Audit Assistant Manager

Audit Assistant Manager – Belfast, Newry or Dungannon Hybrid (min. 3 days/week in office) | Permanent

A well-established, growing accountancy and business advisory practice in Northern Ireland is looking for an ambitious, qualified Audit Assistant Manager to join their expanding audit and assurance team. This is a firm with a genuinely broad private-client base spanning construction, hospitality and a wide range of other sectors — alongside a fast-growing public sector audit practice that has doubled in size over the past year. This is a rare opportunity to build a career that isn\'t boxed into one niche: you\'ll get real depth in public sector/not-for-profit audit work during its intensive season, balanced with a varied portfolio of owner-managed and SME clients the rest of the year.

About the Role

You’ll play a key role in supporting the management of a portfolio of audit and assurance clients — from planning through to completion — while supervising, coaching and developing junior team members and trainees. This is a firm where people at every level, from trainee to partner, work closely together; there\'s no rigid hierarchy of who talks to whom, and everyone is expected to pitch in as a team.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the planning, execution and completion of audit assignments, hitting deadlines and budgets




• Supervise, direct and coach trainees and junior staff on your assignments, with early review of their work




• Build and maintain strong client relationships through proactive, responsive service




• Assist with preparation of financial statements and consolidated/group accounts — this is a hands‑on, practical role, not a \"client hands you the numbers\" set-up




• Identify and communicate audit findings, risks and recommendations, consulting with managers and directors as needed




• Contribute to business development — networking events, internal client functions and feeding into tenders and proposals (with financial incentives for new client wins)




• Ensure compliance with professional standards, regulatory requirements and quality management procedures




• Maintain technical knowledge through ongoing CPD

What They\’re Looking For

Essential

• ACA, ACCA or equivalent professional qualification (fully qualified — not part-qualified)




• Solid experience managing audit assignments and supporting a client portfolio




• Experience coaching, mentoring and reviewing junior team members’ work




• Strong communication, organisational and relationship-management skills




• Comfortable managing budgets and timelines (fee negotiation is not required at this level)




• Experience with group audits and consolidated accounts

Desirable

• Exposure to public sector, not-for-profit or other regulated-entity audit work




• Experience with owner-managed/SME businesses across a broad range of industries




• Familiarity with CaseWare, Inflo or similar audit/accounts-prep software (training provided if not)




• Some involvement in tenders, proposals or networking/business development activity

The firm is especially keen to hear from candidates who\’ve worked across a blend of public sector and SME/commercial audit — that combination is hard to find but exactly what makes someone thrive here. Candidates from mid‑tier firms tend to transition especially well, though strong candidates from larger firms with genuine SME portfolio exposure are also very welcome.

What You Can Expect

• Hybrid working with a minimum of three days a week in the office (to support and coach the trainee team) — flexible between Belfast and Newry depending on client base and time of year




• Condensed hours — finish at 1pm on Fridays




• Minimal client site travel — cloud‑based audit software means most work is done in‑office, with only the occasional day on‑site to close out an audit




• Clearly defined, structured progression with annual promotion rounds




• A genuinely team‑first, supportive culture — people pull together when someone\’s stretched, and it goes both ways




• Reporting into an Assistant Manager/Manager structure with a clear route through to Director level




• Financial incentives for business development and client referrals

Practical Details

• Location: Belfast preferred; Newry considered for the right candidate with flexibility for travel




• Reports to: Director (public sector team)




• Interview process: Initial informal Teams call, followed by an in-person interview with senior leadership. No technical assessment for this level.




• Start: Urgent need, ideally in place ahead of the January public sector audit season

Interested candidates should be fully qualified (ACA/ACCA or equivalent) with demonstrable audit management and team supervision experience.