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Field auditors review financial records of a corporation’s branches, checking for errors and investigating suspected fraud. They often travel extensively and require strong organizational skills. A bachelor’s degree and experience in accounting or business management is preferred.
A field auditor reviews the financial records of different branches or establishments of a corporation in a given region. He or she checks income reports, probate forms, and other pertinent documents to ensure they are error-free. If financial fraud is suspected, the auditor investigates suspicious records and interviews employees to discover facts. A field auditor’s job helps employees at corporate headquarters make important decisions regarding financial policies.
Field auditors may fulfill some of their responsibilities in a central office, but the nature of the work often requires extensive travel. Depending on the size and scope of a corporation, a field auditor may be required to log several hundred kilometers per week in car or plane travel. In most cases, travel expenses such as food and hotel room fees are compensated by the auditor’s employer.
When meeting with branch representatives, the auditor is typically given access to detailed paper or electronic financial documents. He or she goes through each line of information, checking the figures against the totals and records reported from the corporate headquarters. To avoid accounting errors, the auditor must be very organized and able to immediately recognize the smallest discrepancies. Inconsistencies in financial reports are usually minor and require no more than a footnote in the official corporate office report. When a large amount of revenue or funding is missing, the auditor may decide to initiate an investigation.
A field auditor first double-checks the records to find that the finances were simply misplaced and not suspicious. If the money cannot be accounted for, he usually starts a full fraud investigation. Other professionals may be hired to assist with an inspection, but the auditor is usually the ultimate authority. He or she examines company and private bank accounts, employee histories, and possible suspects. When funds are tracked, the auditor writes a legal report and helps develop better company policies to avoid future problems.
There are no strict educational requirements to become a field auditor, but most professionals hold bachelor’s or higher degrees in accounting or business management. Additionally, prospective field auditors often need to gain several years of experience as an audit clerk, fraud investigator, or business accountant before advancing to the role. A qualified auditor may be rewarded with an internal auditor position after working for a company for many years. Many professionals, however, enjoy the perks of traveling and choose to remain in field audit positions throughout their careers.
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