Product Champion - National Audit at Auditor-General of South Africa

Requirement Overview

The purpose of this position is to provide technical support and guidance in the Audit Business Units (ABU) in alignment with the applicable audit standards and legislation. The incumbent will take responsibility to disseminate information and ensure technical capacity building in the application of technical processes in the BU. The incumbent will further act as a Training Officer and first level technical support to the auditors in the delivery of quality and value-adding services in line with the strategy of the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA). Where applicable, the incumbent will also perform the role of the training officer for the business unit.

Roles & Responsibilities

Strategic Function:

• Contributes to the development of the Business Unit (BU) Balance Score Card (BSC) initiatives.
• Ensure adequate quality assurance processes in the BU for the achievement of the BSC objectives.
• Implement and monitor the BSC initiatives within the BU.

Product Management:

Technical Developments:

• Provide strategic inputs into the AGSA products and annual scoping decisions for Public Finance Management Act (PFMA).
• Provide technical inputs to the technical audit department on all areas of public sector auditing and reporting as and when required.
• Participate in the technical development projects and contribute to technical discussions during various forums such as the Product Champion and State Owned Entities (SOE) forums.
• Obtain and coordinate inputs from ABUs on technical documents to inform inputs to the relevant internal BUs and at technical forums.

Technical Support:

• Provide sound technical advice and support to the ABU regarding technical queries raised by different centres within the business unit.
• Prepare, review, and oversee all technical queries/matters to be escalated to the relevant internal BUs as per the AGSA approved consultation processes and procedures.
• Lead regular technical discussions and communication within the ABU to ensure a proper understanding of the Public Audit Manual and related technical guidance issued.
• Provide technical support and quality management support in relation to ALL accounting frameworks, including GRAP, IFRS, MCS.

Quality Standards and Methodology:

• Lead initiatives to design and improve BU approaches to quality management on all audits, thereby improving the quality of the audits for the BU.
• Implement systems, peer reviews, and processes within ABU to ensure quality audit work, including conducting consistency reviews on audit reports as determined by the business unit.
• Ensure an effective and efficient pre-issuance review process for improving the quality of the audits for the BU.
• Monitor the improvement in the quality of audits conducted, including those conducted on behalf of the AGSA.
• Co-ordinate BU submissions for compliance reviews, including handling own compliance reviews where applicable.
• Collaborate and support audit support BUs and specialized audit BUs in achieving quality and relevant audit products and audit outcomes.
• Provide input and support the methodology development within the AGSA.
• Guide and support audit teams regarding the identification, processing, and reporting of MIs.

Reporting:

• Provide comments and inputs on the reporting guide, with emphasis on General Report (GR) blueprint, and GR process.
• Ensure basic level of consistency in reporting with a view to easier consolidate information for general report.
• Review and provide inputs to the management information system for reporting purposes to ensure the quality of the information captured and clear any findings raised by QC or QM.

Technical Training:

• Monitor the identification of employee training needs.
• Oversee that interventions are put in place to address training and development gaps in collaboration with relevant internal BUs.
• Participate, where possible, in the delivery training and evaluation of training material.

Training Officer Responsibilities:

• Support the delivery of a highly skilled and qualified workforce to the AGSA and the public sector through the trainee auditor programme, including effective recruitment and retention.
• Monitor the trainee auditors scheme, supporting the strategic objectives of the AGSA Trainee Auditor Scheme, providing support to the trainees and the trainees’ academic progress.
• Take ownership of the assessment process end to end, including the review of ANA, PDS, LORs, and SRs to ensure compliance and adherence to SAICA as well as AGSA requirements.
• Ensure that trainee auditor development plans are in place and, in collaboration with the evaluators and assessors, monitor the progress on the plans.
• Ensure that the training office is compliant with SAICA training regulations and complies with AGSA strategic objectives of maintaining our status of being a good training institution.

Material Irregularities:

• Oversee the material irregularity process by playing an oversight role on the work performed by the PAA specialist.
• Provide technical support to audit teams to accelerate the identification and notification of high-impact material irregularities.
• Oversee and schedule BUMIC where potential MIs are tabled, prepare packs for HPMIC, and provide support and contribution to BU leadership by monitoring and evaluating the MI process.

Stakeholder Management:

• Provide technical support and guidance to internal stakeholders on technical matters in order to ensure alignment with the relevant guidelines and AGSA strategy.
• Ensure active participation in various forums such as PC and Training Officer forum.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders such as Trainee Auditor Forum (TAF).
• Communicate technical processes and requirements, including strategic goals and objectives, to internal stakeholders to ensure understanding.

People Management:

• Manage team performance to drive productivity.
• Contribute to transformation/culture plans.
• Motivate, coach, and mentor staff to ensure maximum productivity and development of the staff to their full potential.
• Participate in initiatives to attract talent.
• Contribute to the effective administration of the BU training office.
• Cascade Vision achievement/organization alignment messages and commitments.

Financial Management and Operational Management:

• Contribute to the compiling of the BU budget and ensure adherence to the required financial performance standards.
• Ensure compliance with internal processes and procedures.
• Ensure compliance with supply chain processes.

Other Responsibilities:

• Perform and/or manage other projects, tasks, and assignments not stipulated on the Job description as and when required.

Skills, Experience & Education

Formal Education:

• This position requires a minimum qualification of CA (SA).
• Registered with SAICA as an assessor/able to register within 3 months of appointment.
• Registered with IRBA as Registered Auditor/able to register within 3 months of appointment.

Experience:

• Minimum 6 years post qualification experience with at least 4 years’ experience operating at a manager level.
• Added advantage: Incumbent currently occupying Technical Manager / Audit SM role.
• Technical understanding of the audit environment, needs, and standards practices to interpret information and address theoretical and practical problems in the BU.
• IFRS audit exposure will be an added advantage.