Forensic careers

Forensic

Careers for graduates: learn about providing independent expertise and gathering the facts.

Careers for graduates: learn about providing independent expertise and gathering facts.

Grad careers: Forensic

In a nutshell, what does your business group/service line do?

In Forensic, we help clients reduce reputational risk and commercial loss by applying forensic accounting, investigation, intelligence, technology and industry skills. The Forensic service lines may help prevent and resolve commercial disputes, fraud, misconduct, and breaches of rules and regulations. Our main service lines include:

  • Investigations
  • Fraud Risk Management
  • Dispute Advisory
  • Forensic Technology
  • Anti Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism funding
  • Corporate Intelligence
  • Regulatory Compliance.

KPMG Investigations assist clients with investigation into potential fraud and misconduct. We give clients a clear understanding of the facts to determine appropriate next steps and necessary actions.

Fraud Risk Management helps clients design, implement, and evaluate policies, programs, and controls to help and prevent instances of fraud and misconduct.

Dispute Advisory provides accounting advice and expert witness services to assist in preventing and resolving commercial disputes. This involves the Forensic team quantifying losses, preparing expert witness reports and often giving expert evidence in Court.

Forensic Technology Services helps clients prepare for the identification, preservation, production, retention, and disposition of records and information for regulatory and discovery matters.

Our Anti-Money Laundering/Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) team support financial services organisations in meeting their regulatory obligations in regards to AML/CTF by providing independent expertise, testing and recommendations for improvement and compliance.

Corporate Intelligence provides vital information on current and future business partners and other matters when organisations want to reduce risk, enter new markets, solve corporate problems, undertake investigations and enhance business opportunities.

Regulatory Compliance covering money laundering, bribery and corruption and the licensing and probity requirements being imposed in many industries are becoming tighter. Our team supports clients to achieve high levels of compliance to assist in effective business operations and avoid inadvertent technical breaches.

What does the average day look like?

One of the most exciting things about working in Forensic is that there is no typical day. Particularly as a graduate, you get the opportunity to work across all of the service lines. Each engagement can vary quite significantly depending on the client or the nature of the work. No two engagements are the same, so your approach and thus the work you complete on a daily basis differs across engagements and service lines.

Some of the common tasks a graduate will be involved in day-to-day are: attending team meetings and sometimes client meetings, gathering information onsite at a client, reviewing emails, searching for online intelligence, tracing bank payments, taking notes during witness and suspect interviews, reviewing financial information and preparing analyses to be used in quantifying losses for inclusion in client reports. You will also get the opportunity to take calls from clients which come through our whistleblowing hotline.

Our team is probably one of the most eclectic and social groups in KPMG. As our work spans across accounting, legal, technology and risk skill sets, we have people from all different backgrounds such as law, accounting, finance, law enforcement, and technology. The team is small and specialist with around 100 employees nationally. We’re a close group who all work together to deliver the best solution to our clients. Our senior leadership team is extremely approachable and we have a culture of support, particularly for our younger staff. We work hard and play hard!

What will I learn in the first year?

In your first year as a graduate, you gain exposure to all aspects of forensic by assisting clients with their individual needs across all of our service lines. You’ll work with the wider team across AML/CTF, investigations, fraud risk management and dispute engagements. The majority of the learning will be on the job, however we also have a tailored Forensic training program specifically designed to develop the skills of our employees, with modules to be completed throughout the first year.

What’s the best part of the role?

The best part about a career in Forensic is the variety. No two engagements are the same. Working in Forensic requires you to think on your feet and remain flexible in order to change your approach based on the circumstances at hand. Work can come in with little to no notice. Therefore, we can have periods where the team is working late to meet a client deadline or to get to the bottom of a matter. However, we are a flexible department and aim to ensure everyone has a good work/life balance.

Further information