About the role
This is a senior, firm-wide leadership appointment for an experienced quality and professional standards professional. As Technical Director, you will own the design and continuous improvement of our System of Quality Management across Audit, Accounting, Tax, Payroll, and newly acquired businesses — ensuring technical consistency, regulatory compliance, and a culture of professional excellence as the group scales.

You will operate with genuine independence from engagement delivery teams, reporting into executive leadership and risk governance, and will carry real authority across all service lines.

What you’ll do
Quality management system
• Take ownership of the firm’s established System of Quality Management (SOQM), ensuring it is continuously monitored, refined, and kept current with ISQM 1, ISQM 2, ISA 220, and evolving professional body requirements.
• Build a scalable quality framework that works consistently across Audit, Accounting, Tax, Payroll, and advisory functions.
• Establish quality objectives, monitoring activities, remediation protocols, and governance structures — including clear escalation pathways for quality and compliance matters.

File reviews and practice inspections
• Lead risk-based cold and hot file reviews across audit and non-audit engagements.
• Conduct in-flight reviews, post-engagement quality assessments, and root cause analysis for identified deficiencies.
• Produce remediation reports with actionable recommendations and track follow-through.
• Prepare the firm for external regulatory and professional body inspections.
• Serve as a trusted technical consultant for engagement teams navigating complex judgement areas.

Root cause analysis
• Design and embed a formal analysis methodology for quality findings and operational improvements.
• Identify systemic drivers — training gaps, supervision weaknesses, resource constraints, process inconsistencies, or cultural factors — and develop corrective action plans.
• Maintain quality metrics and trend analysis to drive continuous improvement.

Policies, procedures, and manuals
• Lead the maintenance and continuous improvement of firm-wide documentation including audit methodology manuals, accounting and payroll procedures, risk and independence manuals, quality management policies, and confidentiality and information security procedures.
• Standardise templates, checklists, and review protocols across the group.
• Introduce version control and formal policy governance to keep all documentation aligned with evolving standards.

Acquisition integration
• Support post-acquisition integration to ensure consistent technical standards across newly acquired firms.
• Assess acquired firms’ methodologies, documentation quality, and compliance culture; identify gaps against group standards.
• Lead the implementation of standardised procedures, systems, and quality controls during transition.

Learning and development
• Design competency frameworks and coordinate technical training across all service lines and levels — from staff through to engagement leaders.
• Deliver workshops covering ISQM compliance, audit quality, documentation standards, professional scepticism, ethics, and regulatory updates.
• Develop remediation-focused coaching following review findings and build a firm-wide culture of continuous professional development.

Risk management, ethics, and confidentiality
• Establish and oversee procedures covering client confidentiality, GDPR and data protection, information security, ethical standards, independence monitoring, and engagement acceptance and continuance.
• Maintain risk registers, monitor emerging risks, and support crisis management and remediation where material issues arise.

What we’re looking for
Background and experience
• Former professional body reviewer or inspection specialist, or a Senior Audit Manager / Director with substantial quality and compliance experience.
• Deep knowledge of ISQM standards, audit methodology, risk management, and practice assurance frameworks.
• Proven ability to design policies, controls, and governance frameworks and to conduct root cause analysis and remediation planning.
• Experience integrating firms or standardising procedures across multiple offices is a strong advantage.

Personal attributes
• Professionally credible and authoritative; able to communicate both upwards and downwards.
• Independent-minded with strong professional judgement; able to challenge constructively while maintaining collaborative relationships.
• Clear and confident communicator with the leadership capability to drive behavioural change across acquired businesses.
• Process-oriented with a genuine commitment to continuous improvement.

Reporting and seniority
This is a senior-level appointment. The role operates independently from operational engagement delivery to preserve objectivity, with dotted-line reporting into executive leadership and/or the risk committee. Day-to-day, you will work closely with Audit Partners, Managing Partners, integration teams, HR and L&D, and compliance and risk functions.

Join Us
If this opportunity excites you, we would love to start a conversation. Please apply by sending your CV, cover letter, and academic transcripts to [email protected].