Audit Associate

Benefits:

• IRA with Employer Match
• Bonus based on performance
• Dental insurance
• Health insurance
• Paid time off
• Vision insurance

ABOUT BW&O CPAS

Beebout, Williams & Olds CPAs (BW&O CPAS) is a growing, tech-forward, and mission-driven public accounting firm serving individuals and a range of businesses. We value innovation, team collaboration, and meaningful work.

We're obsessed with:

• Delivering exceptional client service
• Building a team culture of critical and analytical thinking with a growth mindset
• Leveraging technology to work smarter and keep up with the rapidly changing industry

WHY THIS ROLE EXISTS

Our audit practice serves organizations that do real good: nonprofits, affordable housing partnerships, and employee benefit plans, along with the compliance-heavy work that comes with them, such as Single Audits, HUD, and LIHTC. Auditors here don't tick boxes. They test the numbers, understand the story behind them, and help leaders trust their own financials.

WHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY OWN

Not a task list. Real ownership:

• Test real areas. Perform substantive testing and walkthroughs in areas such as cash, receivables, fixed assets, payables and expenses, payroll, and net assets, with clean, well-referenced workpapers and growing independence.
• See the whole audit. Understand the why behind every procedure, from risk assessment and materiality through completion and reporting, so you're not just completing steps. You're learning to think like an auditor.
• Build range early. Because of our client mix, you'll be exposed to nonprofit, affordable housing, and benefit plan audits, plus compliance work like Single Audit and HUD and LIHTC testing, instead of a single industry for years.
• Work smarter with technology. Use modern audit tools and AI-assisted workpaper methods to cut repetitive work, so more of your time goes to judgment, analysis, and conversations with clients.
• Communicate like a professional. Request documents, ask sharp follow‑up questions, and explain findings clearly to client staff, management, and your engagement team. Client‑facing work starts early here.
• Be a real part of your team. Work closely with senior associates, your manager, and the principals on a focused client group.
• Own your workload. Manage multiple engagements and tight deadlines in Karbon, and hit internal firm deadlines (time entry, billing) without being chased. Your on‑time delivery, review notes per workpaper, and responsiveness are visible, and you own them.
• Work toward your CPA. Make steady, visible progress through the exam with the firm behind you.

YOUR FIRST 90 DAYS

• Weeks 1–2: Get inside our systems: Karbon workflows, our audit methodology and workpaper standards, and our communication standards. Meet your engagement team and start on your first workpapers with close coaching.
• By day 30: Complete straightforward sections, such as cash, with growing independence. Your workpapers are organized and clearly referenced, your questions are good ones, and your deadlines are tracked.
• By day 60: Expand into additional audit areas, join planning and risk discussions, and handle your first client interactions with confidence.
• By day 90: Carry a steady testing workload, catch more of your own issues before your reviewer does, and have a CPA exam study plan mapped out with your manager.

And by month 12:

• You’ve owned multiple audit areas across more than one type of engagement, and your reviewer trusts your work
• You’ve been through a busy season and come out sharper
• You’ve made real, measurable progress toward your CPA
• Your team knows you as reliable, curious, and professional

WHO THRIVES HERE

• Skeptical and curious. You ask "why?" and "what would prove that?" and you follow the thread until the numbers make sense.
• Detail-oriented. Accuracy matters to you, and it shows in your work.
• Organized. You handle multiple priorities, clients, and tight deadlines without dropping anything.
• A genuine team player. You work collaboratively, keep a professional demeanor with coworkers and clients, and make your team a better place to work.
• Client-service minded. Strong interpersonal skills; clients feel respected, not interrogated, when they work with you.
• Serious about licensure. Becoming a CPA is part of your actual career plan, not a someday idea.

QUALIFICATIONS

REQUIRED

• BS/BA degree, accounting preferred
• 0–2 years of audit or accounting experience (new graduates are welcome to apply)
• Eligible to sit for the CPA exam and committed to earning your CPA
• Strong Excel and general software skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills and attention to detail
• Available to work additional hours during busy periods on an as-needed basis (paid; this role is overtime eligible)

BONUS POINTS

• Prior experience at a public accounting firm
• Coursework or exposure to nonprofit accounting, employee benefit plans, Single Audit, or affordable housing (HUD/LIHTC)
• CPA exam sections passed
• Comfort with audit software, data analytics tools, or AI-assisted workflows

DON'T MEET EVERY SINGLE QUALIFICATION?

After reviewing this job posting, are you hesitating to apply because you don't meet all the listed requirements? At BW&O CPAs, we are dedicated to building a workplace supported by unique perspectives and experiences, so if you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we still encourage you to apply. You may still be the right candidate for this or one of our other roles.

HOW WE WORK & WHAT WE OFFER

• Full-time, non-exempt role (overtime paid, including during busy season) based in our El Dorado Hills, CA office. Training and daily coaching work best in person, so this role starts fully in-office; hybrid eligibility opens up as you build experience and independence
• Competitive base salary of $65,000–$77,000, depending on experience
• Paid time off, holidays, and comprehensive benefits including healthcare, dental, vision, and IRA with employer match
• Daily on-the-job coaching from your senior associates and manager, plus firmwide learning and development programs
• Real licensure support: CPA exam fees reimbursed, plus a bonus when you pass
• A defined career track from associate to senior associate to manager

ABOUT THE INTERVIEW

We move quickly. Our process is two conversations, then a decision.

• Video interview with our Audit Director and COO. We hit the ground running: an in-depth conversation about our firm, our leadership, and our goals for this position, along with a deeper look at your experience and career goals.
• Second interview with our Owner, Audit Director, and Audit Manager. We go deeper on your technical knowledge and work through situational questions, and you'll meet some of the people you'd work alongside.
• Offer. From there, we're ready to move.