Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. As of 2000 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 3,400,578 (though a 2007 estimate placed the population at 4,011,475), making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston.

The Data Analytics and Technology Audit Department (DATA) is part of the Harris County Auditor’s Office Internal Audit Division. The department consists of a data analytics team and a technology audit team. The data analytics team supports all the Internal Audit Division teams and the County Auditor in successfully employing the use of advanced data analytics.

The Data Analytics team is looking for a dedicated team player who shares their passion for data and process improvement to provide analytics support to the Harris County organization.

The Senior Audit Data Analyst Will

• Contribute to the development, execution, monitoring, evaluation and delivery of data models, data prep routines, analytics, and other initiatives of our audit analytics strategy across the Harris County departments.
• Actively drive the integration of data analytics and associated data visualizations into internal audit projects to deliver innovative, insightful, and actionable analyses.
• Bring their innovation, sound professional judgement, critical thinking, follow-through, initiative, attention to detail, and industry and functional expertise while leveraging advanced analytics to drive successful audits.
• Perform business validation and quality assurance testing of audit analytics platform content.
• Ensure the work performed is in accordance with quality standards of the organization; and
• Present technical solutions to team members and leadership.

Key Job Functions

• Identify relevant and applicable datasets required to obtain desired results. Able to take the data and use the appropriate tools to validate accuracy/completeness, and to identify anomalies, trends, inconsistencies, or potential risks. Present those findings in a meaningful manner (using visualizations where appropriate).
• Develop continuous auditing programs to identify exceptions on a regular/routine basis.
• Prioritize analytic work based on County needs, risk focus and mitigation prioritization.
• Provide insight and interpretation into the organization’s identified risks.
• Provide data analytics support for various projects performed throughout the year, including requirements brainstorming, data acquisition, data management, iterative analysis design and analytics, and data visualization (where appropriate) for various engagements.
• Develops dashboards and related reports to create more compelling visuals that highlight impactful insights which are easier to consume for key stakeholders.
• Identify, understand, and acquire large underlying information/data to meet objectives. Performs large-scale data mining and data science projects as well as ad hoc statistical and data mining analyses.
• Summarize results to present anomalies, error rates and dollar impact from anomalies / exceptions.
• Presents results of analyses to business auditor teams, explain technical and statistical concepts to non-technical/non-statistical associates and vice-versa.
• Support education and skill building of audit team members to deliver base level of competency.
• Assist with the creation and delivery of operational, system, or tools training / communication in alignment with the department’s overall strategy and the internal auditing standard operating procedures.
• Proactively seek out processes and resources to implement industry leading technologies for audit, analytics, or other IA requirements and needs.
• Assist in supporting internal audit’s quality control and improvement program to ensure compliance with Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA) standards by supporting KPI/KRI dashboard development, trending, and reporting.
• Assist with the alignment and standardization of data analytics and audit procedures. Support completion of quality assessments.

Requirements

Education and Experience:

• Qualified candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in accounting, auditing, computer science, data science, management information systems, or related discipline from an accredited college or university.
• Three (3) to five (5) years of overall experience, with a blend of data analytics and support experience, specifically with five (5+) years of experience in technology development and, building/deploying technology solutions.
• Experience in performing data analysis, statistical and/or modeling using data analytics tools (e.g., Excel, ACL) internal controls, and/or external/internal financial audits.
• Experience in designing and developing data visualizations using visualization software and tools (Power BI, Tableau, SAS Visual Analytics, etc.).
• Hands-on coding experience using programming languages (SQL and Python preferred).

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft tools including Teams, Excel, Word, and Outlook.
• Solid understanding of Microsoft Azure and SharePoint.
• Experience in relational databases, performing data transformations and data modelling.
• Strong problem solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent business communication skills (verbal and written) to articulate problems, make decisions and to independently engage with organizational stakeholders.
• Ability to plan, organize, and follow through on assigned projects in a timely manner and with flexibility.
• Ability to analyze complex information and identify anomalies and trends.

Ideal Candidate Must Possess

• Good understanding of business processes, audit and/or general accounting principles.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment and consistently meet deadlines.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast paced, multiple-deliverables, team-oriented environment.
• Ability to present complex information in an understandable and compelling manner to various levels of management and staff.
• Experience working independently on multiple assignments or engagements, even in a virtual environment.
• Ability to maintain a high degree of judgment, discretion, and confidentiality of sensitive information.
• Ability to travel throughout Harris County as needed, with minimal overnight and out-of-county travel.
• Ability to sit for extended periods of time, push/pull up to 50 lbs., and lift and carry up to 20 lbs.

NOTE: Qualifying education, experience, knowledge, and skills must be documented on your job application. You may attach a resume to the application as supporting documentation but ONLY information stated on the application will be used for consideration. "See Resume" will not be accepted for qualifications.

Preferences

Certification

• Willingness to achieve a relevant certification (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate, CISA, CIA) is preferred.