Financial Due Diligence & Audit Senior

GCO Partners | South Africa | Supporting a UK Professional Services Firm

The opportunity

Build on your financial due diligence and audit experience while working as an embedded member of an established UK professional services team.

GCO Partners is looking for an experienced Financial Due Diligence professional to support a UK partner across transaction-related work and audit engagements.

The role is particularly suited to someone who enjoys analysing businesses, understanding the financial story behind the numbers and identifying issues that could affect a transaction. You will work on financial due diligence assignments when available, while also supporting audit engagements during periods when there is less due diligence work.

This is therefore not a pure transaction services role. The successful candidate must be comfortable moving between due diligence and audit, applying strong accounting knowledge and maintaining a high standard of work across both areas.

You will work with a range of businesses and financial information, gaining exposure to UK clients, transaction processes and audit work while remaining based in South Africa.

What you will be responsible for

Financial Due Diligence

You will support financial due diligence assignments, including:

• Analysing historical financial performance and identifying key trends.
• Reviewing revenue, gross margins, operating costs and profitability.
• Analysing quality of earnings / maintainable earnings and identifying unusual or non-recurring items.
• Reviewing working capital and identifying normalisation or adjustment items.
• Analysing net debt, debt-like items and cash flow.
• Reviewing management accounts, financial statements and underlying accounting records.
• Investigating significant movements and variances in financial performance.
• Identifying financial risks, issues and potential deal considerations.
• Preparing clear analysis, schedules and supporting working papers.
• Assisting with the preparation of due diligence reports and presentations.
• Performing financial analysis and research to support transaction decisions.
• Working with senior team members to investigate findings and develop conclusions.
• Communicating findings clearly and concisely to internal teams and clients.
• Managing multiple assignments and working to transaction deadlines.

Audit

When due diligence work is not available, you will support the audit team with:

• Planning and performing audit procedures across a portfolio of clients.
• Preparing audit working papers and maintaining appropriate audit documentation.
• Testing financial statement balances and transactions.
• Performing substantive testing and analytical procedures.
• Testing income, expenses, assets, liabilities and balance sheet accounts.
• Performing reconciliations and investigating discrepancies.
• Reviewing supporting documentation and assessing the reasonableness of financial information.
• Identifying audit risks and potential issues for escalation.
• Supporting audit completion and the resolution of review points.
• Working with managers and senior team members to deliver audits accurately and on time.
• Communicating professionally with clients to obtain information and resolve queries.

The candidate should understand that audit work is a genuine part of the role, rather than simply a fallback when there is no due diligence work.

What we are looking for

You should have:

• Strong practical experience in Financial Due Diligence / Transaction Services.
• Solid experience in external audit, ideally within an accounting or professional services firm.
• Strong accounting and financial reporting knowledge.
• Experience analysing financial statements and management accounts.
• Practical understanding of quality of earnings, working capital and net debt.
• Strong Excel and financial analysis skills.
• Experience preparing detailed working papers and supporting analysis.
• The ability to identify unusual trends, risks and issues within financial information.
• Experience working across multiple clients or assignments with competing deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and a methodical approach to reviewing financial information.
• Clear, professional written and verbal communication.
• The confidence to work directly with clients and internal stakeholders.
• The ability to work independently while knowing when to escalate technical or commercial issues.
• A willingness to move between due diligence and audit work depending on business requirements.

Qualifications

A relevant professional accounting qualification or progress towards one would be advantageous, such as:

• CA(SA) / SAICA
• ACCA
• CIMA / CGMA
• CTA, particularly where combined with relevant audit and transaction experience
• SAIT or another relevant tax qualification, where applicable
• An equivalent recognised accounting qualification

For this role, practical experience across both Financial Due Diligence and external audit is more important than the specific professional body through which the candidate qualified.

Systems experience

Strong Microsoft Excel skills are essential.

Experience with financial analysis, audit or accounting systems would be advantageous, including:

• Excel
• CaseWare
• CCH
• Xero
• Sage
• Other audit or financial analysis software

Experience with data analysis tools or advanced Excel functions would be beneficial.

Advantageous

The following would strengthen your application:

• Experience within a Big Four, mid-tier or established professional services firm.
• Experience working on buy-side or sell-side financial due diligence.
• Experience with private equity or corporate transactions.
• Experience analysing quality of earnings / adjusted EBITDA.
• Experience with working capital and net debt analysis.
• Experience preparing or contributing to due diligence reports.
• Experience working with UK clients or UK accounting frameworks.
• Previous exposure to UK GAAP or FRS 102.
• Experience with IFRS.
• Experience auditing UK companies or groups.
• Strong Excel modelling and data analysis skills.
• ACA, ACCA, CA(SA) or equivalent qualification.

This role may suit you if

You are a technically strong accounting professional who enjoys understanding what sits behind the numbers.

You enjoy the analytical and investigative nature of financial due diligence but also appreciate the discipline and technical foundation that comes from audit.

You are comfortable moving between different types of work and understand that the role will change depending on the availability of due diligence assignments. When transaction work is quieter, you are willing to contribute meaningfully to audit engagements rather than waiting for the next transaction.

You are commercially minded, detail-oriented and able to communicate your findings clearly. You are comfortable working with large amounts of financial information, identifying what matters and explaining your conclusions to senior team members and clients.

You are also looking for the opportunity to work with an international team and gain further exposure to UK businesses and professional services standards.

Why join GCO Partners?

GCO Partners connects high-performing professionals from Africa with meaningful international work.

As a GCO professional, you will have the opportunity to:

• Apply your financial due diligence and audit expertise in an international environment.
• Work directly with an established UK professional services team.
• Gain exposure to UK transactions, businesses and accounting practices.
• Develop your experience across both Transaction Services and Audit.
• Build long-term international experience without relocating.
• Join a people-first organisation that values quality, accountability and professional growth.
• Remain connected to the wider GCO community while working as an embedded member of the client team.

At GCO, our work is guided by three passions: People, Performance and Progress. We invest in strong relationships, hold ourselves to high standards and continuously look for better ways to work.