Business Risk Services Associate (In Office)

CLA is a top 10 national professional services firm where our purpose is to create opportunities every day, for our clients, our people, and our communities through industry-focused wealth advisory, digital, audit, tax, consulting, and outsourcing services. Even with more than 8,500 people, 130 U.S. locations, and a global reach, we promise to know you and help you.

CLA is dedicated to building a culture that invites different beliefs and perspectives to the table, so we can truly know and help our clients, communities, and each other.

About the role:

The Business Risk Services (BRS) team is seeking an Associate with early career experience and an interest in performing internal audit and consultative work across financial, operational, and information technology areas.

As an Associate, you will play a key role in supporting a diverse range of internal audits and assessments across IT, compliance, risk management, and operational areas. Your work will span engagements such as:

• Internal audits and control testing
• IT and cybersecurity control design and evaluation
• Business process and internal control improvement initiatives
• Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance assessments
• Service auditor reporting for assurance engagements

We’re looking for candidates who excel at building strong relationships and communicating effectively with both external clients and internal teams. You’ll collaborate closely with industry specialists and cross-functional service groups within CLA to deliver high-quality insights and solutions to our clients.

As a BRS Associate, you will:

Client Service: Demonstrate curiosity and an open mind to new ideas and concepts and help to generate innovative solutions. Participate in meetings, and presentations to clients. Identify other CLA services that would help clients. Demonstrate awareness and understanding of client’s technical environment and business processes through discussions, process walkthroughs, and review of available information with an emphasis on risks and controls relevant to the business process, cyber security, and technology. Deliver a high level of attentive client service through positive interactions with clients across multiple industries.

Project Management: Balance assigned work and projects efficiently to meet established deadlines. Communicate status of projects including issues that need immediate attention to the engagement “in charge.”

Additional Business Risk Services Associate duties include:

• Participate in client meetings, capturing key themes, open items, and next steps
• Participate in technical examination processes, including defining examination scope, evaluating controls, conducting tests, reporting, resolving issues, and assessing risks for assigned examination controls/objectives
• Assist with risk assessments and development of test/examination plans
• Analyze processes and controls related to technical components including logical access, change management, development life cycle, data management, backup and recovery, incident response, vulnerability management, and physical environment
• Actively participate in business process walkthroughs, identifying process gaps, risks, and opportunities for enhanced controls or business efficiencies
• Document results observed from tests and/or walkthrough and client meetings
• Review client documents including policies, procedures, workflows, and technical documents
• Assist with documentation of findings, test results, and recommendations
• Participate in report development and presentations
• Identify other CLA services that would help clients, as appropriate

What you will need:

• Bachelor’s degree with a major in accounting, business, management information systems, or related field. Dual major in information systems, or information systems minor preferred.
• Approximately 1 year of experience in a professional setting; entry-level candidates with foundational experience are encouraged to apply
• Outstanding interpersonal, analytical, research and project management skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging across platforms (messenger, email, virtual meetings, etc.)
• Ability to actively listen, synthesize information, and identify underlying themes, challenges and opportunities in conversations and collabora