Matthew Gruling
Minneapolis,United States
Summary
Accomplished auditing professional polished in risk mitigation and cost reduction strategies. Completes audits for various clients in diverse industries and executes planning strategies to enhance financial positions. Focuses on delivering high-quality results and producing exceptional work.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Auditor
Defense Contract Audit Agency
Saint Paul, MN
01.2011 - Current
- Performing in the Acting Supervisory Auditor role while the supervisor is out of the office.
- I have led audit teams in the completion of audits.
- I have worked on multiple projects and been assigned duties at the same time.
- I am responsible for executing assigned audit work on a variety of companies, performing work for the Department of Defense and other Federal agencies.
- I have worked with both internal and external contacts to perform timely and efficient audits.
- I have performed various other related duties and special projects as assigned.
- Taking initiative in the development of co-workers in a variety of ways, including coaching of two new hires.
- Being on a team with three new hires, I have assumed a leadership role by frequently answering their questions when the supervisor wasn't available.
- I have been approached by auditors in our office with various incurred cost audit/adequacy questions, which I graciously answered.
- The audit teams I have worked on have appreciated my IT advice provided in team meetings, and auditors have come to me as questions come up.
- I provided training sessions with the audit team to share my knowledge and experiences.
- Independently performing a variety of difficult, complex audit assignments.
- I have taken on the more complex audit assignments on the audit team and have performed independently, which provided a variety of difficulties to overcome, discussed below.
- In one audit, the contractor was unable to reconcile the proposed costs to its supporting accounting records.
- To overcome this challenge, I had the contractor manually reconcile the costs, and I tested the result.
- I am able to independently analyze and solve difficult audit issues with minimal supervisor assistance.
- This includes analyses of contractor accounting operations.
- Identifying and preparing comprehensive risk assessments.
- Within audits, I have identified pertinent risk areas for further evaluation/testing based on comprehensive risk assessments.
- Developing/modifying audit programs and plans of testing procedures, aligning audit steps with risk assessment.
- I have appropriately scoped the audit program and plan to encompass testing to focus on high-risk accounts, transactions, and areas dependent on prior experience when applicable, while also paying particular attention to detail.
- Meeting with auditee one-on-one to explain audit purpose, obtain necessary information, and discuss audit findings in the various stages of the audit, including entrance conferences to explain the audit purpose and my planned process for the audit; site visits to obtain information, such as accounting system documentation; and exit conferences to discuss audit findings as appropriate.
- I effectively communicate with the auditee to further understand and evaluate the auditee's assertion and for improvement.
- Many discussions concerning noncompliances resulted in auditees' agreement with the audit findings and future compliance.
- I have participated in negotiations in support of the Government contracting officer in order to arrive at a fair settlement both sides could agree on.
- I successfully defused difficult conversations while gaining the auditee's trust with my knowledge of the contract and regulations.
- This can include additional review of contract terms and effectively interpret them to the auditee in accordance with agency policy.
- I have utilized my experience and knowledge, while maintaining my independence, to serve as an expert to auditees and Government contracting officers to improve efficiency of future audits by sharing appropriate information and tools provided by the agency.
- This includes providing tips to promote continuous improvement that value both learning and commitment to quality.
- I maintain a working knowledge of agency policies and procedures to share with other auditors.
- I have performed detailed testing and examining of accounting systems and records, cost representations, internal controls, management policies, and practices to assure compliance with contract terms, accounting and auditing principles, standards, and regulations.
- I analyzed and reviewed contractor general ledgers, subsidiary ledgers, and other supporting records within various accounting systems.
- I have experience in analyzing records and presenting my results through the use data analytics and data visualization tools.
- I am highly skilled in the use of various computer applications, including, but not limited to, Microsoft Office and Adobe products.
- I am skilled in preparing audit work papers, which are organized, indexed, referenced, and have adequate substantiating documents.
- Furthermore, I have organized complex audit findings within my audit work papers in high detail to allow the supervisor to understand the issues with limited questions.
- I am skilled in making initial audit determinations, which identify deficiencies or noncompliance.
- I am independent in preparing reports of audit findings, conclusions, and recommendations, which involve minimal supervisory edits.
- This includes developing an audit opinion on the subject matter and providing audit positions on cost accounting and accounting system assertions.
- I have conducted training and presentations to staff in a variety of auditing subjects, primarily involving my current experiences.
- I have actively participated in decision-making sessions with DCAA management and various Contracting Officers to discuss audit results and develop workload plans for future years.
- I have demonstrated various competencies, including accountability, arithmetic/mathematical reasoning, attention to detail, customer service, decision making, flexibility, integrity/honesty, interpersonal skills, learning, reasoning, self-management, stress tolerance, and teamwork.
Supervisory Auditor
Defense Contract Audit Agency
Saint Paul, MN
05.2018 - 02.2019
- Served as the Supervisory Auditor in a resident/branch office responsible for the supervision, conduct, and accomplishment of a segment of the audit program.
- Led a major segment of the total audit program plan.
- I monitored the program plan while in the supervisor role and provided feedback to the Branch Manager and Regional Audit Manager (RAM)
- My top achievement along with the audit team was questioning $22M of a $78.2M claim.
- The customer was very satisfied with our audit, which was very responsive to their request, and follow-up meetings helped clarify the audit findings.
- During the audit, I provided authoritative policy interpretations and functional recommendations on the type of audit and resolved major problems that arose in meetings with the RAM and Branch Manager in producing a well-documented and factual audit report.
- I prepared or directed the preparation of reports containing timely, accurate, and essential financial information for management negotiation purposes.
- Served as a team leader and member of a participative work team (PWT) consisting of professional auditors.
- Established annual goals complementary to region/agency goals and objectives.
- This has involved working closely with audit staff and management in order to close out a number of incurred cost assignments by issuing audit reports and low-risk memorandums to reduce the current incurred cost backlog.
- I have also worked with other supervisory auditors in the Minneapolis and Chicago Branch Offices, along with other contractor segments, in order to reach our goals.
- I sent assignment listings to auditors.
- This assisted in keeping auditors accountable to approved budgets and due dates.
- This also provided time for auditors to request additional hours or extended due dates.
- I kept our database up to date with hours, due dates, and assignment information.
- Reviewed audit programs, working papers, progress on the audit assignment, and draft audit reports.
- Ensured that quantitative methods and computerized auditing techniques are being utilized as appropriate in the audit process.
- Audit reports submitted to the Branch Manager required only minor edits as I coordinated findings and report formatting with the Branch Manager.
- I reviewed auditor assignments on an interim basis and took interest in auditors' work on an ongoing basis, which aided in faster work paper reviews.
- Communicated DCAA audit services and maintains audit liaison with acquisition officials.
- While in the role for a short time, I have communicated with the Defense Contract Management Agency and customers a number of times to answer questions and provide feedback on services we offer.
- Counseled and advised employees.
- Evaluated performance, recommended recognition, and initiated appropriate remedial action for performance or conduct deficiencies.
- On interim reviews and auditor requests, I supplied constructive feedback to auditors.
- Approved leave, rates performance, takes disciplinary actions, awards, promotes, has the power to demote, approves within-grade increases, and recommends selection for vacancies, etc.
Supervisory Auditor
Defense Contract Audit Agency
Saint Paul, MN
06.2016 - 09.2016
- Served as the Supervisory Auditor in a branch office responsible for the supervision, conduct, and accomplishment of a segment of the audit program.
- Led a major segment of the total audit program plan.
- I led the non-major contractor-incurred cost and Honeywell team in the Minneapolis Branch Office.
- I closely monitored the FY 2016 program plan while in the supervisor role and provided timely feedback to the Branch Manager and Regional Audit Manager (RAM) which the RAM expressed her appreciation to the Branch Manager.
- I performed timely evaluations for FY 2017 program planning, which included analysis of the incurred cost inventory and other assignments that needed to be input into the plan.
- I ensured that the FY 2017 program plan grouped up incurred costs FYs in order to efficiently close out older FYs, while still reducing the average age of the incurred cost proposals.
- Served as a team leader and member of a participative work team (PWT) consisting of professional auditors.
- Established annual goals complementary to region/agency goals and objectives.
- While I was in the role for a short time, I have been involved in establishing goals for the remainder of the fiscal year and reaching existing team goals that are complementary to region/agency goals.
- This has involved working closely with audit staff and management in order to close out a number of incurred cost assignments by issuing audit reports and low-risk memorandums to reduce the current incurred cost backlog.
- I have also worked with other supervisory auditors (one in the Minneapolis Branch Office and another on the Virtual Incurred Cost Branch Office) in order to reach our goals.
- I sent assignment listings to each auditor at the beginning of each pay period to aid auditors in their planning (budget to actuals with due dates). This assisted in keeping auditors accountable to approved budgets and due dates.
- This also provided time for auditors to request additional hours or extended due dates.
- I kept the database up to date with hours, due dates, and incurred cost submission information.
- Reviewed audit programs, working papers, progress on the audit assignment, and draft audit reports.
- Ensured that quantitative methods and computerized auditing techniques are being utilized as appropriate in the audit process.
- My team closed out 24 incurred cost FYs of which 4 FYs were under audit reports, 5 FYs of Low-Risk Memos (LRM), 11 FYs canceled due to non-participating reimbursable customers, and 4 FYs under a decrement memo to the ACO
- Audit reports submitted to the Branch Manager required only minor edits as I coordinated findings and report formatting with the Branch Manager.
- I reviewed auditor assignments on an interim basis and took interest in auditors' work on an ongoing basis, which aided in faster work paper reviews.
- Communicated DCAA audit services and maintains audit liaison with acquisition officials.
- While in the role for a short time, I have communicated with the Defense Contract Management Agency and reimbursable customers a number of times to answer questions and provide feedback on services we offer.
- As a result of this communication, we canceled 11 FYs of incurred cost due to reimbursable customers not participating in audits of 100% reimbursable contractors, and we issued a decrement memo to DCMA for 4 FYs where a contractor was going out of business.
- Counseled and advised employees.
- Evaluated performance, recommended recognition, and initiated appropriate remedial action for performance or conduct deficiencies.
- While in the role for a brief time, I have initiated a change in the assigned auditor on an assignment due to the initial auditor being out on FMLA.
- The change was made in order to reach our goal of completing the assignment by the end of the fiscal year.
- I also provided opportunities to auditors on the team by shifting assignments, in order to complete assignments by the due dates.
- I kept auditors accountable by reminding them (regarding budget increases) of materiality of findings and percentage of budget expended when they request budget increases
- On interim reviews and auditor requests, I supplied constructive feedback to auditors.
Auditor
Defense Contract Audit Agency
Saint Paul, MN
04.2007 - 01.2011
- Serving as an auditor on an audit team.
- Independently performing a variety of audit assignments.
- Identifying and preparing comprehensive risk assessments.
- Developing/modifying audit programs and plans, aligning audit steps with risk assessment.
- Meeting with auditee to explain audit purpose, obtain necessary information, and discuss audit findings.
- Detailed testing and examining accounting systems and records, cost representations, internal controls, management policies, and practices to assure compliance with accounting and auditing principles, standards, and regulations.
- Preparing audit work papers, which are organized, indexed, and referenced, and adequate substantiating documents.
- Making initial audit determinations that identify deficiencies or noncompliance.
- Preparing reports of audit findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
Education
Bachelor's degree - Accounting, Management Information Systems (MIS)
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI, United States12.2006
Skills
- Self-motivation and persistence
- Problem solving and comfort in ambiguity
- Strong research and analytical skills
- Outstanding written and oral communications skills
- Organization and the ability to multitask
- Willingness to learn
- Good listening skills
- Diplomacy and negotiation skills
- Confidence
- Passion for service
- Advanced skills on Microsoft Office software
Desiredlocations
- Telework/Hybrid
- Remote
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Twin Cities, Minnesota
Availability
Permanent, Full-time
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Supervisory Auditor
Defense Contract Audit Agency
05.2018 - 02.2019
Supervisory Auditor
Defense Contract Audit Agency
06.2016 - 09.2016
Senior Auditor
Defense Contract Audit Agency
01.2011 - Current
Auditor
Defense Contract Audit Agency
04.2007 - 01.2011
Bachelor's degree - Accounting, Management Information Systems (MIS)
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Similar Profiles
Scottie JarrettScottie Jarrett
Training Technician at Defense Contract Audit Agency/Defense Contract Audit InstitutionTraining Technician at Defense Contract Audit Agency/Defense Contract Audit Institution
JanQuil "Chastity" AllenJanQuil "Chastity" Allen
Inventory Management Specialist at Defense Contract Audit Agency (DoD)Inventory Management Specialist at Defense Contract Audit Agency (DoD)
Audie GuilbeauAudie Guilbeau
Senior Auditor at Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)Senior Auditor at Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)
Amy MontagninoAmy Montagnino
Office Automation Assistant at Defense Contract Audit AgencyOffice Automation Assistant at Defense Contract Audit Agency
Lauren BirdLauren Bird
Voice and Piano Instructor at Brighter Minds MusicVoice and Piano Instructor at Brighter Minds Music