Assurance Leader, Public Accounting
Outhire ‚Ä¢ Calgary, Alberta ‚Ä¢ Full Time ‚Ä¢ $118,400–$148,000 / year
Posted on Sat, Jul 18, 2026
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TITLE
Assurance Leader, Public Accounting
SALARY RANGE
$160,000 – $200,000
CASH BONUS
Performance-based bonus tied to service line profitability
LONG TERM INCENTIVE
Partnership Path – Assurance Leader with opportunity to advance to Equity Partner within 2 years for the right candidate
THE PERKS
- Standard Health Benefits
- Professional Development Support
- CPA Dues Support
- Flexible Hours
- Home Office Support
- Vacation accrued at 10% of eligible earnings
Calgary, AB
THE OFFICE
Fully Remote
TEAM SIZE
Under 5 people
THE ROLE
A leadership role responsible for building and managing the national assurance service line, owning technical direction, quality standards, and practice development across a multi-office firm.
- File Review, Problem Solving & Engagement Sign-Off (50%)
- Process Improvement & Personnel Training (25%)
- Workflow Management of Assurance Engagements (15%)
- Business Development – Internal Niche Identification (10%)
File Review, Problem Solving & Engagement Sign-Off
- Coordinate and execute national file review support for offices exceeding local review capacity
- Serve as engagement partner on assurance files from smaller offices that lack a qualified local signing partner
- Act as the escalation point for complex technical issues on stuck files, applying business judgment to move engagements forward without compromising quality
- Manage exceptions to the standard three-tier review model (preparer, reviewer, partner) during transitional periods such as new acquisitions
- Oversee file quality across acquired offices and implement remediation where standards are not met
- Oversee review workflows during busy season to maintain turnaround and quality standards
- Develop and own firm-wide SOPs and Systems of Quality Management (SOQM) for the assurance service line
- Issue technical interpretations and firm-wide direction on assurance topics
- Develop standardized templates and working paper frameworks for common engagement types across all offices
- Assess team capabilities and make recommendations on staffing changes, replacements, and future hires
- Manage national assurance engagement workflow including assignment, prioritization, and progress tracking across peak and off-peak periods
- Monitor capacity across offices and allocate overflow work to the central assurance team
- Identify niche opportunities from the existing client base and develop scalable engagement templates to capture additional market share within sectors already served by the firm
A national public accounting firm serving rural communities, agricultural clients, and small-to-medium businesses across multiple provinces. The firm has grown through a strategic acquisition model and is continuing to scale, with a focus on bringing quality standardization and dedicated service line leadership to its expanding assurance practice.
THE OPPORTUNITY
This is a net-new role – the first dedicated leader of a national assurance service line – with the mandate to build processes, own technical direction, develop the team, and shape the practice from the ground up. Ideal for a senior assurance professional with national or professional practice experience who is ready to pair technical depth with business judgment in a high-autonomy, build-phase environment with a clear path to partnership.
THE EXPECTATIONS TIMELINE PREVIEW
By Month 1
- Learn firm systems, tools, and reporting structures across all offices
- Build relationships with local office partners and the existing assurance team
- Document existing assurance processes and identify immediate pain points
- Take ownership of national file review coordination and overflow management — including direct sign-off responsibility on approximately 50 files per year (700–1,000 hours) in offices where local partners do not practice assurance. File volume may fluctuate annually based on office capacity and portfolio composition.
- Begin solving operational problems and reducing process redundancies across offices
- Lay out a preliminary plan for standardization, process improvement, and service line development
- Establish working cadence with local office partners on assurance capacity and quality
- Deliver a formal business plan for the assurance service line
- Review templates and processes used by offices and standardize them. Assess and recommend technology, methodology, and process improvements that strengthen engagement quality and scalability, coordinating adoption priorities with Quality Management and Firm leadership.
- Assess and make recommendations on team structure and staffing needs
- Begin executing on identified niche opportunities
- Execute business plan by delivering against defined performance targets tied to strategic initiatives.
- Implement standardized workflows, SOPs, and quality management systems firm-wide
- Achieve a 50% reduction in average file turnaround time and realization rates exceeding 100% by leveraging the firm’s integrated offshore delivery model
- Position the assurance practice for sustained organic growth alongside the firm’s acquisition strategy
- January to June – approximately 1,400 hours
- July to December – approximately 950 hours
- CPA designation with a minimum of 7 years of assurance experience, including time in a national or professional practice capacity
- Experience with the types of assurance engagements common to mid-market and rural practice: municipal audits, not-for-profit organizations, and private enterprise review and audit engagements
- Demonstrated ability to balance technical rigour with practical business judgment – knowing when to apply the brake and when to move an engagement forward