Senior Associate, Forensic Accounting & Commercial Damages

Berkeley Research Group • Emeryville, CA

6d

About The Position

BRG’s Forensic Accounting practice is seeking a Senior Associate or Consultant in San Francisco to support complex financial disputes and investigations. The role works with Managing Director Frank Wisehart and other engagement professionals on forensic accounting, business valuation, lost profits, and economic damages analyses supporting expert opinions in litigation and other dispute proceedings. Engagements may involve fraud allegations, disputed accounting methodologies, GAAP compliance, alter-ego allegations, lost profits, business valuation, and economic damages. The work emphasizes rigorous, standards-based analysis and clear documentation supporting expert reports and testimony in court, arbitration, and regulatory proceedings.

This position is suited to a public accounting or advisory professional who applies accounting knowledge and professional skepticism to disputed financial issues. The successful candidate examines underlying records, tests assumptions, and explains complex financial matters to technical and nontechnical audiences. The position is based in San Francisco, and travel may be required based on engagement needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, finance, or a related discipline.
• Two to four years of relevant experience in public accounting, audit, forensic accounting, litigation consulting, financial investigations, valuation, or a related advisory practice.
• Strong foundation in GAAP, accounting methodology, and financial statement analysis, including relationships among the general ledger, trial balance, income statement, balance sheet, and statement of cash flows.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to investigate discrepancies, evaluate assumptions, and develop well-supported conclusions.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including organizing, reconciling, and analyzing financial data; working knowledge of Word and PowerPoint.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain accounting issues and financial analyses clearly to attorneys and other nontechnical audiences.
• Excellent attention to detail, sound professional judgment, and ability to maintain organized, reproducible analyses.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively while managing multiple assignments and deadlines.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in accounting or completion of a combined bachelor’s and master’s accounting program.
• CPA designation or demonstrated progress toward CPA licensure.
• Experience supporting accounting disputes, fraud investigations, GAAP compliance analyses, lost-profits calculations, business valuations, or expert-witness engagements.
• Familiarity with financial modeling and valuation methodologies, including discounted cash flow analysis.
• Experience using data analytics tools such as Power Query, SQL, Python, or R.
• Progress toward a relevant forensic accounting or valuation credential, such as the CFE, CFF, ABV, or CVA.

Responsibilities

• Analyze financial statements, general ledgers, tax returns, transaction-level data, and other business records to identify relevant financial activity, inconsistencies, and potential accounting issues.
• Trace transactions and reconcile financial records in investigations of alleged fraud, financial irregularities, and disputed accounting practices.
• Research applicable accounting standards, including GAAP, and assist in evaluating accounting treatments and methodologies against those standards and the underlying financial evidence.
• Develop and maintain financial models supporting lost-profits calculations, economic damages analyses, and business valuations, including discounted cash flow analyses where appropriate.
• Evaluate historical financial performance, forecasts, and underlying assumptions to assess the reasonableness of projections and claimed losses.
• Assist in drafting expert report sections and preparing exhibits and supporting schedules that connect financial evidence, analytical methods, assumptions, and conclusions.
• Support preparation for depositions, hearings, arbitration, trial, and regulatory proceedings by checking report support, reviewing opposing experts’ methodologies and calculations, and identifying issues for expert evaluation.
• Analyze intercompany transactions, related-party balances, and financial relationships among entities to support expert analyses involving alter-ego allegations, without making legal determinations.
• Conduct company, industry, and economic research as needed.
• Maintain organized, reproducible workpapers with clear references to source documents so analyses can be reviewed, replicated, and supported under scrutiny.
• Review own work and the work of others for accuracy, consistency, completeness, and supportability.
• Communicate findings effectively to engagement teams and contribute to client discussions as appropriate.
• Collaborate across engagements, manage competing priorities, and meet project deadlines while maintaining quality and confidentiality.
• Participate in practice development activities and travel as required by engagement needs.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level