Manager / Senior Manager, Audit, Financial Services (Almaty)

Responsibilities

• Manage and review audits of financial statements of banks and other financial institutions prepared under IFRS, as well as audit-related and advisory engagements (e.g., regulatory reporting reviews, IFRS 9 / ECL assessments, capital adequacy and liquidity reviews).
• Contribute to the preparation of commercial proposals and engagement pricing for financial services clients.
• Build and maintain long-term relationships with existing banking clients, and identify opportunities to expand the range of audit and advisory services provided.
• Identify prospective clients in the banking and financial services sector, and develop a business development strategy and action plan to win new engagements.
• Monitor developments in the audit market and the banking sector, including regulatory changes issued by the National Bank of Kazakhstan and the ARDFM, and use these insights to develop new service offerings for clients.
• Identify and resolve risk-related matters, ensuring compliance with professional ethics, auditor independence requirements, and the firm’s quality management standards.
• Participate in audit engagement planning, including the assessment of key risk areas specific to banks (credit risk, expected credit losses, loan portfolio valuation, financial instruments, IT and treasury), and allocate tasks to the engagement team to ensure an effective audit.
• Manage engagement budgets, track actual costs against budget, and analyze overruns.
• Hold debrief meetings with the engagement team upon project completion to identify lessons learned and improvements for future audits.
• Submit the audit report to the Engagement Partner/Director for signature.
• Evaluate the performance of Assistants and Supervisors at the end of each engagement.
• Work closely with Department of Professional Practice (DPP) specialists, as well as Financial Risk Management, IT Audit and Valuation specialists, throughout engagements.
• Take part in recruitment events and interviews, and deliver training sessions and seminars for employees and clients, including on banking regulation and IFRS topics.

Requirements

• Higher education in Finance, Accounting, Economics or a related field.
• At least 5 years of external audit experience, including substantial experience auditing banks and other financial institutions; experience at a Big Four or another international audit firm is a strong advantage.
• Proven experience managing audit engagements end-to-end, from planning to issuing the audit report, including leading and developing engagement teams.
• Solid understanding of banking operations and key risk areas: credit risk, loan portfolio valuation, treasury, liquidity and capital adequacy.
• Knowledge of Kazakhstan’s banking regulation (requirements of the National Bank of Kazakhstan and the ARDFM), including prudential and regulatory reporting; familiarity with Basel principles is an advantage.
• ACCA, CPA, a local auditor’s license or an equivalent professional qualification.
• Experience in business development, preparing commercial proposals and managing client relationships at senior level.
• Strong analytical, project management and budget management skills.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, with the ability to work with senior management and audit committees of financial institutions.
• High standards of professional ethics, integrity and independence.