Senior Manager: Centre of Excellence - Coe, Audit Delivery

Purpose of the Role

This role is responsible for leading a team within the Audit Delivery Centre of Excellence (COE) and ensuring the delivery of high-quality audit support services to Assurance engagement teams.

The successful candidate will oversee delivery planning, resource allocation, stakeholder management, team leadership, quality oversight, and pipeline forecasting to ensure the COE effectively supports audit teams across the business.

Key Responsibilities

Audit Delivery & Operations

• Lead the delivery of audit support services through the COE team.
• Manage work allocation, delivery deadlines, capacity planning, and quality standards.
• Monitor work in progress and ensure requests are completed on time and in line with methodology requirements.
• Identify delivery risks and implement corrective actions where required.
• Forecast future demand and maintain a sustainable pipeline of work for the team.

Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with Audit Partners, Directors, and engagement teams.
• Understand business needs and align COE delivery support accordingly.
• Provide regular updates on work status, capacity, delivery timelines, and key risks.
• Drive adoption of COE services across the Assurance practice.

People Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of audit professionals.
• Conduct performance management, career development, and succession planning activities.
• Support technical growth and capability development within the team.
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and collaboration.

Quality & Compliance

• Ensure all work delivered through the COE meets EY quality standards and audit methodology requirements.
• Oversee compliance with independence and risk management requirements.
• Drive consistency and standardisation across delivery processes.

Continuous Improvement & Innovation

• Identify opportunities to improve audit delivery through process optimisation.
• Promote the use of automation, AI, and technology-enabled solutions to improve efficiency and quality.
• Support strategic initiatives aimed at growing the COE and enhancing service delivery.

Ideal Candidate Profile

Required Experience

• CA(SA) or equivalent professional qualification
• 3- 4+ years of external audit experience, preferably within a Big 4 or large professional services environment.
• Previous experience leading audit teams and managing multiple engagements simultaneously.
• Experience in resource planning, operational management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Exposure to shared services, audit delivery centres, or centralised audit support models will be advantageous.

Key Skills

• Strong people leadership and coaching capability.
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Strong project and operational management skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities and tight deadlines.
• Commercial mindset with experience in forecasting demand and capacity planning.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Interest in digital transformation, automation, and AI within the audit environment.

What Success Looks Like

• Audit support work is delivered on time and to the required quality standards.
• Strong relationships are maintained with Assurance engagement teams.
• Team utilisation and capacity are effectively managed.
• Staff are developed, engaged, and progressing in their careers.
• COE adoption and penetration across Assurance continue to grow.
• Process improvements and technology solutions enhance delivery efficiency and audit quality.