Senior Associate - External Audit - Financial Services experience (Insurance, Asset Management, Digital Assets/Crypto)

We’re a large and growing professional services firm that still feels like a community. We employ over 750 people across the UAE and experiencing exciting growth! We truly care about our colleagues, our clients, and the communities where we work and live.

As a Senior Associate, you'll dive into planning, directing, completing audits, providing accounting advice and implementing new accounting standards while supervising junior colleagues. As well as collaborating closely with senior colleagues on client engagements to drive success.

Let us paint a picture for you

Imagine being part of a team that puts “we before me”, where flexibility is a mindset, and where you trust your colleagues to have your back.

Imagine working for an organization that believes in the power of authenticity in everything that we do. Whether you're steering discussions in a client meeting, tackling your fear of heights at the top of the Burj Khalifa or ziplining across Jebel Jais – bring your true self to work. Be a part of a team driven by a purpose of shaping the world that we live in, based on trust and integrity in markets, dynamic businesses, and communities where businesses and people thrive.

Join us to expand your horizons, be inspired, face challenges, and most importantly, be yourself.

About the External Audit

 Providing a wide range of Audit and Assurance services to private, public and international companies across various sectors. We work closely with over 700 companies annually, ranging from SMEs to international listed companies. The client base is exciting and fast growing. Our people are committed to delivering best-in-class assurance services in locations where you are. We respond to the challenges of our clients with high quality, value for money technical solutions every time

As a Senior Associate some of your responsibilities will include:

• Running client engagements from start to finish, which includes planning, executing, directing, and completing financial audits to budget
• Preparing or reviewing work papers and drafts of the financial statements
• Producing client deliverables, specifically drafting reports for management review
• Overseeing aspects of audit fieldwork and completion
• Taking an active part in the audit planning discussions to identify audit risks and devise an appropriate audit strategy
• Leveraging artificial intelligence, advanced analytics, data visualizations
• Being a key client contact, providing a hands-on role that exceeds client expectations
• Supervising, training, and mentoring associates and interns on audit process; perform in-charge role as needed
• Proactively interacting with key client management to gather information, resolve audit-related problems, and make recommendations for business and process improvements
• Gaining comprehensive understanding of client operations, processes, and business objectives and utilizing that knowledge on engagements
• Attending professional development and training sessions on a regular basis
• Assisting Managers with budgeting and staff planning

Think you've got what it takes to be a Senior Associate? Like the color purple? Great. Here's a few more boxes we're also hoping you can tick:

• 3-4 years of External Audit experience in a top international firm
• Professionally qualified (ACA, ACCA, CPA)
• Mandatory experience auditing financial services clients (Insurance, Asset Management, Digital Assets/Crypto)
• Have experience of working on complex audits and delegating workloads accordingly
• Comfortable using audit software and Microsoft Office
• Strong technical accounting skills with a sound knowledge of IFRS
• Must be confident with the consolidation of financial statements
• Experience with group audits is key to success
• Ability to supervise staff and lead projects
• Experience working independently on multiple assignments or engagements, even in a virtual environment
• Previous experience of auditing relevant industries to Grant Thornton’s client base
• Exceptional client service and communication skills with a demonstrated ability to develop and maintain outstanding client relationships
• Ability to manage multiple engagements and competing priorities in a rapidly growing, fast-paced, interactive, results-based team environment
• Strong leadership, recruiting, training, and mentoring skills, coupled with excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and project management skills
• Ability to work additional hours as needed and travel to various client sites