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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Boston Internal Audit & Financial Advisory Consultant

💰 $ - $

Internal AuditFinancial AdvisoryConsultingBoston

🎯 Role Definition

We are hiring a Boston Internal Audit & Financial Advisory Consultant to plan and execute financial, operational and IT audit engagements, perform risk assessments and SOX testing, support transaction and due diligence workstreams, and produce high-quality reports and remediation plans. This role is client-facing, requires strong technical accounting and control experience, and uses data analytics and ERP testing to drive insights and sustainable process improvements. Ideal candidates will have experience with COSO framework, public accounting or Big Four advisory experience, relevant certifications (CPA, CIA, ACAMS), and a bias for practical, business-oriented recommendations.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Internal Audit Associate or Senior Internal Auditor
  • Staff Accountant or Senior Accountant from public accounting (Big Four or regional firm)
  • Risk Advisory / Compliance Analyst or Financial Advisory Analyst

Advancement To:

  • Senior Consultant / Senior Internal Audit Manager
  • Manager, Internal Audit & Advisory
  • Director / Head of Risk and Controls / Transaction Advisory Leader

Lateral Moves:

  • Risk Advisory or Compliance Lead
  • Finance Business Partner / FP&A Lead
  • Forensic Accounting or Anti-Fraud Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead full audit lifecycle activities for internal audit and financial advisory engagements in the Boston market, including scoping, planning, fieldwork, testing, issue identification, remediation planning and reporting to senior management and audit committees.
  • Conduct enterprise-wide and process-level risk assessments using COSO and other industry-standard frameworks to prioritize audit focus areas and define control testing strategies.
  • Design, execute and document Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Section 404 compliance programs — including control design evaluations, walkthroughs, testing of control effectiveness, deficiency classification, and remediation tracking.
  • Perform financial statement testing and substantive procedures to validate account balances, disclosures, journal entries, reconciliations and cut-off testing in accordance with GAAP/IFRS and company policies.
  • Execute operational and performance audits to evaluate efficiency, effectiveness and economy of business processes, and provide pragmatic recommendations to optimize processes and reduce cost.
  • Support transaction advisory and due diligence engagements by analyzing historical financials, assessing quality of earnings, identifying key accounting and control risks, and preparing diligence deliverables for M&A transactions.
  • Run IT general control (ITGC) and application control testing, assess segregation of duties in ERP systems (SAP, Oracle), and coordinate with IT teams to validate user access controls, change management and infrastructure security.
  • Utilize data analytics (ACL, IDEA, SQL, Python, Power BI/Tableau) to perform large dataset testing, identify anomalies and trends, automate testing scripts and provide visualizations that support audit conclusions and management decisions.
  • Prepare high-quality, concise audit reports and executive summaries with clear risk ratings, root cause analysis, business impact estimates and prioritized remediation recommendations.
  • Present audit findings and remediation plans to senior management, audit committees and stakeholders, and drive follow-up to ensure timely closure and sustainable implementation of control improvements.
  • Coordinate with external auditors and regulatory examiners to provide workpapers, testing evidence and responses to queries while managing client expectations and minimizing duplicative effort.
  • Lead and mentor junior staff and engagement teams — delegating work, reviewing deliverables, providing coaching on technical accounting, audit methodology and client communication.
  • Develop and maintain strong client relationships, acting as a trusted advisor on internal controls, regulatory compliance, process redesign and financial reporting matters.
  • Design and implement internal control frameworks and policies aligned to industry best practices, helping organizations strengthen governance and reduce control deficiencies.
  • Conduct root cause analysis for repeat audit findings and collaborate cross-functionally to implement process or system remediation, including change management and training components.
  • Support compliance initiatives including regulatory filings, SEC reporting, anti-money laundering (AML) programs and other jurisdictional requirements, ensuring policies align with evolving regulations.
  • Execute forensic accounting and investigations as needed — performing transaction testing, tracing funds, reconstructing financial records and providing documented evidence for remediation or legal use.
  • Plan and manage multiple audit and advisory engagements simultaneously, maintaining engagement budgets, timelines, resourcing and quality control standards.
  • Drive continuous improvement of audit methodology by integrating automation, data sampling, analytics and technology-enabled testing tools to increase audit coverage and efficiency.
  • Provide subject-matter expertise on complex accounting transactions (revenue recognition, leases, derivatives, business combinations), advising clients on policy interpretations and disclosure requirements.
  • Participate in business development activities: preparing proposals, responding to RFPs, participating in client meetings and contributing to practice growth in the Boston region.
  • Maintain up-to-date knowledge of accounting standards (ASC, IFRS), regulatory guidance and industry trends to ensure audit programs are current and risk-focused.
  • Oversee documentation standards and quality assurance reviews to ensure audit deliverables meet firm policies and professional standards.
  • Advocate for and implement data governance controls, including master data integrity checks, reconciliation procedures and automated monitoring routines to reduce financial reporting risk.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for audit and advisory projects using SQL, Excel and analytics tools.
  • Contribute to the organization's audit technology roadmap and recommend tools to improve automation, continuous monitoring and reporting.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate control gaps into actionable remediation requirements and acceptance criteria for technology or process changes.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies when working with cross-functional transformation teams or controls remediation projects.
  • Deliver training sessions and workshops for client finance and operations teams on control best practices, SOX readiness, and fraud prevention awareness.
  • Assist in developing standard operating procedures and templates for audit testing, control mapping and issue tracking.
  • Serve as a liaison between finance, IT, operations and external advisors during system implementations, upgrades and control redesign projects.
  • Help build and maintain a centralized repository of audit artifacts, findings and remediation evidence to support audit continuity and knowledge transfer.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance experience: control design, walkthroughs, testing, deficiency reporting and remediation planning.
  • Strong knowledge of internal control frameworks (COSO, COBIT) and governance best practices.
  • Advanced financial accounting knowledge (US GAAP and IFRS) including revenue recognition, leases, business combinations and financial instruments.
  • Hands-on data analytics: proficiency with SQL, Excel (VLOOKUP, Power Query, PivotTables), ACL/IDEA, Python or R, and visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau).
  • ERP and systems expertise: testing and controls experience in SAP, Oracle, Workday or NetSuite; user access management and SOD analysis.
  • Audit methodology and documentation: planning, sampling techniques, workpaper preparation and quality review processes.
  • IT controls testing: experience with ITGC, application controls, change management and privileged access testing.
  • Financial modeling and transaction analysis for due diligence, quality of earnings and valuation support.
  • Familiarity with regulatory and compliance requirements (SEC reporting, AML/KYC, SOX 404, industry-specific regulations).
  • Experience with audit tools and workflow platforms (TeamMate, CaseWare, Alteryx, Workiva).
  • Forensic accounting techniques: transaction tracing, data recovery, fraud detection and evidence preservation.
  • Ability to prepare and review formal audit reports, management letters and executive-level presentations.

Soft Skills

  • Strong verbal and written communication skills with an ability to translate technical findings into business-focused recommendations for senior leadership and audit committees.
  • Client-facing presence: consultative approach, credibility building, and ability to manage expectations across diverse stakeholders.
  • Critical thinking and problem-solving skills with attention to detail and a practical orientation to remediation.
  • Project management and multitasking: prioritize competing deadlines and manage multiple engagements simultaneously.
  • Leadership and mentoring: coach junior staff, provide constructive feedback and develop team capabilities.
  • Adaptability and initiative: comfortable working in fast-paced environments with changing regulatory and client priorities.
  • Ethical judgment and integrity: confidentiality, professional skepticism and adherence to regulatory standards.
  • Negotiation and influencing skills to drive remediation and change without direct authority.
  • Time management and organization to meet tight reporting deadlines and audit milestones.
  • Continuous learning mindset and curiosity about accounting standards, technology and process improvements.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

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

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, MBA or relevant advanced degree.
  • Professional certifications such as CPA, CIA, CISA, ACCA, or Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Business Administration
  • Information Systems / Computer Science
  • Economics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 3 to 7 years of combined public accounting, internal audit or financial advisory experience; often 3-5 years for Consultant level and 5+ years preferred for Senior Consultant.

Preferred:

  • Prior experience at a Big Four or national accounting/advisory firm, or in a corporate internal audit/financial compliance function.
  • Demonstrated SOX testing and internal controls experience, exposure to M&A due diligence or transaction advisory, and hands-on analytics experience.
  • Experience working with public companies, SEC reporting or regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, energy) is highly desirable.
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