This role will be a key member of the Compliance Team that supports BDO South Africa in building a resilient and successful business, by:

• Designing and facilitating effective and efficient compliance processes with clearly defined roles and responsibilities, that enable business to deliver exceptional client service.
• Being a trusted advisor to business, advising on regulations, policies and procedures and enhancing skills through focused training and awareness programmes.
• Implementing monitoring processes, providing value-add reporting and ensuring remedial action is taken for identified non-compliance.
• Entrenching a strong culture in the firm that is about more than pure compliance, but also about promoting a message that everyone has a role to play in protecting the firm against risk.

Main Duties and Responsibilities:

• Manage design and implementation of projects and initiatives, policies and processes, systems/ tools relating to Relevant Ethical Requirements (including Independence) and Acceptance and Continuance of Client Relationships and Specific Engagements.
• Examples of this includes managing the end-to-end processes of different types of ethics and independence declarations (like the new joiner declarations & subcontractor declarations), the non-assurance services approval process for Public Interest entities audit clients, facilitating different types of ethics and independence training, maintaining partner rotation schedules, maintaining the restricted entity list etc.
• Provide training, advice and support to partners, directors and professionals on Client and Engagement Acceptance, Ethics, Independence & Conflicts of Interest policies, processes, procedures, and systems. Examples of this include regular topical communications, induction presentation and independence training.
• Operational management and reporting of effectiveness and efficiency of all steps on the client and engagement acceptance process. Process steps include reputational checks, independence and conflict considerations, risk assessment process and escalations to relevant role players where required.
• Work closely with Independence and Conflicts colleagues to ensure all relevant assessments and clearances are obtained in line with the overall effectiveness and efficiency process objective.

• Identify risks related quality objectives, assess current controls to determine if appropriate and design controls to further mitigate any identified risks.
• Perform reviews to monitor compliance to policies and procedures and provide input into related risks.
• Liaise with business role players to ensure pro-active, effective, and efficient acceptance and re-acceptance processes in line with relevant policies.   
• Manage team of Compliance Practitioners responsible for the client and engagement acceptance processes and provide reporting to Head of Compliance.
• Key link between Compliance and the Digital Solutions team to ensure effective and efficient automation solutions. This includes the D365 rewrite project. Assist with responsibilities such as awareness and business buy-in, testing, data clean-up coordination, etc.
• Engage with other stakeholders in the firm to ensure a proper understanding and buy-in for defined policies and processes.
• Prepare reporting for Governance Bodies and Committees.
• Identify improvements to existing processes.
• Stakeholder management and engagement.

Qualifications, Recognition of Prior Learning, Work Experience, and Knowledge:

• A qualification in accounting, finance, business, external or internal audit. CA(SA) or CIA would be advantageous.
• Experience in working with IT in design and rollout of systems.
• Proven experience in a risk, ethics, conflicts, or independence role within an audit firm or similar financial services setting.
• Operational responsibilities for process execution.
• Intermediate Excel, Word and Powerpoint.
• Strong written and spoken English language skills.

Competencies: Technical & Behavioural:

• Solid understanding of relevant regulatory requirements, including those from the PCAOB, IFAC, IRBA, and other governing bodies.
• Risk management and Compliance related competencies, such auditor independence, enterprise/operational risk management and conflicts of interest.
• Design, review and implement controls to mitigate identified risks.
• Involvement in system implementations.
• Attention to detail
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to assess complex situations to make sound ethical decisions.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively engage with team members and clients on ethics-related matters.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion.

Behavioural Competencies:

• Demonstrated leadership capabilities and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Demonstrated leadership capabilities and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• Good interpersonal and organisational skills.
• Strong spoken and written communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaborate with team members.
• A proactive approach to continuous improvement.
• Project Management.

BDO Core Competencies:

• Relationships and Collaboration
• Exceptional Client Service
• Engaging people
• Leadership
• Quality, Risk management and Operational performance