Assurance Associate, Third Party Attestation

About the Role

The Assurance Associate, Third Party Attestation will be responsible for the preparation of third-party attestation reports, including System and Organization Controls (SOC) 1, SOC 2, SOC 3, SOC for Cybersecurity, and WebTrust for CAs, as well as HITRUST, SSPA, ISO, MRC, and CSA STAR. This role involves applying relevant governing standards, documenting, validating, testing, and assessing various control systems, including internal controls. TPA individuals specialize in specific areas to understand the technology risk umbrella, rather than maintaining overall knowledge in Information Technology General Control (ITGC) audit or IT audit.

Key Responsibilities

• Control Environment:
• Applying knowledge and understanding of factors influencing policies and procedures effectiveness and risk mitigation.
• Identifying and considering applicable policies, laws, rules, and regulations.
• Making constructive suggestions to improve client internal control procedures.
• Documenting and validating the operating effectiveness of clients’ internal control systems.
• Documenting business and IT processes and controls, and testing key controls for service organizations.
• Identifying and prioritizing key risks, assessing their impact and likelihood.
• Communicating areas for client process improvement, control strengthening, risk mitigation, and efficiency increases.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with client personnel and management.
• Ensuring technology is appropriately integrated into the examination process.
• Standards (GAAS):
• Applying knowledge and understanding of professional standards and their application.
• Developing and applying intermediate knowledge of auditing theory and audit skepticism.
• Applying auditing theory to client situations.
• Documenting working papers and attestation reports in line with BDO policy, identifying deviations, and notifying senior team members for approvals.
• Identifying instances where testing may be reduced or expanded and notifying senior team members.
• Contributing ideas and opinions to the engagement team.
• Methodology:
• Applying BDO standards for effective and efficient delivery of quality services.
• Completing appropriate documentation of BDO work papers.
• Ensuring assigned work adheres to BDO methodology and requirements.
• Research:
• Applying methodology to gather information from authoritative sources and draw conclusions on target issues.
• Researching basic and intermediate topics and forming initial opinions independently.
• Training:
• Attending professional development and training sessions regularly.
• Completing required CPE hours to maintain applicable certifications.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Education:
• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Computer Science, Management Information Systems, Finance, Economics, Business Administration, Managerial Marketing, or Entrepreneurship with a concentration in any of the preceding areas, required.
• Master’s degree in Accounting with a minor or dual major in Information Systems or other relevant advanced degree, preferred.
• Experience:
• Less than one (1) year of prior experience in IT, internal or external audit, or relevant industry experience, required.
• Leadership experience, preferred.
• Experience performing SOC, WebTrust, HITRUST, SOX, ISO 27001, and security/privacy advisory engagements, preferred.
• Prior internship or experience working within a public accounting or internal auditing environment, preferred.
• Licenses/Certifications (Preferred):
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
• Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
• Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
• ISO 27001 Lead Auditor certification
• HITRUST Certified Common Security Framework Professional (CCSFP)
• Certified Internal Auditor (CIA)
• Certified Information Security Manager (CISM)
• Certified Ethical Hacker (C|EH)
• Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC)
• Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT)
• Software:
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, required.
• Other Skills & Abilities:
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to follow instructions as directed.
• Ability to work effectively in a team setting.
• Ability to travel as necessary.
• Takes appropriate actions without being asked.
• Basic understanding of the planning and coordination stages of an audit, preferred.
• Ability to successfully interact with professionals at all levels.