Audit Assistant Manager in Southampton

Are you a newly qualified ACA/ACCA audit professional looking to step into a leadership role? At PKF Francis Clark, we offer the opportunity to lead high-profile audit engagements, mentor junior staff, and work with a diverse client base — all while enjoying a fantastic work-life balance.

We’ve been recognised as one of the Top UK Employers for Development within the Workplace by Great Place to Work, highlighting our dedication to career progression and employee wellbeing.

As an Audit Assistant Manager, you’ll play a key role in managing audit assignments, building client relationships, and contributing to the development of our growing team. You’ll be supported by a network of over 200 audit professionals and have access to tailored training programmes designed to help you progress to Manager, Director, and even Partner level.

As our Southampton office continues to grow, colleagues are expected to travel on a semi-frequent basis to our established Poole office to deepen their knowledge, strengthen relationships, and align with existing processes. Expenses for this travel are covered, and flexible working arrangements are available to ensure it remains practical and manageable.

• Planning and delivering statutory audits for corporate clients, both on-site and in-office
• Leading larger and more complex audit assignments
• Managing the audit team on-site, ensuring procedures are followed and quality is maintained
• Supporting managers and partners on ad hoc projects and technical assignments
• Supervising and mentoring junior team members
• Building and maintaining strong client relationships
• Liaising with clients to ensure a smooth and professional audit experience
• Preparing audit work for manager and/or partner review
• Identifying technical or client-specific issues and proposing solutions
• Potentially managing a small portfolio of clients

• ACA or ACCA qualified
• Proven statutory audit experience in a professional practice environment
• Ideally experienced in group audits and consolidated financial statements (UK FRS 102 and/or IFRS)
• Full clean driving licence and access to a car
• Organised and able to manage your own workload effectively
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build rapport quickly
• Professional, discreet, and client-focused
• Comfortable using automated audit software and digital accounting tools

As the largest firm of independent chartered accountants and business advisers in South West England, PKF Francis Clark offers a breadth of opportunities to develop your career in the way that’s right for you.

Established in 1919, we’ve grown to a team of nearly 1,000 people, based across our offices in Bristol, Exeter, Plymouth, Poole, Salisbury, Southampton, Taunton, Torquay and Truro. This means we’re big enough to do challenging work for exciting clients, but small enough to maintain our friendly and supportive culture.

We work hard to ensure you can belong, be yourself and be brilliant as part of a forward-thinking team. This includes a flexible approach to hybrid working. And our focus on wellbeing and learning and development has been recognised nationally.

For the past three years, PKF Francis Clark has been certified as a Great Place to Work and ranked among the UK’s Best Workplaces. In 2025, we climbed four places to 20 out of 100 large organisations on this prestigious list.

We’re also in the UK’s top 10 Best Workplaces for Women (6 out of 100 large organisations), as well as being ranked among the Best Workplaces for Wellbeing (35 out of 100), Best Workplaces for Development (24 out of 100) and Best Workplaces in Consulting and Professional Services.

All these lists are compiled by workplace culture experts Great Place to Work. Our rankings are a direct result of feedback from our people in a confidential, independent annual survey.

The success rates of our trainees mean we’re also ranked 33rd in The Sunday Times Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers 2025.

While we’re proudly independent, we collaborate with colleagues around the world to enable our clients to succeed. PKF Francis Clark is a member of the PKF Global family of firms – together we’re the 12th largest provider of accountancy services in the UK. Being part of this international network provides opportunities to connect with like-minded accountants and business advisers in 150 countries.

• Financial benefits:

• Pension
• Group life assurance - up to four times your core salary
• Group income protection
• Health cash plan to help cover the costs of everyday healthcare

• Option to buy 5 extra days holiday*
• Counselling and support for you and your immediate family
• Virtual GP for you and your immediate family
• Cycle to work*

• Medicash Extras providing you with shopping and gym discounts
• Gifts for career and family milestones
• One volunteering day per year to support local organisations
• Emergency funding from the Francis Clark Charitable Foundation

Please note* These benefits are provided via a salary exchange and are subject to employee’s post exchange hourly rate remaining above the national minimum wage.