Ethics & Independence Team Assistant Manager (Personal Independence) in Edinburgh

At Grant Thornton we do things differently - looking to the future, driving ambitious growth and pioneering positive change in our industry. Providing audit, tax and advisory services, we empower clients through strategic insight, curiosity, and genuine partnership. And we empower our people with real opportunity, an inclusive culture and work life balance.

With over 5,000 people in the UK, and a presence in 150 global markets, we're on an ambitious journey, from great to exceptional, and we need the best people to help us achieve our potential. And with that comes the opportunity to help redefine what our industry looks like, and what you want from your career.

The Ethics & Independence team protects the firm and drives quality by making sure we comply with our independence requirements, supporting and enabling our client facing teams at every stage of the client journey as well as supporting our people in relation to their personal independence.

As part of our firm’s Quality and Risk function we are aligned to the needs and demands of the service lines, supporting teams in maintaining independence when we undertake audit and other public interest assurance engagements (PIAEs) - as required by the FRC Ethical Standard and the relevant sections of the ICAEW and IESBA Codes of Ethics, and in line with Grant Thornton International independence policies where relevant.

We support individuals in complying with their regulatory obligations regarding personal independence, including personal connections, fit and proper considerations, and financial interests. We conduct UK and International relationship checks for assignment teams as part of the client take-on and continuance processes to ensure that our work does not create any conflicts that could affect our independence or objectivity.

Our team also ensures compliance with regulatory, governance and monitoring obligations, reviewing ethics breaches, and performing compliance monitoring. We also provide digital support and solutions to enhance our practices and processes related to Ethics and Independence.

You will be a member of the Ethics & Independence team working alongside others in the Supporting the Practice (Ethics) – Personal Independence workstream. Through your role you will gain experience of a broad range of areas within our personal independence workstream. You will report to Managers, Senior Managers and Directors in the team and play a key role in helping the firm maintain its independence.

Your areas of focus may include (but are not limited to):

• Responding to / supporting others with responding to formal Ethics and Independence consultations raised by individuals covering a broad range of personal independence matters and conflicts, including outside appointments, fit and proper exceptions and other situations where Ethics review or approval is required.
• Supporting the onboarding and ongoing maintenance processes in relation to the recording of individuals’ financial interests on the firm’s financial interest recording system.
• Supporting on internal monitoring exercises, including periodic monitoring of financial interest records for individuals.
• An element of the role may also include leading on wider independence activities and ad-hoc projects.

This is a varied role with many opportunities for individuals to specialise and focus on areas of interest and expertise and build relationships as part of their continued development. The role can be flexed if required so that it supports your professional development and we are very happy to talk flexible working to support you and balance your work and life.

We are a friendly and approachable team, and we enjoy supporting each other to grow and develop.

Joining us for this role, the minimum criteria you'll need:

• Experience of working in personal independence, ethics, risk, compliance, audit quality, professional standards or a similar regulatory environment.
• An understanding of the UK Ethics and Independence requirements (FRC Ethical Standard, ICAEW Code of Ethics, IESBA Code of Ethics).
• An ability to use judgement to interpret policies, procedures or regulatory requirements and apply them to real-life scenarios.
• Strong analytical skills and a genuine eye for detail.
• Experience managing a varied workload, prioritising effectively and communicating confidently with stakeholders in a fast-paced work environment.
• Proficient in MS Office 365 applications e.g. Excel, Word, etc.

It would be great if you had some of the following skills and experience, but don't worry if you don't tick every box, we'll help you develop along the way:

• Experience of independence systems used to record financial interests such as GIS.
• Awareness of fit and proper considerations and how they apply to individuals in an accountancy firm.
• An understanding of the different services offered by firms like Grant Thornton plus an awareness of the role of other risk functions and specialist teams.
• Awareness of risk management systems and control environments.

Embracing uniqueness, the culture at Grant Thornton thrives on the contributions of all our people, we never settle for what is easy, we look beyond to deliver the right thing, for everyone. Building an inclusive culture, where we value difference and respect our colleagues helps our people to perform at the best of their ability and realise their potential.

Our open and accessible culture means you'll interact with leaders who are interested in you and everything you bring to our firm. The things you do, and the people you're with outside of work matter, that's why we're happy to look at flexible working options for all our roles, and we'll always do our best to keep your work and life in balance.

Life is more than work. The things you do, and the people you're with outside of work matter, that's why we're happy to look at flexible working options for all our roles, and we'll always do our best to keep your work and life in balance.

The impact you can make here will go far beyond your day job. From secondments, to fundraising for local charities, or investing in entrepreneurs in the developing world, you'll be giving back to society. It's that drive to do the right thing that runs through our every move, grounded in our firm's values – purposefully driven, actively curious and candid but kind.

We're looking for people who want to contribute, spark fresh ideas and go beyond expectations. People who want to be able to proudly do what's right, for the firm, our clients, our people and themselves. It's how it should be.