A field auditor reviews the financial records of different branches or outlets of a corporation within a given region. He or she checks revenue reports, inventory forms, and other pertinent documents to make sure they are free from errors. If financial fraud is suspected, the auditor investigates suspicious records and interviews employees to uncover facts. The work of a field auditor helps officials at corporate headquarters make important decisions regarding financial policies.
Field auditors can fulfill some of their responsibilities from a central office, but the nature of the job generally requires extensive travel. Depending on the size and scope of a corporation, a field auditor may be required to log several hundred miles a week in travel by car or airplane. In most cases, trip expenses such as food and hotel room fees are compensated by the auditor's employer.
When meeting with branch representatives, the auditor is typically given access to detailed paper or electronic financial records. He or she goes through each line of information, checking figures against reported totals and records from corporate headquarters. In order to avoid accounting errors, an auditor must be very organized and able to recognize even the smallest discrepancies right away. Inconsistencies in financial reports are usually minor and do not require any more than a footnote on the official report back to the corporate office. When a large amount of revenue or funding is missing, however, the auditor may decide to initiate an investigation.
A field auditor first double-checks records to find out if finances were simply misplaced rather than suspiciously absent. If money cannot be accounted for, he or she normally begins a thorough fraud investigation. Other professionals may be brought in to aid in an inspection, but the auditor is generally the ultimate authority. He or she scrutinizes company and private bank accounts, employee histories, and possible suspects. When funds are tracked down, the auditor puts together a legal report and helps develop better company policies to avoid future problems.
There are no strict educational requirements to become a field auditor, but most professionals hold bachelor's degrees or higher in accounting or business management. In addition, prospective field auditors generally need to gain several years of experience as auditing clerks, fraud investigators, or business accountants before advancing to the position. A skilled auditor may be rewarded with an internal auditor job after working for a company for many years. Many professionals, however, enjoy the perks of traveling and decide to stay in field auditing positions throughout their careers.
