Senior Consultant, Process & Controls, Risk Consulting (UKI) in Edinburgh

Risk Consulting is a dynamic group of people focused on helping our clients solve tomorrow’s problems today through integrated solution service offerings in the area of risk, such as internal audit, risk management and financial controls. Risk continues to move up the agenda and our team works with many of today’s front-running companies. Our clients want integrated, strategic, tech-enabled, end-to-end solutions and we deliver tailored risk offerings putting client value and relationships at the core of what we do. You can expect to work with senior client personnel and drive high-quality work products.

Our Risk team consists of talented colleagues who invite you to bring your natural curiosity and innovative thoughts to work each day. Working within our team, you’ll have the chance to build a career as unique as you are, with the global scale, support, inclusive culture, and technology to become the best version of you. We offer excellent career development, diverse opportunities and fantastic work-life balance including hybrid working. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Client Delivery and Project Management: Undertake and deliver on engagements, managing multiple internal and external stakeholders. Projects will vary and may include internal audits, implementation or review of internal and financial control frameworks, enterprise risk management, governance risk and control (GRC), Sarbanes-Oxley (SoX) implementations or reviews, risk and control automation, and performance improvement. Support the execution and daily deliverables of a portfolio of client projects, ensuring high-quality deliverables are completed on time and within budget.
• Technical Expertise: Assist clients in implementing, assessing, or managing risk and control frameworks. Perform internal audit work to provide assurance over processes and control environments across various financial and operational areas. Demonstrate risk awareness and understanding of business impact while drafting pragmatic, improvement-focused recommendations.
• Quality and Risk Management: Monitor and manage client engagements, including project planning and adherence to quality standards. Ensure compliance with EY’s quality and risk management processes throughout client acceptance, contracting, and engagement delivery. Proactively identify and manage risks across engagements, escalating issues where appropriate.
• Stakeholder Management: Develop and maintain productive working relationships with client personnel, leading client meetings and serving as a key point of contact during engagements. Plan and lead both client and internal meetings to ensure alignment on project goals, timelines, and deliverables. Collaborate cross-functionally with other EY service lines and subject matter experts to deliver high-quality insights.
• Team Leadership and Development: Lead junior team members by providing on-the-job coaching and day-to-day oversight of their work. Work effectively in a team, sharing responsibilities, providing support, maintaining communication, and updating senior team members on progress. Contribute to a positive team environment by demonstrating consistent commitment to teamwork and optimism in the face of work challenges.
• Promoting EY’s Values: Champion EY’s commitments to integrity, respect, and teamwork in all client and internal interactions. Foster an inclusive and diverse working environment where everyone feels valued and empowered to contribute.
• Practice Development: Contribute to practice development and internal initiatives, including learning and development programs and solution development.

Your day-to-day role will include

• Scoping and planning of controls and internal audit engagements.
• Developing risk and control matrices; create test plans and clear working papers to document test results.
• Assisting clients in implementing, assessing or managing risks and control frameworks.
• Producing process documentation following discussions with clients, identifying and evaluating risks and assessing whether controls are designed effectively and mitigate risks.
• Preparing high-quality written client deliverables/reports.

Skills And Experience

You will be a trusted consultant with proven technical expertise in risk, processes and controls that will complement our Risk Consulting teams in delivering high-quality solutions to our clients. Your skills and experience will include:

• Core Business Understanding: Strong understanding of core business processes, risks, and controls.
• Analytical Skills: Proven ability to analyse and interpret complex problems and technical guidance, developing innovative solutions.
• Task Management: Skilled in effectively managing and prioritising multiple tasks and client demands, including those with similar or conflicting timelines. This includes maintaining a forward view on upcoming tasks that require planning and preparation.
• Team Collaboration: Demonstrated ability to work independently and as part of a team in a fast-paced environment.
• Technology Utilisation: Seek to embrace and leverage technology throughout project delivery, with experience in data analytics, automation, continuous auditing, and AI integration. Ability to develop dashboards across key data visualisation tools (e.g., Tableau, PowerBI) and produce visual reports to track key risks and control metrics is desirable, though not essential.
• Stakeholder Management: Good stakeholder management skills, including upward management and strong communication abilities.
• Adaptability: Ability to respond to and adapt to feedback received, demonstrating flexibility in approach.
• Proactive Mindset: Self-starter with a proactive approach and a natural curiosity for continuous learning.
• Navigating Ambiguity: Capable of working in areas of uncertainty and navigating ambiguous situations effectively.
• Client Commitment: A strong commitment to going above and beyond for clients, coupled with a significant sense of personal responsibility towards work.
• Technical Proficiency: Strong skills in Microsoft PowerPoint, Excel, and Word. Ability to have concise senior-level conversations, and elevate detail into broader insights.

Other desirable skills and experience: professional experience, skills and knowledge in the following areas is desirable but not essential; finance transformation, controls automation, programme assurance, IT controls including analysing core systems (e.g., SAP and Oracle) to identify control weaknesses.

To qualify for this role, you should have

• Significant professional experience within risk, processes and controls; experience working with ERP systems e.g. SAP S4 is desirable though not essential.
• Completed (or part-completed) an accountancy, internal audit, or other relevant qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIA, CISA, or equivalent).
• Security clearance to work on governmental programmes desirable though not essential.
• Ability to travel should client work require.

What we look for

We are interested to hear from entrepreneurial people who feed on the energy of a thriving global team. We seek a high level of drive, commitment to achieving solutions, and ability to work under pressure. We need people worthy of trust, who demonstrate enthusiasm, passion to grow fast and are highly motivated to support this purpose. There is an expectation to be able to travel outside of the assigned office, which may involve UK regional or international travel.

We invite applications from all cultures, backgrounds and experiences and are proud of our culture where people from all walks of life can grow and thrive.

What we offer

EY is committed to being an inclusive employer and we are happy to consider flexible working arrangements. We strive to achieve the right balance for our people, enabling us to deliver excellent client service whilst allowing you to build your career without sacrificing your personal priorities. While our client-facing professionals can be required to travel regularly, and at times be based at client sites, our flexible working arrangements can help you to achieve a lifestyle balance.

Continuous learning: You’ll develop the mindset and skills to navigate whatever comes next, including having the opportunity to gain an EY Tech MBA which is an accredited MBA program offered to all EY professionals globally.

Success as defined by you: We’ll provide the tools and flexibility, so you can make a meaningful impact, your way.

Transformative leadership: We’ll give you the insights, coaching and confidence to be the leader the world needs.

Diverse and inclusive culture: You’ll be embraced for who you are and empowered to use your voice to help others find theirs.