Auditor 3 - Council

Full Job Description

Applications will be screened beginning February 12, and invitations to continue in the process may be extended to successful candidates before the recruitment closes on February 18.

The King County Auditor’s Office is seeking a very experienced performance auditor who will join in our mission to improve the accountability, effectiveness, equity, and efficiency of county government.

King County is an equal opportunity employer committed to advancing equity and social justice within county government and in partnership with communities.

Applying equity and social justice principles is a daily responsibility and a foundational expectation for all King County employees.

In this role, you will apply principles that exemplify shared values, behaviors, and practices to all aspects of the work.

About the King County Auditor’s Office

We conduct performance audits of a wide array of county functions, including transit, law enforcement, jails, wastewater, solid waste, parks, public health, elections, procurement, and others.

Auditors in our office typically work on two projects concurrently in teams of two to three.

Auditors receive significant coaching and support as they join the Auditor’s Office team and learn to manage large amounts of information, conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses, synthesize multi-faceted findings, present in public meetings, and interface with county leaders and staff.

Examples of recent audit impacts include:

• an audit of sex offense investigations led the Sheriff’s Office to partner with advocates to develop a handout to help sex offense victims understand the resources available to them.
• an audit of paratransit services led to riders getting to their destinations faster and having ways to provide feedback.
• an audit of contracting led to minority- and women-owned businesses in King County having more equitable access to contracting opportunities.
• an audit of a wastewater facility led to improved safety at work for employees because of improved training and implementation of a formal safety program.

The King County Auditor’s Office is an independent office within the Legislative Branch of government that includes the King County Council.

The office conducts performance audits and oversight of capital projects of King County government. We assess equity, efficiency, and effectiveness.

You can see upcoming audit work in our biennial audit work program.

Our office is committed to equity and social justice and ensuring that King County lives up to its intent to be an accountable, inclusive, and antiracist government.

We follow Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards established by the US Government Accountability Office, known as the Yellow Book.

Current reports produced by our office are available on our website. We value collaboration, supportive intellectual antagonism, and humor, along with hard work.

Qualifications

Minimum qualifications:

The position requires advanced, high-level performance audit skills such as research, interviewing, quantitative and qualitative analysis, risk assessment, internal control assessment, writing, and making public presentations to county leaders while adhering to strict professional standards.

A successful applicant must have a combination of education and experience that clearly shows the ability to perform the job duties of the position.

We prefer a master’s degree, and it may substitute for some experience.

Your credentials are not the only factor in successfully performing this role.

In recruiting for our team, we welcome the unique contributions that team members bring in terms of their race, age, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, ethnicity, nation of origin, languages spoken, veteran’s status, religion, physical ability, and beliefs.

We value the diverse experience, skills, and abilities our candidates bring. Candidates who do not have all the qualifications listed below should still consider applying.

Qualities of ideal candidate:

• at least six (6) years of auditing experience, preferably in a performance audit environment
• well-developed quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, including evaluation of issues such as governance, risk management, internal controls, culture, change management, and strategic planning
• using tools such as mathematical models, surveys, direct query of software systems, data cleaning, projections, statistical software, and thematic analysis
• well-developed organization, project management, and communication skills, including experience with topics such as agile project management; Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK); complex, high volume work; and high-stakes audit conversations
• well-developed interpersonal skills to collaborate within work teams and build relationships with auditees
• well-developed public speaking skills to facilitate group discussions and to prepare and deliver formal presentations dedicated to integrity, accuracy, and transparency
• meticulous attention to detail
• well-developed interview skills using techniques such as in-person, remote, semi-structured, or forensic on topics like software systems, human services, capital projects, technical issues, business processes, or internal controls
• ability to think through and discuss complicated problems while maintaining objectivity
• ability to thoroughly critique ideas in a thoughtful and respectful way
• ability to write clearly and concisely about complex topics
• ability to clearly and comprehensively document work to meet both office policy and professional auditing standards
• an understanding of the concepts of institutional and structural racism and intersectional biases and their impact on people and communities
• advanced working knowledge of software, including, but not limited to, Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and statistical analysis software
• sufficient knowledge of the English language, usage, and grammar to write professional audit reports in English.

Helpful (but not required) experience and knowledge:

• experience working in local government
• experience evaluating internal controls of programs and organizations
• experience analyzing or collecting data using STATA, NVivo, and/or Qualtrics
• development and execution of creative methodologies
• cybersecurity auditing
• transportation auditing
• criminal legal system auditing

Additional Information

About the position

This position is open to all qualified applicants. Federal immigration law requires acceptable proof of identity and authorization to work in the United States.

This is a salaried, at-will, overtime-exempt position, ineligible from the King County Career Service system. The standard full-time work week is 35 hours.

Work schedules are flexible but must include core hours on days worked from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. We may occasionally require non-traditional, non-core work hours and travel throughout King County.

You must live in Washington state. Secure and reliable internet connection is required for remote work (a minimum of 30 megabits per second download speed to accommodate video meetings).

Full benefits are available, some of which include the Washington State Public Employees’ Retirement System; county health, dental, and vision insurance plans; parental leave; local transit pass and other alternative local transportation incentives; and deferred compensation plan.

To see all benefits, visit Benefits, Payroll and Retirement at https://kingcounty.gov/audience/employees/benefits.aspx.

How to apply

Apply through the King County Jobs website.

Submit a King County application form, resume, and letter of interest detailing your background, describing how you meet or exceed the position requirements, and what you might add to office culture.

Important note on application materials: We value integrity and ethical conduct in all aspects of our work — including the hiring process.

As such we expect all application materials to be developed personally by the applicant and without the use of AI tools.

There is a four-phase applicant review process:

1. Screening submitted materials
2. Preliminary interview via video
3. Testing to evaluate technical skills
4. Finalist interviews

We will interview finalists via video conference and in-person. We prefer online applications.

However, if you cannot apply online, go to https://www.kingcounty.gov/audience/employees/careers.aspx for other options.

If you need accommodation in the recruitment process, an alternate format of this announcement, or have questions regarding this position, please email Rachel.Rawlings@kingcounty.gov.

Conditions of employment

The selected candidate must live in Washington state and within periodic commuting distance to the King County Courthouse in Seattle.

Work is currently conducted in a hybrid (in-person and remote) environment. You must be available for periodic in-person work.

The current expectation, which is subject to change, is that staff will attend in-person for events such as monthly staff meetings, significant project meetings, and presentations to council committees, but work is primarily performed remotely.

You must have a secure and reliable internet connection for remote work (a minimum of 30 megabits per second download speed to accommodate video meetings).

All staff sign agreements annually related to independence, ethics, code of conduct, team engagement, and telework.

Equal opportunity employer

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer.

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class.

Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay, or other forms of compensation.

APPLICATIONS MAY BE FILED ONLINE AT:

ADD LINK HERE WHEN AVAILABLE

For questions or help with your King County application for this position, please contact Rachel Rawlings at rachel.rawlings@kingcounty.gov.

For assistance with the application system, contact Government Jobs customer service at 855-524-5627 or support@governmentjobs.com.

Job #2026-26408