Director, Audit and Assurance Services
Santa Fe Associates International
Total years of experience :23 years, 10 months
Santa Fe Associates International (SFAI Saudi Arabia) is a professional services firm, offering audit, assurance services, taxation, management consulting, advisory, actuarial, corporate finance and legal services. The firm provides audits for public and private companies.
Highlights & Responsibilities:
• Take responsibility for understanding key statistics and industry matters about entity before engagement begins.
• Understand allocation of responsibilities between the engagement team and experts or specialists, including timescales and how the work of experts and specialists will contribute to the objectives of the audit.
• Track findings of work performed and follows up the impact of work to be performed by other members of the engagement team.
• Apply guidance material in relevant guides, practice aids, and tools so that an appropriate level of professional skepticism is reflected in procedures performed, evidence obtained and conclusions reached.
• Sign off appropriately on work performed and reviewed. Take responsibility for meaningful completion of all necessary checklists, procedures and tailoring and concluding questions prior to signing-off. Proactively check whether others have signed off appropriately and follows up where necessary
• Contribute to the development of a comprehensive project plan, using prior year knowledge to help identify audit priorities that can be performed earlier in the audit cycle. Seek awareness of contingency plans if the entity's management team fails to meet their deadlines.
• Prepare and review documentation by anticipating questions that reviewers may ask, including not just the conclusion but the relevant facts, analysis, reference to authoritative literature and professional judgements made in reaching it.
• Encourage wider team adopt an attitude of professional skepticism, to have a questioning mind-set and to further investigate as and when appropriate. Is able to identify the key questions to be answered.
• Document objectivity, independence and continuance decisions, checking that sufficient enquiries have been made and that all information has been captured.
• Check that staff on the engagement have adequate technical knowledge, including industry knowledge, for the areas in which they are working. Provide briefings as required.
As part of the role I am also responsible for:
• Coaching and training staff members during the execution of the audits and assessments.
• Demonstrating knowledge of and techniques to assess risk and evaluate the effectiveness of internal controls in moderately complex business scenarios in accordance with timelines.
• Applying knowledge to analyze and evaluate business scenarios following a risk based approach and maintaining supporting documentation.
• Coaching in the skill of detecting, analyzing, quantifying and reporting non-conformance.
• Participating in projects to drive continuous improvement and efficiencies.
• Providing technical guidance and consultation on Company Policies and Procedures/Control Issues to the client and audit staff.
• Create, coordinate, and evaluate the financial programs and supporting information systems of the company to include budgeting, planning and conservation of assets.
• Approve and coordinate changes and improvements in automated financial and management information systems for the company.
• Ensure compliance with local reporting requirements.
• Coordinate the preparation of financial statements, financial reports and special analysis.
• Develop and implement finance, accounting and auditing procedures.
• Establish and maintain appropriate internal control safeguards.
• Interact with other managers to provide consultative support to planning initiatives through financial and management information analysis, reports, and recommendations.
• Maintain good relations with banks through which the company conducts its business to ensure adequate protection of company funds and proper transfers, foreign currency purchases and credit limits.
• Ensure records systems are maintained in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
• Develop and direct the implementation of strategic business and operational plans, projects, programs, and systems.
• Assist in obtaining the necessary licenses and insurance required to start a business.
• Analyze cash flow, cost controls, and expenses to guide business managers. Analyze financial statements to pinpoint potential weak areas.
• Establish and implement short and long range departmental goals, objectives, policies, and operating procedures.
• Oversee financial management of foreign operations to include developing financial and budget policies and procedures.
• Supervise and monitor all accounting and finance operations for KSA branches.
• Prepare monthly financial statements, balance sheet, and overall profit and loss statements for review with the Managing Director.
• Analyze the income statement and recommend the means to increase the sales and rationalize spending.
• Recommend improvements in accounting policies and procedures to provide more effective operations and reports on control.
• Prepare the cash flow analysis periodically and recommend improvements accordingly.
• Monitor financial performance of branches.
• Prepare feasibility study on new projects, coordinate closely with management to ensure that all givens are correct, and recommend action plan.
• Check the audit reports, and request correction wherever required and applicable within the scope of acceptable accounting principles.
• Ensure that accounts payable are handled properly based on the company’s financial status and on a timely basis.
• Negotiate payment terms to suppliers in order to optimize the operating performance.
• Monitor the extension and control of credit and collections to meet both customer and company requirement.
• Ensure that the workflow continues as usual in case of any employee’s absence by either replacing the employee on duty or redistributing the work.
• Prepare budget and forecast reports.
• Control company insurance topics (social security, health programs ...).
• Estimate requirements for capital expenditures
• Examine department activities for compliance with management plans and policies.
• Inspect the accounting and IT software to determine their efficiency and protective value.
• Plan and coordinate with the HR, legal and logistic managements.
• Support the firm in the development of new business relationships and business proposals.
• Manage a portfolio of clients and complete assignments within agreed budgets and time scales.
• Ensure staffing assignments and adherence to the firm’s risk management and quality control procedures.
• Ensure job appraisal documentation is completed within deadlines.
Highlights & Responsibilities:
To provide a range of Assurance services and business advice to a variety of clients from small, fast growing clients to large entities. The clients are often well known brands and many have broad international reach. We focus on using the latest technology to reduce the level of manual testing ensuring that we will focus on the most valuable areas of client service and on enhancing corporate governance and the reliability of our clients’ information.
More than three years of extensive experience in auditing a range of clients in various industries, such as; investment and holding groups, FMCG, manufacturing, services, insurance, medical, hotels, media, communication and contracting.
Highlights & Responsibilities:
• Plan financial audits by understanding organization objectives, structure, policies, processes, internal controls, and external regulations; identifying risk areas; preparing audit scope and objectives; preparing audit programs.
• Assess compliance with financial regulations and controls by executing audit program steps; testing general ledger, account balances, balance sheets, income statements, and related financial statements; examining and analyzing records, reports, operating practices, and documentation.
• Assess risks and internal controls by identifying areas of non-compliance; evaluating manual and automated financial processes; identifying process weaknesses and inefficiencies and operational issues.
• Verify assets and liabilities by comparing and analyzing items to documentation.
• Complete audit work papers and memorandum by documenting audit tests and findings.
• Communicate audit progress and findings by providing information in status meetings; highlighting unresolved issues; reviewing working papers; preparing final audit reports.
• Perform special assignments, such as; due-diligence report, evaluation of the internal control and internal audit and performing electronic data processing review, this includes assessing accounting software and systems to ensure security and proper controls implementation.