Managing Director, Quality - Professional Standards (52450)

About the role

As a Managing Director in our Professional Practice – Quality group, you will serve as a trusted advisor to engagement teams and firm leadership. You will help design, implement and oversee a modern system of quality management, perform engagement quality reviews and consultations and contribute to inspection readiness and remediation efforts with particular focus on audits performed under Government Auditing Standards, and engagements involving accounting principles issued by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (“GASB”). The successful candidate should also possess deep knowledge of the Uniform Guidance and other compliance audit requirements. While the role is primarily focused on GASB and Government Auditing Standards engagements, the successful candidate should also have a solid working knowledge of not-for-profit accounting and auditing. This is a high-impact role for a collaborative, solutions-oriented professional who enjoys coaching teams, simplifying complexity, and strengthening how audits are planned, executed and reviewed.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain and continuously enhance quality policies aligned with applicable professional standards and firm objectives.
• Advise engagement teams on auditing and reporting matters.
• Support teams on planning and execution topics specific to the Uniform Guidance such as major program determination, SEFA considerations, internal control over compliance, sampling, compliance testing documentation, and other reporting matters.
• Support engagement teams from a quality management perspective on state and local government and not-for-profit audits, including consultations on audit planning, risk assessment, internal control and substantive testing, financial statement presentation and disclosures, and the application of GASB and FASB accounting principles.
• Translate standards and regulatory expectations into practical guidance that improves engagement execution.
• Promote a consultative culture that is timely, practical, and focused on sound professional judgment and defensible documentation.
• Coach and mentor quality and engagement leaders to strengthen supervision, review, and consultation behaviors.
• Identify themes and quality risks, communicate expectations, and partner with leaders to execute remediation plans.
• Keep up to date on changes in professional standards, regulations, and industry best practices.
• Lead and coordinate internal inspection activities and readiness efforts for external reviews such as peer review and regulator oversight.
• Participate in technical due diligence activities when evaluating potential accounting firm acquisition targets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, or a related field.
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation is required.
• Extensive experience in audit engagements performed under Government Auditing Standards and Uniform Guidance, including those involving accounting principles issued by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board, with a proven progressive history in quality management roles.
• Experience in audit engagements of not-for-profit entities.
• Strong working knowledge of professional standards with an ability to interpret requirements and convert them into practical execution guidance.
• Demonstrated success influencing outcomes through collaboration by coaching engagement teams and leaders and delivering difficult messages with professionalism.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to write clear guidance and deliver effective training to varied audiences.
• Experience leading or supporting quality initiatives.

Skills

• Intellectually curious mindset and comfort deconstructing a problem and identifying creative solutions.
• Ability to make decisions and bring great ideas to the team.
• Strong internal client service philosophy while maintaining independence and objectivity.
• Responsive and accessible to engagement teams, providing timely, high-quality guidance, particularly during critical planning and reporting phases of engagements.