AVP/VP, Forensic Accountant (Public Equities)

About This Role

This role involves leading forensic accounting analysis for company research reports, assessing the credibility of accounting allegations, and providing evidence-based conclusions to support investment decisions. It suits a professional with strong investigative skills and critical thinking to identify earnings manipulation and potential fraud in public equities.

Responsibilities

• Lead the forensic accounting analysis of company research reports
• Assess the credibility and accuracy of accounting allegations in areas such as revenue recognition, related-party transactions, cash and receivables quality, cost capitalization, and off-balance sheet arrangements
• Assess and opine on allegations against primary sources, including financial statements and footnotes, regulatory filings, corporate registry records, and the company's own rebuttal
• Separate real accounting concerns from claims that are speculative, selectively presented or mischaracterized
• Deliver quick initial assessments when reports are published and deeper analysis where needed
• Give portfolio managers and investment analysts clear, evidence-based conclusions to support position decisions
• Identify signs of earnings manipulation, aggressive accounting, and potential fraud before they are raised publicly
• Use techniques such as comparing cash flow with reported earnings, accruals analysis, peer benchmarking, and reviewing audit and governance signals
• Highlight where the company's reported results differ from its underlying economics, and assess what that means for financial and fraud risk to our investments
• Form a view on whether investments are suitable based on the quality of their accounting and financial reporting, as part of the investment teams' due diligence and risk assessment

Requirements

• Professional accounting qualification (e.g. ACA, ACCA, CA, CPA)
• Minimally 5 years of forensic accounting experience in an accounting firm, law firm or financial institution, ideally across multiple industry sectors
• Strong working knowledge of IFRS and US GAAP
• Exceptional research and investigative skills, with the ability to look beyond face value, trace claims back to primary sources, and reach sound conclusions from incomplete information
• Rigorous critical thinking and professional skepticism, applied equally to management narratives, investment theses, and third-party research
• Meticulous attention to detail, balanced with the judgment to focus on the issues that matter most to an investment
• Strong collaboration skills to work effectively with portfolio managers and investment analysts across teams and regions
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to draft clear investigative reports and give portfolio managers and investment analysts opinions that are technically sound and commercially grounded