Accountants and Auditors

Finance

Level 5483 of 1200 points

Job description

Accountants and Auditors

Job purpose

To examine, analyse and interpret accounting records, prepare and evaluate financial statements, and audit the accuracy, control and legal compliance of financial and information systems, so that the organisation's financial reporting is reliable and management is properly advised on financial performance and risk.

Skills

Deep technical command of accepted accounting procedures, financial statement preparation, audit methodology and scope determination, internal control design, taxation and tax liability computation, budgeting and cost systems, and the law and regulation governing financial reporting, supported by strong applied mathematics and statistics and by accounting systems expertise. Bachelor's degree with several years of related experience and on-the-job training.
Confers with company officials on financial and regulatory matters, reports audit findings and recommendations to management, interviews staff to establish whether transactions are properly recorded, and advises on matters such as accounting systems design and tax planning. Findings frequently need explaining to non-specialists and defending when unwelcome. Supervises auditing work and may direct filing and recording personnel.
Investigative and analytical work of substance: collecting and analysing data to detect deficient controls, duplicated effort, extravagance, fraud or non-compliance; reconciling discrepancies between accounts; evaluating financial and information systems and recommending controls to ensure reliability and data integrity; and analysing operations, trends, costs, revenues and obligations to project future results. Requires professional scepticism and defensible judgement.
Determines the scope of investigations, develops and documents record-keeping and accounting systems, develops and analyses budgets, and delivers reporting, audit and tax cycles to fixed statutory deadlines while running concurrent assignments.
Work is carried out at a desk using accounting systems, with visits to premises to inspect records, cash and inventory. No manual handling or dexterity demands.

Responsibilities

No general line management, though supervises the auditing of establishments and may direct personnel engaged in filing, recording and transmitting financial records. Findings and recommendations carry weight with management.
Prepares, examines and analyses accounting records and financial statements for accuracy and conformance to reporting standards; inspects cash on hand, notes receivable and payable, negotiable securities and cancelled cheques; prepares adjusting journal entries; reports to management on asset utilisation and the finances of the establishment; computes tax liability and prepares returns; and develops and analyses budgets. Does not usually hold a budget, but the integrity of the organisation's reported financial position rests substantially on this work.
Examines inventory to verify journal and ledger entries and reports on asset utilisation. Ordinary care of workstation and accounting systems.
Accountable for the integrity of financial information. Prepares detailed reports on audit findings, establishes tables of accounts, documents accounting systems, and audits payroll and personnel records for insurance premiums, workers' compensation coverage, liabilities and tax compliance. Handles confidential financial information where error or concealment carries legal and financial consequences.

Effort required

Long periods of exacting detailed examination, where a single unreconciled item matters, combined with analytical judgement about materiality, control adequacy and the scope an investigation should take. Concentration must hold across concurrent assignments and fixed reporting deadlines.
Findings of error, non-compliance, extravagance or fraud must be reported to the people responsible for them, and independence maintained under pressure to soften a conclusion. Interviewing staff about their own recording practice can meet resistance, but the interactions are professional rather than personally distressing.
Predominantly seated office work, with movement between premises for on-site audits and inventory inspection. No lifting or exertion.

Working conditions

Office-based without physical hazard, with periods working on the premises of the establishments being audited, examining records and inspecting cash and inventory there. Psychosocial demand comes from handling confidential financial data and from the professional friction inherent in audit work.
Workload is governed by fixed external deadlines — year-end, audit and tax cycles — producing pronounced and predictable peaks in which several assignments run concurrently. Works with substantial professional autonomy inside statutory, regulatory and professional standards, and is personally accountable for the technical defensibility of the work.

Skills

40% · 249 points▾

KnowledgeLevel 5 of 8
90 of 144 points
Specialised and theoretical knowledge within a field of work and an awareness of the limits of that knowledge. The job requires a comprehensive range of cognitive and practical knowledge to develop creative solutions to abstract problems.
Interpersonal and communication skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Effective communication and interpersonal relationships. The job holder is required to adapt communication to different audiences and foster trust, cooperation and positive working relationships.
Problem-solving skillsLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Variable problems. The job involves dealing with different kinds of problems that require careful thinking, research into different options or adjusting existing ways of doing things. Guidance and resources may be limited.
Planning and organisational skillsLevel 3 of 5
43 of 72 points
Moderate organisational skills required. The job requires the organising and prioritising of multiple tasks, with some level of adjustment to plans on the basis of changing circumstances or deadlines.
Physical skillsLevel 0 of 5
0 of 72 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any particular physical skills (although there is likely to be some physical activity).

Responsibility

35% · 145 points▾

PeopleLevel 1 of 5
29 of 144 points
Very limited. Not required to supervise or perform a caregiving role. The job may involve providing basic guidance to or orientation for others, such as helping new colleagues settle in.
Goods and equipmentLevel 0 of 5
0 of 84 points
Not applicable. The job does not involve any responsibility for goods or equipment.
InformationLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Moderate responsibility for information. The job involves managing information to ensure it is accurate, of high quality and secure. The job holder may make decisions about the handling of sensitive data.
Financial resourcesLevel 3 of 5
58 of 96 points
Moderate responsibility for financial resources. The job requires handling significant financial resources, including managing budgets, overseeing expenditures, being accountable for spending and participating in financial decision-making.

Effort

15% · 65 points▾

Mental effortLevel 3 of 5
36 of 60 points
High level of mental effort. The job involves frequent concentration on complex tasks that require considerable mental effort, such as interpreting complex data.
Psychosocial and emotional effortLevel 2 of 5
29 of 72 points
Occasional psychosocial and emotional effort. The job requires occasional involvement in emotionally demanding situations, such as handling minor conflicts or dealing with upset individuals.
Physical effortLevel 0 of 5
0 of 48 points
Not applicable. The job does not require any physical effort.

Working Conditions

10% · 24 points▾

Environment (physical, psychological or emotional)Level 1 of 5
17 of 84 points
Minimal exposure to hazards or stress. The job involves little or no exposure to physical hazards (e.g. chemicals, moving equipment, noise) and minimal emotional or psychological risks (e.g. occasional routine tasks with no emotional burden). There is minor exposure to dust, dirt, fumes, noise, waste, poor lighting, etc.
Organisational environmentLevel 1 of 5
7 of 36 points
Minimal organisational demands. The job requires standard working hours with no night shifts or irregular schedules. There is little or no need for travel or digital connectivity beyond typical working hours.