Independence Advisor - Junior at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)

Job Description & Summary

A career in Risk Management, within Internal Firm Services, will provide you with the opportunity to advance and foster integrity based decision making and conduct by clients employees throughout their organisation. Our Risk Management Generalist - Client Services team focuses on promoting and monitoring compliance with applicable external laws and regulations as well as internal policies and procedures to help manage clients regulatory, litigation, and reputational risk.

To really stand out and make us fit for the future in a constantly changing world, each and every one of us at PwC needs to be a purpose-led and values-driven leader at every level. To help us achieve this we have the PwC Professional; our global leadership development framework. It gives us a single set of expectations across our lines, geographies and career paths, and provides transparency on the skills we need as individuals to be successful and progress in our careers, now and in the future.

As a Senior Associate, you'll work as part of a team of problem solvers, helping to solve complex business issues from strategy to execution. PwC Professional skills and responsibilities for this management level include but are not limited to:

• Use feedback and reflection to develop self awareness, personal strengths and address development areas.
• Delegate to others to provide stretch opportunities, coaching them to deliver results.
• Demonstrate critical thinking and the ability to bring order to unstructured problems.
• Use a broad range of tools and techniques to extract insights from current industry or sector trends.
• Review your work and that of others for quality, accuracy and relevance.
• Know how and when to use tools available for a given situation and can explain the reasons for this choice.
• Seek and embrace opportunities which give exposure to different situations, environments and perspectives.
• Use straightforward communication, in a structured way, when influencing and connecting with others.
• Able to read situations and modify behavior to build quality relationships.
• Uphold the firm's code of ethics and business conduct.

Job purpose

To support the Advisory R&Q Principal in managing independence compliance, and  related processes and controls within the Advisory Line of Service. This includes providing support in running related independence processes, communication, training, consultations and reporting in driving compliance with the firm’s independence policies by the firm’s Advisory LoS partners and staff. The role also supports the rest of the Risk & Quality (R&Q) team with general R&Q matters.

5-10% travel to other PwC firms in Africa is required.

Key Responsibilities include the following (other duties may be assigned)

Compliance

• Gain an understanding and continually stay abreast of Global Independence Policies (GIP)  and guidance including updates.  
• Support in implementing the firm’s independence compliance processes and procedures to ensure adherence with GIP.
• Support the Advisory LoS team in adhering to the Global Network and local independence rules and requirements on services to restricted entities.
• Support in assessing marketing initiatives for compliance with independence policies in liaison with the Clients and Markets Development (CMD) team.
• Provide support in conducting Independence Inflight Reviews (IIFR) for services delivered to SEC restricted clients to ensure compliance to required safeguards.

Consultation

• Provide support in conducting research on technical independence queries which includes application of Business Relationships, Statements of Permitted Services (SOPS) and other risk &  independence related policies, standards and guidance.
• Assist in providing guidance to engagement teams on how to apply GIP in assessing service permissibility and seeking Authorisation for Services (AFS). 
• Assist in liaising with independence specialists in the network on queries relating to policy interpretation.

Operations

•  Link into the network Independence and R&Q management forums to stay abreast of global developments and participate in initiatives to be implemented locally.
• Support execution of various independence and R&Q projects and activities including the administration of the independence consultation helpdesk.
• Assisting in the assessment of marketing initiatives and Joint Business Relationships (JBRs) clearance requests.
• Support in the effective use and maintenance of Independence systems (JBR and AFS) including conducting User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for system upgrades, coaching end users on navigating the system and liaising with the SDC helpdesk on technical issues.
• Liaison with local and network Service Delivery Centres (SDC) in driving efficient processing of JBR assessments and continuous process improvement.
• Support in the planning, preparation and management on internal and external audits related to the independence function.
• Assist in conducting annual engagement compliance reviews and provide support in the periodic business unit reviews. 

Training and communication

•  Support in the delivery of training and awareness sessions to Advisory partners and staff on independence and related R&Q matters.
• Assist in drafting communication on new policies and other developments related to independence compliance.  

Qualifications and experience requirements

• A degree in Risk Management/Business/Accounting/Law is essential
• Certificate or Diploma in Risk Management/Compliance Management/Internal Audit is desirable
• A Certified Accountant or Certified Internal Auditor qualification will be advantageous
• Minimum 3 years professional experience in Risk management/Legal/Internal audit or any compliance role.

Desirable attributes and competencies

• Ability to think critically and solve complex problems efficiently and practically.
• Technical research skills with ability to evaluate a situation broadly and to consider a variety of aspects.
• Intellectual curiosity -ability to ask questions, challenge, have general skepticism
• Self-motivated with attention to detail
• Analytical, solution driven and innovative mindset
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills
• Ability to persuade stakeholders to adopt appropriate solutions
• Strong interpersonal reflecting ability to interact across management levels
• Pro-active and committed to service delivery
• Excellent time management skills
• Highly computer literate with good working knowledge of IT applications and systems.

The following competencies are inherent requirements of the position: 

• Communicating with impact and empathy
• Developing self and others through coaching
• Building and sustaining relationships with “internal clients”
• Being passionate about client service
• Being curious – learning, sharing and innovating
• Leading and contributing to team success
• Demonstrating courage and integrity
• Acquiring and applying commercial and technical expertise
• Being open-minded, practical and agile with change