Regulatory Associate Director

We are Grant Thornton. We go beyond business as usual, so you can too.

Grant Thornton Ireland (GT) has nearly 3,000 people in 9 offices across Ireland, The Isle of Man, Gibraltar, and Bermuda, with a presence in over 149 countries around the world, and a global network of over 68,000 people

At GT, we work as trusted advisors, bringing local knowledge and national expertise, with a global presence, to help businesses succeed – wherever they are located. We make business more personal by investing in building relationships and empowering our clients to make the right decisions for their organisation now and for the future. Whether that is working with the public sector to build thriving communities, with regulators and financial institutions to build trust, or with a diverse range of businesses to help them achieve their goals, Grant Thornton Ireland work hard to support clients to act on the issues that matter.

At GT Ireland we don’t just predict your future, we build it.

A Career at GT

Looking for a more fulfilling role in professional services? One where fresh thinking, collaboration and diversity are valued? At Grant Thornton we do things differently.

What does this mean for you?

A career in a more inclusive working environment, a more collaborative work culture, a more supported, flexible working role, more possibilities to grow and more opportunities to help shape the future for your clients. We respect and value your experience. And we want you to bring your authentic self to work and be at your best. It is how it should be.

Grow with us

At Grant Thornton, we care about our people and work hard to make you feel valued. If you are looking to deepen and develop your skills, knowledge, and experience throughout your career, then that is what you will get, and more

Overview

We are looking for an experienced Regulatory Associate Director to oversee our regulatory compliance activities. This role will focus on ensuring the firm's adherence to Irish, UK, and EU regulations, with a particular emphasis on audit regulations. The successful candidate will serve as an advisor on audit regulatory requirements and play a central role in preparing for and supporting regulatory inspections.

The Role:

The Associate Director will work with the Head of Risk and Quality and Quality and Ethics Director to manage our regulatory requirements related to audit and assurance practice and work on platform/business combinations related activities. The successful candidate will report to the Quality and Ethics Director as part of the wider Quality and Ethics team who report to the Head of Risk and Quality.

Summary of Responsibilities

Oversee and efficiently manage the firm’s regulatory compliance framework, focusing on audit-specific obligations in each jurisdiction.
Serve as the in-house expert on regulatory developments, advising leadership and the business on regulatory expectations.
Coordinate firmwide readiness for regulatory inspections (IAASA, CAI, FRC, PCAOB), manage the inspection process, and ensure timely resolution of all items.
Play a key role in regulator interactions during inspections, ensuring timely and accurate responses.
Monitor, interpret, and implement changes in regulatory requirements.
Provide strategic input into M&A activity, policy development, and client delivery where applicable.
Manage the firm’s end-to-end regulatory filings, ensuring timely and accurate submissions to relevant authorities.
Maintain robust documentation for regulatory items and associated policies and procedures.
Coach, train, and guide business stakeholders to promote best practices in regulatory matters.
Champion good practices and behaviour to embed strong regulatory practices within the business.
Assist with the auditor registration process for new registrations of the audit firm and/or responsible individuals.
Work on platform and/or business combinations related activities as required.
Collaborate closely with and escalate matters to the Head of Risk and Quality and the Quality and Ethics Director.
Prepare internal reports on regulatory activity as required.
Build and maintain positive stakeholder relationships at all levels of the organisation.
Provide training and supervision to less experienced colleagues, offering consistent and regular feedback.
Adhere to the highest professional standards and maintain strict confidentiality regarding sensitive matters.
Support wider firm risk and quality initiatives.
Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills and Experience

Current or prior experience in external or internal audit, business process control testing, compliance review, quality, and risk management.
Strong knowledge of Irish and EU audit regulatory frameworks and standards, including ISQM 1.
Proven ability to manage inspection preparation and communicate effectively with regulators.
Strong organisational skills with the ability to prioritise, coordinate, and complete multiple tasks.
Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
Detail-oriented and deadline-focused.
Team-oriented with a strong work ethic.
Self-motivated with the ability to work autonomously, involving team members and escalating issues as needed.
Strong relationship-building skills.
Focus on strong client service and responsiveness.
Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in accounting or related field
A minimum of 5+ years of progressive audit or internal audit or quality & risk management or compliance audit or business risk advisory experience
Experience in medium to large accounting firm or equivalent is preferred

Excellent analytical, technical, and auditing skills
Experience in implementation or testing of ISQM 1 or PCAOB (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) rules and standards is an asset
Proficient in Microsoft Office and Productivity Applications (Excel, Word, Power Point, Project, and SharePoint)

Core Competencies

Client Service

Approachable
Responsive to questions and feedback

Work standards

Sets standards for excellence
Ensures high quality
Takes responsibility
Encourages others to take responsibility

Tenacity

Persists in efforts
Continuously reassesses and prioritises
Escalates and engages when necessary

Quality Orientation

Follows policies and procedures

Ensures high-quality output
Takes action

Life at GT

Reward and benefits:

Our reward and benefits are designed to create an environment where our people can flourish. We are committed to building a culture where our people have access to the necessary benefits to help promote a healthy lifestyle and thrive.

Equity, diversity and inclusion
At Grant Thornton, we provide equitable opportunities for all our colleagues. We are a responsible, sustainable business where equity, diversity and inclusion (ED&I) is at the forefront of our workplace culture agenda, and today, we continue to build and develop on our existing ED&I structure and strategy to meet our workplace culture needs. People are at the heart of our business and teams built with varied backgrounds, racial differences, cultures, sexual orientations, religious orientations, ages, gender identities, abilities and family types present diverse viewpoints, which need to be heard and valued.

We are all at our best when we are able to be ourselves and we view integrity and authenticity as integral values to bring to our day-to-day work-life at the firm. We are excited to see the personality and perspectives you will bring to our team because we know we will all benefit from them. Diversity of thought, background and experience enables better decision-making, improves the quality of our delivery, and helps us to meet the needs of our clients. Our firm is built on people and their ideas, so we want to hear all the new perspectives and fresh thinking you have to offer. You form the bedrock of our firm’s best-practice principles and we will champion you as leaders from day one.

Recognition:

We want to create a culture of recognition and celebrating success, by saying thank you to people who surpass our expectations and recognising the right values and behaviours. Our Shout Out recognition scheme is our way of highlighting and promoting achievements. Whether you simply want to say thank you, celebrate a special occasion or give an award for doing something exceptional, you can do all of this and more through the scheme.

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Regulatory Associate Director

Job Description