Staff Auditor and Accountant

Job Description

Job Description

Pay and Benefits:

Salary Range: $60,000 to $75,000 annually

Bonuses: Annual, performance based

Paid Leave: PTO, holidays and select other weekend/holiday extender days

Health and Dental Benefits: Yes

Retirement Benefits: 401(k)

Other Benefits: Group term life, long term care, professional dues and education

Qualifications:

A Staff Auditor & Accountant ordinarily has a degree in accounting, but may have limited or no work experience in public or private accounting, auditing or tax return preparation. A Staff Auditor & Accountant should understand basic accounting and tax concepts, but will require substantial supervision and training related to his/her job responsibilities.

Professional certifications:

A CPA license is encouraged but not required. Ordinarily, non-CPAs should be actively pursuing their CPA license.

Job responsibilities:

Staff Auditors & Accountants are generally guided by Senior Auditors & Accountants and Supervisors in the performance of their job responsibilities, but may also be guided by Managers and Shareholders. Areas in which responsibilities are assigned are generally limited to accounting and operating areas of low to moderate complexity (such as cash, due from banks, loans, fixed assets, deposits and payroll).

Key job responsibilities include the following:

Accounting and Auditing

1. Reviewing or preparing reconciliations of general ledger accounts to subsidiary ledgers, and resolving discrepancies

2. Testing the accuracy of account reconciliations by tracing reconciliation balances and reconciling items to supporting documentation, and by resolving discrepancies.

3. Performing tests to validate input to client systems.

4. Performing tests to validate calculations made by client systems.

5. Performing tests of the effectiveness of client internal controls.

6. Preparing analyses of the appropriateness of clients' basic accounting estimates (i.e. depreciable lives, basic accrued expenses payable).

7. Preparing confirmation requests, processing confirmation returns, resolving confirmation discrepancies and performing other follow-up work.

8. Documenting engagement findings, and developing recommendations for clients to address the findings. Assisting in the presentation of findings and recommendations to clients.

9. Preparing basic reports (i.e. Directors Exam, PDPA, internal audit), including incorporating findings and recommendations provided by others.

Income Tax

10. Preparing C corporation and S Corporation income tax returns based upon workpapers prepared by others.

11. Preparing individual and fiduciary income tax returns based upon raw data (i.e. W-2s and K-1s) provided by others.

Administration

12. Assisting others in the preparation of engagement planning correspondence (i.e. information request letters).

13. Prepping engagement binders and workpapers.

14. Assisting with recruiting efforts, such as on-campus visits and prospective employee lunches.

Required competencies for advancement:

As Staff Auditors & Accountants progress with respect to the quality and timeliness of their work, and their understanding of client systems, they will be assigned responsibilities in accounting and operating areas of increasing complexity. As Staff Auditors & Accountants progress with respect to their understanding of overall engagement requirements and the quality of their assigned administrative tasks, they will be assigned greater responsibilities related to engagement planning, supervision and wrap-up.

The following competencies must be consistently demonstrated before promotion to Senior Auditor & Accountant is considered:

Technical

1. The ability to complete work within established timeframes.

2. The ability to complete work accurately, including providing thorough and complete documentation.

3. The ability to work independently with limited oversight.

4. The ability to timely and effectively communicate engagement issues, concerns and findings to supervisory personnel and others on the engagement team.

5. The ability to evaluate the results of work, identify engagement risks related to the work and develop an engagement response to those risks.

6. The ability to present findings and recommendations to clients (both verbally and in written reports) in a clear, concise and professional manner.

7. The employee must possess sufficient technical knowledge related to the areas in which work has been assigned, and have the ability to assume work of increasing accounting and operational complexity.

Administrative and Professional

8. The employee must conduct him/her self in a professional manner with confidence and ease in the presence of clients, peers and other FBL personnel.

9. The ability to organize, prioritize and monitor the status of multiple tasks, including timetables.

10. The ability to teach job responsibilities and technical knowledge to newer Staff Accountants, and to direct and review the work of those staff.

11. The employee must understand the requirements of various types of engagements.

12. The employee must take increasing responsibility for engagement planning, supervision and wrap-up procedures.

13. The employee must be familiar with the firm's policies and procedures.

14. The employee must understand professional standards and regulatory and legal requirements.