About the RoleBRG's Forensic, Technology, Investigations & Discovery practice is seeking a Senior Associate interested in working from BRG's Houston, Chicago, or New York City offices to support complex financial disputes and investigations. The successful candidate will work with engagement professionals on forensic accounting, business valuation, lost profits, and economic damages analyses supporting expert opinions in litigation and other dispute proceedings.
Engagements may involve fraud allegations, post-closing M&A disputes, disputed accounting methodologies, compliance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), alter-ego allegations, lost profits, business valuation, and economic damages. The role emphasizes rigorous, standards-based analysis and clear documentation that supports expert reports and testimony in court, arbitration, and regulatory proceedings.
This role is well suited to a public accounting or advisory professional who wants to apply accounting knowledge and professional skepticism to disputed financial issues. Professionals with experience in a Big Four environment tend to do well in this role, drawing on their technical foundation, analytical rigor, and client-service experience. Candidates should enjoy examining underlying records, testing assumptions, and explaining complex financial matters clearly to both technical and nontechnical audiences.
Job Responsibilities- Analyze financial statements, general ledgers, tax returns, transaction-level data, and other business records to identify relevant financial activity, inconsistencies, and potential accounting issues.
- Trace transactions, identify the flow of funds, and reconcile financial records to support investigations of alleged financial statement fraud, asset misappropriation, embezzlement, and other financial irregularities or disputed accounting practices.
- Research applicable accounting standards, including GAAP, and assist in evaluating whether accounting treatments and methodologies are consistent with those standards and the underlying financial evidence.
- Support analyses of post-closing M&A disputes involving working capital adjustments, earn-outs, and alleged breaches of representations and warranties, including reviewing relevant purchase agreement provisions and supporting accounting records.
- Develop and maintain financial models supporting lost-profits calculations, business interruption claims, economic damages analyses, and business valuations, including discounted cash flow analyses where appropriate.
- Evaluate historical financial performance, forecasts, and underlying assumptions to assess the reasonableness of financial projections and claimed losses.
- Assist in drafting expert report sections and preparing exhibits and supporting schedules that clearly connect financial evidence, analytical methods, assumptions, and conclusions.
- Support preparation for depositions, hearings, arbitration, trial, and regulatory proceedings by checking report support, reviewing opposing experts' methodologies and calculations, and identifying issues for expert evaluation.
- Analyze intercompany transactions, related-party balances, and financial relationships among entities to support expert analyses involving alter-ego allegations, without making legal determinations. Conduct company, industry, and economic research as needed.
- Maintain organized, reproducible workpapers with clear references to source documents so analyses can be reviewed, replicated, and supported under scrutiny.
- Review your own work and the work of others for accuracy, consistency, completeness, and supportability.
- Communicate findings effectively to engagement teams and contribute to client discussions as appropriate.
- Collaborate across engagements, manage competing priorities, and meet project deadlines while maintaining high standards of quality and confidentiality.
- Participate in practice development activities and travel as required by engagement needs.
Qualifications- A bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or a related discipline is required. A master's degree in accounting or completion of a combined bachelor's and master's accounting program is preferred.
- Two to four years of relevant experience in public accounting, audit, forensic accounting, litigation consulting, financial investigations, valuation, or a related advisory practice.
- A CPA designation or demonstrated progress toward CPA licensure is strongly preferred.
- A strong foundation in GAAP, accounting methodology, and financial statement analysis, including the relationships among the general ledger, trial balance, income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to investigate discrepancies, evaluate assumptions, and develop well-supported conclusions.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including organizing, reconciling, and analyzing financial data, and working knowledge of Word and PowerPoint.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain accounting issues and financial analyses clearly to attorneys and other nontechnical audiences.
- Excellent attention to detail, sound professional judgment, and the ability to maintain organized, reproducible analyses.
- The ability to work independently and collaboratively while managing multiple assignments and deadlines.
Preferred Experience- Experience supporting accounting or transaction-related disputes, fraud investigations, GAAP compliance analyses, lost-profits calculations, business valuations, or expert-witness engagements.
- Familiarity with financial modeling and valuation methodologies, including discounted cash flow analysis.
- Experience using data analytics tools such as Power Query, SQL, Python, or R.
- Progress toward a relevant forensic accounting or valuation credential, such as the CFE, CFF, ABV, or CVA.
Salary Range: $100,000-$175,000
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