External Audit - FSO Blockchain - Senior

As a Senior External Auditor in EY's Digital Asset Research Center, you serve as a trusted subject matter expert delivering Assurance services to companies in the digital asset ecosystem. You work with a small, rapidly growing team of software developers, financial auditors and technology consultants across US offices in San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, New York and Hoboken, collaborating with similar teams globally. You research public blockchains, smart contracts and digital assets, and help clients including exchanges, custodians, miners/validators, payment providers and investment managers navigate the technical and audit risks of their on-chain activities.

What you'll do

• Serve as a trusted digital asset assurance subject matter expert for audit and advisory engagements with material digital asset exposure, supporting every stage of the audit cycle
• Support audit teams by designing and executing audit procedures over digital assets, including existence, valuation, rights and obligations, completeness, and presentation/disclosures
• Lead and perform digital asset evaluations, including research, documentation and analysis of blockchain-based assets, protocols, smart contracts and associated audit risks impacting financial reporting
• Interpret blockchain transaction data and independently verify on-chain activity using public block explorers, internal analytics and specialist methodologies to obtain audit-ready evidence and conclusions
• Collaborate with engagement teams, managers and senior leadership to translate technical blockchain concepts into clear, audit-relevant conclusions, including risk assessments, scoping and documentation support
• Contribute to the development and enhancement of custom tooling, methodologies and leading practices, including automation and blockchain analytics, to improve audit quality, consistency and efficiency
• Keep up to date on emerging industry trends, protocols, custody models, evolving regulatory frameworks and leading practices in this fast-growing area, and proactively identify opportunities to apply new practices to active engagements
• Work effectively with cross-functional client service teams with diverse skills and backgrounds, fostering an innovative and inclusive environment while meeting deadlines and quality expectations

What you bring

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, Computer Science or a related field
• 2+ years of experience in external audit, assurance or a related professional services role
• Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification, or eligibility to sit for the CPA exams with demonstrated progress toward passing
• Strong understanding of audit fundamentals, including financial statement assertions, risk assessment and control and information produced by the entity (IPE) concepts
• Experience auditing public companies, banks, digital asset exchanges or financial services including venture capital and hedge funds
• Experience using audit documentation software
• Foundational knowledge of blockchain technology, including working understanding of wallet/address structures, transaction mechanics, smart contract and DeFi concepts and how they hold and transfer value, and custody/private key management models
• Ability to analyze blockchain data and reconcile on-chain activity to client records
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for technical writing and client presentations
• Intellectual curiosity and willingness to continuously learn in a rapidly changing digital asset landscape
• Ability and willingness to travel and work in excess of standard hours when necessary
• Access to reliable transportation to and from EY offices and client sites; a driver's license is strongly recommended

Nice to have

• Auditing or supporting audits involving digital assets, cryptocurrencies or blockchain-based transactions
• Experience with SOX reporting and control environments related to digital asset companies

What we offer

• Base salary range of $79,200 to $130,600 (US general); $95,000 to $148,500 (New York City Metro Area, Washington State and California excluding Sacramento). Individual salaries are determined based on education, experience, knowledge, skills and geography
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical and dental coverage, pension and 401(k) plans
• Flexible vacation policy where you decide how much vacation time you need based on your personal circumstances, plus designated EY Paid Holidays, Winter/Summer breaks and Personal/Family Care leave
• Hybrid work model with expectation of working in person 40-60% of the time over the course of an engagement, project or year

About EY

EY is a global professional services firm building a better working world by creating new value for clients, people, society and the planet. EY teams work across assurance, consulting, tax, strategy and transactions, enabled by data, AI and advanced technology, serving clients in more than 150 countries and territories.