Senior Manager – Financial Services Audit

A.F. Ferguson & Co, a leading professional services firm, is committed to being the employer of choice for talented professionals from diverse backgrounds. As trusted business advisors, we operate in a dynamic environment that offers significant opportunities for growth and development. Our culture encourages individuals to be authentic and valued for their unique strengths. Within PwC’s audit and assurance practice, professionals focus on delivering independent and objective evaluations of financial statements, internal controls, and other critical information, enhancing credibility for various stakeholders. The Senior Manager role involves providing senior leadership across a portfolio of complex financial services audits, working closely with partners and directors to ensure audit quality, resolve complex accounting issues, manage client relationships, and lead multidisciplinary teams. This position also plays a key role in talent development, market initiatives, and expanding PwC Pakistan’s Financial Services Assurance practice.

Key Responsibilities

- Lead a diverse portfolio of complex audits and assurance engagements across banks, digital and microfinance banks, development finance institutions, insurance and takaful companies, asset managers, mutual funds, non-banking finance companies, and capital-market entities.
- Collaborate with partners and directors to set engagement direction, challenge audit strategies, and respond effectively to significant, elevated, and emerging risks.
- Oversee critical judgments and complex matters such as expected credit losses, impairments, fair value measurements, insurance contract liabilities, actuarial assumptions, consolidation, going concern assessments, regulatory capital, solvency, and emerging financial products.
- Review essential audit documentation, financial statements, audit reports, regulatory returns, management letters, and communications to audit committees and boards.
- Lead consultations with specialists in technical accounting, methodology, risk and quality, independence, legal, actuarial, valuation, tax, and technology to ensure timely and well-documented conclusions.
- Maintain senior-level relationships with CFOs, finance leaders, audit committees, boards, and other key stakeholders, providing clear insights while upholding auditor independence.
- Manage engagement quality, acceptance and continuance, independence, delivery, reputation, and commercial risks, escalating issues promptly to leadership.
- Oversee portfolio economics including resource allocation, scheduling, budgeting, recoveries, billing, and collections, driving efficient delivery without compromising quality.
- Mentor and develop managers and engagement teams through coaching, performance feedback, succession planning, technical guidance, and on-the-job learning.
- Support regulatory and group auditor interactions, quality reviews, and inspections by preparing robust documentation and implementing remediation actions.
- Contribute to proposals, client account planning, thought leadership, market initiatives, and the growth of audit and assurance opportunities within independence guidelines.
- Champion audit quality, professional scepticism, ethical conduct, collaboration, innovation, and consistent application of PwC policies and values.

Required Qualifications

- Qualified Chartered Accountant and member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan.
- Minimum of five years post-qualification experience, primarily in external audit and assurance.
- Proven experience leading complex financial services audits and managing multiple engagements or a significant client portfolio.
- Broad sector exposure across banking, insurance, asset management, non-banking finance, or capital markets is highly preferred.

Required Knowledge and Skills

- Advanced knowledge of IFRS Accounting Standards and International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), with particular expertise in IFRS 9; IFRS 17 knowledge is preferred for insurance-focused portfolios.
- Strong understanding of Pakistan’s financial services regulatory environment, including ICAP, SBP, SECP, AOB, and relevant corporate governance frameworks.
- Ability to resolve complex technical issues, make balanced judgments, influence senior stakeholders, and communicate effectively with boards and audit committees.
- Strong leadership skills with commercial awareness, negotiation, project management, and resource management capabilities.
- Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and develop high-performing teams and collaborate across assurance, tax, advisory, and specialist functions.
- Digital mindset with practical experience using audit platforms, data analytics, and technology-enabled audit procedures.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to prepare concise, high-quality reports and presentations.

This role offers the opportunity to contribute significantly to a leading firm’s financial services assurance practice while developing professionally in a supportive and inclusive environment.