Financial Services Advisory Intern 2027
BDO South Africa
2026/09/03   JHB Illovo


Job Ref #: INCFSAJHB27AUG26TT
Industry: Advisory
Job Type: Contract
Positions Available: 8
The Financial Services Advisory Intern will join BDO’s Financial Services Advisory division for a 12-month internship programme. The intern will be exposed to a broad range of advisory work spanning financial reporting, technology risk, governance, regulatory compliance, and client consulting.
Job Description

Primary Purpose of the Job

The Financial Services Advisory Intern will join BDO’s Financial Services Advisory division for a 12-month internship programme. The intern will be exposed to a broad range of advisory work spanning financial reporting, technology risk, governance, regulatory compliance, and client consulting. This role is designed to develop well-rounded business and advisory skills and will suit a motivated individual who is eager to learn, contribute meaningfully to client engagements, and gain practical experience across a dynamic advisory environment.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

  • General Information Technology Controls (GITC) testing and application controls testing.
  • Analysing information systems data to assess accuracy, completeness and timeliness of transaction processing.
  • Assisting in the identification and assessment of emerging technology and financial reporting risks facing clients in the Financial Services industry.
  • Providing technical support to engagement auditors where computer-assisted audit techniques (CAATs) are required.
  • Supporting the preparation of client-facing reports, management presentations and advisory deliverables.
  • Assisting with regulatory compliance assessments, including reviews against applicable South African financial services legislation (FAIS, FICA, FSCA, NCA, POPIA) where relevant to client engagements.
  • Contributing to consulting projects spanning risk advisory, business process improvement, and governance reviews.
  • Supporting due diligence and data analysis exercises using tools such as IDEA and MS Excel.
  • Researching IT risk management, IT governance concepts and industry best-practice frameworks (COBIT, ITIL, ISO 27001-2).
  • Being knowledgeable about, or willing to learn, data analysis.
  • Willing to learn IT risk management, IT governance concepts and best-practice frameworks.

 

Job Requirements

Qualifications, Experience, Knowledge and Skills

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Commerce in Business Management, Engineering, Accounting, Information Systems, Informatics, Finance, Law, or equivalent.
  • BCom Accounting or BCom Internal Auditing.
  • BCom Law or LLB with a commercial focus will be considered.

Experience

  • No prior work experience required; this is an entry-level internship position.
  • Vacation work, clerkships, or part-time exposure in consulting, audit, legal, financial services or regulatory environments will be recognised.
  • Academic projects, case competitions or research involving financial analysis, compliance, governance or technology risk are advantageous.
  • Exposure to COBIT, ITIL, ISO 27001-2 and other models is advantageous.

Requirements

  • Willingness to engage with and learn compliance and governance advisory concepts relevant to financial services clients.
  • Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, Word and PowerPoint); exposure to data analytics tools is a plus.

Competencies: Knowledge and Skills

Job Skills and Competencies

  • Professionalism.
  • Strong client orientation.
  • Attention to detail.
  • Ability to prioritise and handle stress.
  • Task-driven and delivery-focused.
  • Ability to work with all levels within an organisation.

Behavioural Competencies

  • Have a passion and/or interest in emerging technologies, for example: machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.
  • Socially aware and able to work as part of a diverse team.
  • Curiosity for regulatory and governance developments affecting the financial services sector.
  • Ethical conduct and professional integrity in all dealings.
  • Willingness to learn and embrace feedback.

Application Requirements

• Academic transcript
• Copy of South African ID
• Updated CV