Internal auditing jobs are a subset of accounting positions that can be found in both public and private organizations. These positions have a wide range of job descriptions, depending on the auditor’s level of experience and knowledge. Internal auditors work for clients on a contract basis in the public accounting industry, preparing audits for their use. An internal auditor in private accounting works directly for a company and is responsible for financial or operational audits. Internal auditing jobs, whether public or private, are designed to assist a company’s management in better understanding its operations and identifying and correcting flaws in specific business activities.
In most cases, internal auditors from a public accounting firm review publicly traded companies. An audit supervisor and several auditors make up these positions, with the auditors doing the majority of the work. The auditors work directly for the public accounting firm and treat each client as if they were a separate job, which is usually done through contracts. The goal of these internal audit jobs is to present a report for internal use the company or to comply with specific government regulations for publicly held company internal audits. Internal auditors at public accounting firms frequently work in this manner, which can be perplexing.
Internal auditors can be hired private companies as part of their accounting team. These positions are most common in large organizations with several accountants working on a variety of accounting tasks in this department. Internal auditing jobs are usually divided into two categories: financial and operational. A financial internal auditor examines the company’s documents or accounting statements prepared the department’s other accountants. These positions ensure that each accountant follows company policy and adheres to all national accounting standards and accounting principles.
Financial documents may or may not be reviewed an internal auditor who focuses on operational tasks. An internal auditor, for example, in a large automotive retailer might make sure that all mechanics follow the rules for filling out and completing service tickets. Whether the rules are internal to the company or imposed outside regulators, these internal audit jobs serve the purpose of ensuring compliance. While these employees may be directly supervised the accounting department, they are not required to work exclusively in this field. However, the education and rules for this position are similar to those for an internal auditor in financial accounting.