of all central government departments, agencies and other public bodies, and report the results to Parliament. Our other work comprises value for money studies, local audit, investigations, support to Parliament and international activities.

 

Company info
Location
London
United Kingdom

Get job alerts

Create a job alert and receive personalised job recommendations straight to your inbox.

Create alert