Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Auditor

🎯 Role Definition

An Auditor is responsible for planning, executing, and reporting on financial, operational, compliance, and IT audits to provide independent assurance over the effectiveness of internal controls, accuracy of financial reporting, and adherence to laws and regulations. This role applies a risk-based audit methodology, leverages data analytics and ERP systems to test transactions and controls, identifies control gaps and process inefficiencies, quantifies risk exposures, and partners with business leaders to design remediation plans that strengthen governance and mitigate financial, operational, and reputational risk.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior/Staff Auditor or Audit Associate (Big Four, regional firm, or internal audit team)
Accounting or Finance Analyst with 1–3 years of transaction-level experience
Compliance Analyst or Risk Analyst transitioning into audit

Advancement To:

Senior Auditor / Audit Senior
Audit Manager / Senior Manager (Internal Audit or External Audit)
Director of Internal Audit / Head of Internal Audit
Chief Audit Executive (CAE) or Audit Partner (external audit)

Lateral Moves:

Risk & Compliance Manager
Financial Controls Lead / SOX Controls Owner
Operational Excellence or Process Improvement Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead end-to-end audit engagements, including scoping, risk assessment, creation of detailed audit programs, fieldwork execution, evidence collection, testing of transactions and controls, documentation of findings, and delivery of clear, actionable audit reports to stakeholders and audit committees.
Develop and maintain a risk-based annual audit plan aligned with enterprise risk registers and strategic priorities, continuously updating priorities as new risks emerge and regulatory or business changes occur.
Perform detailed financial statement testing and substantive procedures in accordance with audit standards (GAAS, PCAOB, IA standards), including revenue recognition, expense validation, account reconciliations, and substantive analytics to support audit opinions.
Evaluate the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting, operational processes, and IT-enabled controls (including automated controls) to ensure compliance with SOX, internal policies, and external regulations.
Execute control testing for SOX 404 compliance: prepare walkthroughs, define key control matrices, perform test of controls, document exceptions, and work with control owners to implement timely remediation.
Conduct operational and process audits aimed at identifying inefficiencies, redundancy, segregation-of-duties conflicts, and cost-saving opportunities while recommending process reengineering and automation improvements.
Perform IT and application control reviews focusing on ERP platforms (SAP, Oracle, Workday, NetSuite), change management, access controls, privileged user monitoring, and system integrations to assess risk to financial and operational data integrity.
Lead fraud risk assessments and investigations by applying data analytics, sampling techniques, transaction tracing, and corroborative procedures; escalate suspected fraud to management and compliance as appropriate and document investigative findings.
Use data analytics tools (e.g., IDEA, ACL, SQL, Python, Power BI, Tableau) to perform continuous auditing, large-sample testing, anomaly detection, trend analysis, and visualization of audit results to provide higher assurance and faster insights.
Coordinate and manage third-party/vendor audits and SOC examinations, review service organization control reports (SOC 1, SOC 2), validate vendor controls, and oversee remediation activities related to outsourced processes.
Draft concise and persuasive audit findings and management letters that quantify the business impact, prioritize risk, and recommend practical, risk-proportionate remediation plans with clear owners and timelines.
Communicate audit results and findings effectively to various stakeholders — business process owners, senior management, external auditors, and audit committees — using executive summaries, presentations, and dashboards that highlight risk, root cause, and remediation status.
Monitor remediation plans and remediation testing, validate implemented controls, test operating effectiveness post-remediation, and maintain remediation trackers and evidence repositories to closure.
Support external audit fieldwork by providing documentation, schedules, and explanations; reconcile internal audit findings with external auditor recommendations and ensure single source of truth for management.
Maintain and continuously improve audit methodologies, templates, workpapers, and testing approaches to increase quality, efficiency, and coverage, including the adoption of agile audit techniques and automation of repetitive tasks.
Collaborate with finance, legal, compliance, IT, and business process owners to translate regulatory requirements (SOX, SEC, GDPR, HIPAA, industry-specific regulations) into testable control objectives and compliance programs.
Conduct walkthroughs and process mapping sessions to identify key risks, control points, IT dependencies, and opportunities to strengthen governance and segregation of duties across end-to-end processes such as order-to-cash, procure-to-pay, payroll, and treasury.
Provide coaching, supervision, and technical guidance to junior auditors and cross-functional teams to build capability in audit methodology, risk assessment, evidence gathering, and professional documentation standards.
Stay current on changes in accounting standards (GAAP, IFRS), auditing standards, regulatory updates, and industry best practices; proactively assess their implications for the audit plan and internal controls framework.
Participate in enterprise risk management initiatives, internal control self-assessment (ICSA) programs, and business continuity planning, providing independent assurance and recommendations to strengthen organizational resilience.
Ensure audit activities adhere to professional, ethical, and confidentiality standards; safeguard sensitive financial and operational information and follow data privacy and cybersecurity protocols when handling audit artifacts.
Prepare and present quarterly or annual audit status reports and analytics-driven dashboards to senior leadership and audit committees, highlighting risk trends, remediation progress, and residual risk exposure.
Support special projects such as M&A due diligence, system implementations, process redesigns, and regulatory examinations by providing risk assessments, control design input, and post-implementation audit testing.

Secondary Functions

Contribute to the development and execution of continuous auditing and monitoring programs, automating recurring tests and control checks to increase audit coverage and reduce manual effort.
Develop and deliver targeted training and awareness sessions for control owners and process teams on SOX compliance, internal control best practices, fraud prevention, and audit readiness.
Participate in cross-functional working groups for major system implementations (ERP upgrades, RPA/automation initiatives), advising on control design, segregation of duties, and test plans to mitigate implementation risk.
Support regulatory compliance initiatives by translating new regulatory requirements into control activities, drafting policy enhancements, and validating implementation for completeness.
Assist with internal policy and procedure updates, ensuring documentation aligns with current processes, regulatory expectations, and industry best practices.
Act as a subject-matter resource for audit analytics, including building repeatable scripts and dashboards that inventory risk indicators, control exceptions, and remediation performance.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strong knowledge of internal audit standards, external audit procedures, and the full audit lifecycle (planning, fieldwork, reporting, remediation).
Financial statement accounting proficiency (GAAP and/or IFRS) with hands-on experience testing balance sheet accounts, revenue recognition, accruals, and disclosures.
SOX 404 compliance experience: control documentation, testing, deficiency evaluation, and remediation coordination.
Proficiency with ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Workday) and understanding of common ERP control points and configuration risks.
Data analytics and scripting skills (SQL, Python, ACL, IDEA) and experience using BI/visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau) to perform large-sample testing and generate audit insights.
IT audit fundamentals including application controls, change management, access control reviews, privileged account monitoring, and basic cybersecurity control assessment.
Strong Excel modeling and pivot/table skills, including VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, Power Query, and macros for data preparation and analysis.
Experience preparing audit workpapers consistent with professional standards and using audit management software (e.g., TeamMate, AuditBoard, Galvanize/HighBond).
Understanding of relevant regulatory frameworks and compliance areas (SOX, SEC reporting, GDPR, HIPAA, industry-specific regulations).
Ability to design and implement key control matrices, risk assessment matrices, and remediation plans with clear KPIs and timelines.
Solid knowledge of fraud risk indicators, investigative techniques, and procedures for escalation and documentation.
Experience coordinating with external auditors and third-party assurance providers, including review of SOC reports and vendor control assessments.

Soft Skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present complex findings to senior leaders and audit committees in a concise, business-focused manner.
Strong analytical and critical thinking skills with attention to detail and ability to synthesize large datasets into actionable insights.
Client-focused mindset and the ability to build trust and productive relationships with control owners, finance teams, IT, and operating leaders.
Project management skills including planning multi-phase audits, prioritizing tasks, meeting deadlines, and managing multiple concurrent engagements.
Problem-solving and creativity in recommending pragmatic, risk-based remediation and process improvements.
Professional skepticism and ethical judgment to evaluate evidence objectively and escalate issues appropriately.
Adaptability and resilience in a fast-changing regulatory and business environment; comfortable with ambiguity and continuous learning.
Coaching and mentoring ability to develop junior auditors and elevate team capabilities.
Diplomacy and influence to negotiate remediation timelines and secure timely management buy-in for control enhancements.
Time management and organizational skills to balance fieldwork, stakeholder meetings, and reporting obligations effectively.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Information Systems, or a related field.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, or an MBA; additional coursework in IT audit or data analytics preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Accounting
Finance
Information Systems / Computer Science
Business Administration
Economics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years for staff/senior auditor roles; 5+ years for senior auditor/manager tracks, depending on scope and complexity.

Preferred:

Public accounting (Big Four or regional firm) or internal audit experience with a track record of leading audits across finance, operations, and IT.
Professional certifications such as CPA, CIA, CISA, CRMA, or equivalent; ongoing certification progress welcomed.
Demonstrated experience with SOX 404 programs, ERP implementations or controls reviews, and the use of data analytics in audit engagements.