Audit Associate

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) is one of the largest school districts in the United States, serving over 330,000 students in 600+ schools and employing nearly 36,000 people, most of them teachers.

CPS has set ambitious goals to ensure that every student, in every school and every neighborhood, has access to a world-class learning experience that prepares each for success in college, career, and civic life.

In order to fulfill this mission, we make three commitments to our students, their families, and all Chicagoans : academic progress, financial stability, and integrity.

Six core values are embedded within these commitments student-centered, whole child, equity, academic excellence, community partnership, and continuous learning.

The Office of Internal Audit and Compliance (IAC) provides assurance and advisory services through independent and objective reviews to continuously improve systems and processes across the district that better prepare every child for success in college, career, and civic life.

Job Summary :

Reporting to the Risk Audit Manager, the Audit Associate will conduct financial, operational, performance, compliance, and other audits or reviews as assigned.

Under the supervision of departmental management, this work will include planning, fieldwork, testing and data analysis, interviewing, evaluation of internal control processes, identification of observations, and preparation of reports in accordance with IAC procedures and applicable professional auditing standards.

The Audit Associate will be held accountable for the following responsibilities :

• Participate in the financial, operational, and compliance audits throughout the organization.
• Utilize CPS tools and processes to develop and manage project plans and task assignments for all resources.
• Review deliverables prepared by Internal Audit before passing to Leadership for final review.
• Ensure all project documentation is developed and kept current (i.e. audit programs).
• Ensure assigned audit tasks meet business requirements, and are completed on time and within budget.
• Perform audit engagements by reviewing organizational and functional activities to ensure risks are appropriately identified, associated audit procedures are applied and related controls are designed and operating to mitigate the identified risks.
• Prepare draft audit reports for assigned projects; participate in communication with management about reports and related issues and recommendations.
• Monitor accomplishment of objectives directed toward increasing Internal Audit's ability to serve management in a professional, efficient, and effective manner.
• Assist in the identification of those activities subject to audit coverage, evaluate their significance, and assess the degree of risk inherent in the activity in terms of materiality, cost and schedule.
• Enact thorough and practical knowledge of audit methodology techniques.
• Lead discussions to obtain a detailed understanding of business or functional area processes, systems, and applications.
• Maintain professional certifications and related educational requirements as well as other duties assigned by the Audit Manager / Supervisor.

In order to be successful and achieve the above responsibilities, the Audit Associate must possess the following qualifications :

Education Required :

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Accounting, Business, Finance, Economics, or related field.

Experience Required :

• Minimum of 1 year of professional or Internship-level experience with a mid-level accounting firm, a large organization's internal audit department, educational or public sector entity is strongly preferred.
• Experience with software platforms for audit, risk, and compliance is preferred.
• Experience documenting business process flows is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities :

• Excellent verbal and written communication and presentation skills, capable of communicating with a broad range of CPS colleagues, including district leaders
• Possess excellent interpersonal skills, project management skills, organizational skills, and attention to detail.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, including an ability to think in terms of processes and systems.
• Ability to deliver high-quality work in a fast-paced environment, successfully meet established deadlines, effectively multi-task high-priority projects, and provide prompt, thorough information to multiple constituencies and stakeholders.
• Effective time management skills; demonstrates a sense of urgency in accomplishing goals and objectives to ensure success.
• Capable of success both working independently and as a member of a team, partnering with colleagues and Management in support of key initiatives and projects.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Broad business acumen ability to engage in a wide variety of business discussions and quickly learn new and / or complex concepts.

Conditions of Employment

As a condition of employment with the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), employees are required to :

Establish / Maintain Chicago Residency - Employees are required to live within the geographic boundaries of the City of Chicago within six months of their CPS hire date and maintain residency throughout their employment with the district.

The Chicago residency requirement does not apply to temporary / part-time positions, however, all CPS employees must be residents of Illinois.

Be Fully Vaccinated Against COVID-19 - Unless approved for a medical or religious exemption, all employees are required to be up-to-date on COVID-19 vaccinations, including boosters, and to submit proof of vaccination to the district within 30 days of hire.

Up-to-date on vaccination is defined as being at least two weeks past all primary vaccine doses and any applicable boosters.