Position Summary:

SASS Associates are responsible for delivering engagements ranging from Readiness Assessments performed under consulting standards to examinations performed under attestation standards. Readiness Assessments include working with your organization to define the scope of the system subject to the examination, collaborate with process and control owners to help identify the relevant controls and identify any gaps within the system so that management can remediate them before pursuing an examination. Examinations range from SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports to HIPAA and HITRUST projects. What is common across the portfolio of work is the collaboration with our clients to help identify business process and information technology controls to mitigate the Company’s risk. 

Strategic Assurance and SOC Services - Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Work with the client to plan engagement strategy, define objectives, and address business risks and issues and supporting controls
• Apply current knowledge of trends to identify business risk management issues and other opportunities for improvement
• Test and evaluate business processes and information technology controls to mitigate risk
• Execute assigned client engagements from start to completion of business process and information systems
• Participate in client status updates
• Draft client deliverables
• Gain a comprehensive understanding of assigned client operations, processes and business objectives, and then utilize that knowledge on assigned engagements
• Participate in recruiting efforts as needed
• Other duties as assigned

Why become a SASS Associate?

A SASS Associate will gain exposure to various areas of the practice by participating as an active member on consulting and assurance projects and by becoming an integral part of the delivery teams. As an Associate, your primary responsibility will be executing high quality engagements from beginning to end under the supervision of experienced leadership. You will be responsible for efficiently managing your workload to budget and learning how to apply technical skills across our various client environments. As an Associate, you’ll have opportunities to build client relationships by participating with project team in the delivery of our services. Your involvement will allow you to develop an understanding of our clients’ businesses and delivering value through your own insights and quality work. In addition, as an associate you’ll focus on continuously developing your technical and professional skills to grow and expand your role in the SASS practice. Additional responsibilities may include:

• Utilizing various data collection techniques, obtain relevant control evidence, select/apply appropriate testing methods, and document testing results
• Performing detailed analysis to identify and assess compliance or opportunities for improvement, documenting conclusions, and providing recommendations
• Utilizing and continuously learning new technologies to collaborate with team members and enhance service delivery
• Prioritizing your work efforts to produce deliverables to meet project objectives, and applying established analytical models to evaluate data, costs and benefits

What are we looking for in a SASS Associate? 

Interested candidates should be self-starters and should demonstrate strength in or a desire to build skills related to Grant Thornton’s core values of: Collaboration, Leadership, Excellence, Agility, Respect and Responsibility.

Strategic Assurance and SOC Services Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Information Technology, MIS or related field. A Master’s degree is a plus.
• Minimum major and overall GPA of 3.0/4.0 preferred
• Ability to work additional hours as needed and travel 20%-50% as required
• Desire to pursue CPA, CISA, CIA license/certification preferred

Skill Requirements:

• Excellent analytical, communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills
• Strong technical aptitude and problem-solving skills
• Effective project and time management skills for handling multiple priorities and simultaneous projects 
• Enthusiasm to learn through a combination of structured, on-the-job and self-directed training
• Ability to work efficiently and effectively in a complex team environment
• Desire to pursue applicable professional certification as outlined above
• Exceptional client service and communication skills with a demonstrated ability to develop and maintain outstanding client relationships
• Ability to manage multiple engagements and competing priorities in a rapidly growing, fast-paced, interactive, results-based team environment
• Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills. Additionally, excellent analytical, organizational, and project management skills

As part of our SASS team you would help our clients assess their internal controls environment. Associates can expect to work closely with other staff, managers, and partners on all phases of the engagement lifecycle including planning, engagement management, and project wrap up. In addition, associates are expected to actively contribute to business growth by identifying business development opportunities, participating in marketing and brand initiatives and assisting with development of Grant Thornton thought leadership.

The base salary for this position in the firm's Bellevue, WA office is $86,400 per year.