Accounting and Audit Advisory - Manager

About the role

CohnReznick is one of the nation's top professional services firms, providing advisory, assurance, and tax services through CohnReznick LLP (assurance) and CohnReznick Advisory LLC (advisory and tax). The firm serves organizations worldwide as an independent member of Nexia, with offices nationwide.

The Audit Advisory team within the CFO Advisory practice works with the office of the CFO function from startups to middle market and upper middle market companies. The group helps CFOs navigate strategic, operational, and accounting challenges, regularly assisting in preparing for public or private transactions and working closely with the M&A group to provide pre- and post-transaction support.

This is a hybrid position. Team members are expected to be thoughtful and intentional about creating opportunities for in-person collaboration, with professionals encouraged to be in the office together on average three days per week. The cadence of in-office presence is determined at the team level.

Benefits

• Generous paid time off (PTO)
• Flexible work environment
• Expanded parental leave
• Extensive learning and development programs
• Paid time off for volunteering

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary liaison between client management, controllers, accounting teams, and external auditors throughout the audit process.
• Coordinate audit requests, manage deliverables, and ensure timely collection of supporting documentation, often across a high volume of concurrent and interdependent requests.
• Review client-prepared PBC schedules, workpapers, reconciliations, analyses, and supporting documentation for accuracy, completeness, internal consistency, and audit readiness before submission to the external auditor.
• Partner with clients to organize financial information, schedules, and supporting documentation in a clear and auditable format, including helping client teams understand what the auditor is requesting and the underlying audit objective.
• Assist management in preparing audit-ready workpapers, account reconciliations, and supporting analyses.
• Analyze financial information and audit support, identify discrepancies, potential audit issues, or gaps in documentation, and work with stakeholders to resolve issues efficiently.
• Monitor audit progress, maintain detailed PBC and request trackers, track outstanding requests, and proactively communicate status updates to all parties.
• Evaluate auditor requests based on the underlying audit objective and work directly with external auditors to clarify, consolidate, or appropriately challenge requests when necessary to minimize unnecessary burden on client teams while satisfying audit requirements.
• Anticipate potential auditor questions and follow-up requests and proactively work with client teams to address issues before they delay the audit.
• Collaborate with controllers and accounting leadership to strengthen financial reporting processes and improve audit readiness.
• Support year-end and interim audit activities, including preparation of PBC (Provided By Client) schedules and audit support files.
• Assist with the preparation and review of financial statements, footnotes, and other financial reporting deliverables.
• Review accounting memoranda and other technical accounting documentation for completeness, consistency with the underlying facts, and audit readiness.
• Identify process improvement opportunities related to data management, documentation, and audit support.
• Mentor junior team members and contribute to the development of best practices across client engagements.
• Participate in business development activities and help expand client relationships through exceptional client service and project execution.

Requirements

• Five to seven (5–7+) years of progressive external audit experience with a Big 4 or national public accounting firm; experience in accounting or audit advisory following public accounting experience is also valued.
• Strong experience working directly with controllers, accounting leadership, and external auditors, with the ability to communicate effectively from both the client and auditor perspectives.
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex audit engagements and a high volume of requests and deliverables while maintaining a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience preparing and reviewing audit support, reconciliations, workpapers, PBC schedules, financial analyses, and documentation that withstand auditor scrutiny.
• Strong understanding of financial statement preparation, account reconciliations, month-end close processes, GAAP financial reporting, and audit procedures.
• Ability to identify inconsistencies, unsupported conclusions, incomplete documentation, and potential audit issues and drive those matters to resolution across multiple stakeholder groups.
• Strong project management and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple deadlines and competing priorities across complex engagements with potentially hundreds of individual audit requests.
• Ability to understand the purpose and scope of audit procedures and requests and exercise professional judgment when discussing or challenging the nature, timing, or extent of information requested by external auditors.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including data analysis, reconciliation, and reporting functions.
• Experience working with ERP systems, general ledgers, financial reporting applications, and data management tools.
• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Three (3+) years of experience leading projects, engagements, or teams.
• Big 4 or national public accounting firm experience strongly preferred.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to effectively interact with clients, controllers, auditors, and executive leadership.
• An active CPA, CA, or equivalent certification required.
• Experience with private equity-backed portfolio companies and/or working with lean accounting and finance organizations preferred.
• Experience preparing or reviewing GAAP financial statements, footnote disclosures, and technical accounting memoranda preferred.

Ideal candidate profile

• Naturally detail-oriented and highly organized, with a strong sense of ownership and follow-through.
• Enjoys getting into the details of complex accounting and audit matters and ensuring the underlying support is accurate, complete, and defensible.
• Comfortable serving as the quarterback between auditors and client teams, including having difficult conversations and professionally pushing back when appropriate.
• Understands how auditors think and can distinguish between information that is necessary to satisfy an audit objective and requests that may need clarification or refinement.
• Thrives in deadline-driven environments and can proactively manage competing priorities without losing track of details.
• Strong client service mindset with the ability to build trusted relationships across all levels of an organization.
• Able to shift between detailed workpaper review and higher-level project management without losing sight of either.
• Naturally anticipates the next question or issue rather than simply responding to requests as they arise.

CohnReznick is dedicated to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification, you are still encouraged to apply.