Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic & Audit Capability Leadership
- Lead and scale the GCS Audit Capability in line with the member firm’s strategic objectives and growth plans
- Lead the execution and ongoing evolution of the GCS operating model, ensuring seamless integration with engagement teams and adherence to established governance and quality standards
- Drive continuous improvement in audit execution through process optimisation, standardisation and the use of technology
- Lead the end-to-end execution of audit work across the GCS, supporting the full audit lifecycle from planning through to completion
- Ensure offshore teams are fully embedded within engagement teams, fostering collaboration and contributing seamlessly to client delivery
- Monitor performance across key metrics, including quality, timelines, utilisation and budget
2. Audit Quality, Risk Management & Compliance
- Hold primary responsibility for audit quality within the GCS Audit Unit
- Drive a “quality-first” culture, ensuring compliance with global audit methodology and regulatory standards
- Oversee review processes and address findings arising from internal and external quality reviews
- Act as the escalation point for quality, performance and technical issues across the GCS audit function
- Partner with Risk & Quality teams to continuously strengthen audit quality outcomes
3. Operational Leadership & Workforce Management
- Provide leadership across all audit teams, ensuring efficient and effective operations
- Build and manage a scalable, high-performing offshore audit workforce aligned to growth plans
- Oversee resource planning, utilisation and optimisation to maximise productivity
- Embed structured performance management, appraisal and promotion frameworks aligned with global practices
- Drive operational efficiencies through process standardisation, improvement and automation
4. Stakeholder Engagement and Transition
- Lead the transition of audit work into GCS, ensuring continuity of audit execution and minimal disruption to engagements
- Manage transition “hyper-care” to stabilise execution and resolve early-stage challenges
- Act as the senior escalation point and primary GCS audit contact for partners and engagement teams across the global network on any challenges and engagement risks
- Build strong relationships with audit leadership to ensure alignment on: Expectations, operating model and quality standards
- Scope of work, engagement planning and resourcing decisions
- Ensure clear, transparent communication across all stakeholders
5. Strategy & Innovation
- Contribute to the evolution of the global audit capability strategy, including centralization and digital enablement
- Contribute to firm-wide initiatives relating to global audit execution, transformation and efficiency
- Drive innovation through: Data analytics and digital audit tools
- Process standardization and automation
- Identify opportunities to enhance value delivered to engagement teams and clients
6. People Leadership & Culture
- Foster a high-performance, collaborative and inclusive culture aligned with Grant Thornton values
- Drive talent development through structured learning, mentoring and career pathways
- Promote a “one team” global mindset across onshore and offshore teams
- Support the development of clear career progression frameworks for GCS audit professionals
- Establish and oversee an Audit Quality Coaching model to drive consistent quality standards and ensure ongoing improvement in: Workpaper quality and documentation
- Risk identification and audit approach
Communication with onshore engagement teams
Success Profile
- Strong focus on audit quality, regulatory compliance and professional standards
- Commercial awareness balanced with professional and ethical obligations
- Ability to operate in a complex, multi-jurisdictional and culturally diverse environment
- Proven leadership in building, scaling and developing high-performing teams and capabilities
- Strong employee engagement, retention, and talent development, fostering a high-performing and inclusive culture
- Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills, with a track record of fostering trusted relationships and high levels of stakeholder satisfaction
Skills, Experience & Qualifications
Technical Expertise
- Qualified accountant (CPA, ACA, ACCA or equivalent)
- Significant (12–15+ years) external audit experience, ideally within a Big 4 or leading professional services firm with exposure to international firms
- Strong knowledge of international auditing standards and methodologies, financial reporting and regulatory standards
Leadership Experience
- Proven experience leading large-scale audit delivery or shared service/global capability centres
- Strong track record in managing multi-location teams and complex audit portfolios
- Experience driving operational transformation and scaling capability and execution models
Stakeholder Management & Communication
- Strong leadership presence with the ability to influence senior stakeholders
- Excellent communication and relationship management skills
- Experience working within global, matrixed organisations
